Interpersonal skills have a lot to do with our communication skills. This is because when you interact with others, you always communicate. These are tools that you use every day. Communicating is a way for all of us to express ourselves.
It’s extremely important for you to improve your communication skills in order to truly get ahead in life. And this includes much more than the words we say out load. It includes our body language and even the words we communicate through our writing. The words on the paper right here are a way to express thoughts and communicate to you what I have to say. So, two people don’t have to even be in the same room in order for a process of communication to occur.
Therefore, if your ability to get your ideas across effectively to others is impaired due to poor skills every single aspect of your life will be negatively impacted. And I can’t think of a single person who couldn’t use at least a little help with their communication skills. Here are a few pointer to get you started on the right track.
Observe Yourself
Try this activity, take a piece of paper and then draw a line down the middle. Write the word verbal on the top part of one column and the word non verbal on the other column. Do this to observe yourself for a day. And when you interact with someone, record your verbal and non-verbal communication and take note of the person’s reaction.
Here’s another simple tool that can help improve the way you communicate. Before you utter any words at all, think about the words in your mind and how they go together. Ask yourself if the message you want to convey is clear or confusing. This way you can determine your verbal weaknesses and where you need to improve. In communicating, make sure that the message is clear, concise and as comprehensive as possible.
Gather Feedback
Next, is to observe your nonverbal cues. When communicating, it’s not only verbally that you can send a message to the person you are talking to but through your body language as well. And this is what we call nonverbal communication. To know if your verbal and nonverbal cues complement each other, let a friend observe you having a conversation with another person.
Then ask for your friend’s feedback. And if they observed that your nonverbal and verbal cues didn’t agree, you need to set up a plan of action. In this plan, you need to think about how you can change your nonverbal messages so that they agree with your verbal communication. Bring the behavior into your consciousness, which will allow you to focus on changing it to be more congruent the next time. Remember, practice makes perfect or at at the very least it makes for improvement.
Lastly, you can create a survey that you can give your friends and family to gather feedback on how they perceive your communication skills. To have accurate feedback, you need to hand it to people that you interact with on a daily basis. In doing so, you can more easily discover your areas of weaknesses and strengths.
Good communication skills are necessary in your personal and business life. It’s a skill that needs to be nurtured with time and effort. So, follow these steps and let me know if they did indeed help you to enhance your skills and bring success into your life.