Five Tips for Improving Your
       Communication Skills



Five Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills

Q2 2011  Print

In your professional and personal life, your level of communication skills will impact the quality and long lasting success of your relationships.  Here are some proven tips that can elevate your level of effectiveness in communications.

1. Listen More, Talk Less
If you ask people “Do you listen?” most will answer “Yes”, but if we really look at it, I would assert we spend a lot of time “hearing” but not “listening”.  True listening is more than just “hearing” a person’s words, it involves deriving the meaning and understanding what is being said.  It is a true skill to be developed.

It has been said that we are given two ears and one mouth for a reason, and they should be used proportionately in that same order.  The more you listen, the more you can chose your words and increase the appropriateness, impact and effectiveness of what you say.


2. Be Aware of Your Perceptions
The same situation can be perceived from many different angles.  Be willing and open to look from as many different views as possible.  By taking in multiple viewpoints, you will have many more options for possible solutions and outcomes than if you are solely looking from your own point of view.


3. Your Opinions are Not the Truth
I know we like to think that our “opinions” are in fact “the truth”, but how often have we been certain that something was the truth and later found that it was false – “The world is flat!”   If what society as a whole believes is true can be found out to be false, so can our own individual opinions.  Be open to the fact that what you are absolutely certain “is true” may actually only be a strongly held opinion!


4. Choose Your Words Carefully
The words you choose to address a situation can have a substantial impact on how a resolution is reached.  For example, let’s say it’s been a while since you’ve gone out to dinner with your significant other, you could say “I’d really like us to go out to dinner this week” or “We never go out to dinner”.  Which do you think is more likely to result in going out to dinner?


5. Be Aware of More Than Just the Words That are Said
In looking at the breakdown of communication, it has been shown that 55% is visual (body language), 38% vocal (tone, rhythm, inflection) and 7% verbal (actual words).  In giving and receiving communication, build your awareness of what is being said and what you are saying in all of these ways.

Improving your communications skills can make a difference in your everyday life.  Practice using these tips on a daily basis and enjoy the benefits!