Strategies to Improve Communication

Effective communication is the process of successful transmission of the message from the sender o the receiver.

If the receiver is able to download the message in exactly the same way as the sender intended to do, communication is effective. The receiver must understand what the speaker wants to convey and accordingly must give his valuable feedback or simply respond.

If any of the participants whether the sender or the receiver is not clear about the content of the conversation, the communication is said to be ineffective.

Effective communication not only plays a key role in organizations but also in one’s personal life. An individual is not born with an effective communication, it comes with due course of time and of course through lots of practice and dedication.

Let us try to understand how one can improve communication skills in day to day life.

The golden rule to an effective communication in day to day scenario is to listen attentively. A good listening power goes a long way in improving the communication skills of an individual.

Dont just speak, also listen. Try to grasp new words, correct pronunciations from your friends and other people. If you feel you are pronouncing a particular word in not the desired form, don’t hesitate or feel shy, instead, learn from others the correct way.

Remember there is no limit and age to learn new things. One can do it almost everyday. Gone are the days when television was considered an idiot box. Who says one can’t gain anything while watching Television or Internet?

While watching any talk show, Podcast on Youtube, or an interactive program on television or Internet, don’t simply stare at the pictures only, instead keep your ears and mind alert and try to follow the participant’s accent, selection of words, the flow of words and gain as much as you can.

In any conversation, listen carefully what the other person is speaking and then only respond.

Try to understand what the speaker wishes to convey. Never stop the speaker in between and rush with your questions. The question answer round must come at the end of the conversation.

During any conversation, if you are not clear with any word, don’t just ignore, immediately refer to a dictionary or any other vocabulary site.

Read a lot as reading also helps in improving the communication skills. Can’t find a book, simply pick up the newspaper and read. It enriches one’s vocabulary and one would never fall short of words and ideas while communicating. Practice also helps in improving the communication skills. The more you speak, the more confident you are, and more effective your communication is.

Never speak at a noisy place. Avoid communicating at overcrowded buses, market place, construction sites, railway stations, busy streets as noise overpowers the actual content at all such places.

Mike and Jackson were at a construction site, where the labours were howling and screaming and the machines were making all kind of noises. Mike had to convey an urgent message to Jackson.

How do you think Mike should have communicated ?

The ideal way to communicate in such a scenario is a text message as verbal communication would have been ineffective as Jackson would never be able to hear the message properly leading to wrong interpretations and misunderstandings. If the facility of text message is not available, it’s better to wait for the right time.

Speaking clearly and properly is the mantra to an effective communication. Never keep your thoughts within yourself, instead put your ideas in a sensible and meaningful content after carefully selecting the words.

Remember selection of words is of utmost importance as any wrong word can distort the message and change the meaning of the sentence completely. Don’t keep half of your thoughts in mind, always speak clearly.

If you want to order a Chicken Burger, please do specify your preference. If you don’t want to accompany your friends to a party, make them very clear. The pitch and tone of the communication must also be kept in mind for an effective communication. Never speak in between two individuals as it would always lead to confusions and misunderstandings and no one will be clear what the other person wants to convey.

Always try to understand the mood of the second party before communicating. If the other party is in a fowl mood, prefer to convey your message later. Don’t just immediately start with your message, instead first break the ice by some warm words, pleasant greetings and compliments. Make sure to make an eye contact with the other party for the desired effect.

Remember communication is no magic which can be achieved in a day; rather it comes with dedication, practice and concentration.

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