6 Ways To Challenge Yourself To Improve Your Communication Skills
Improving communication skills is an ongoing process for many people who want to maximize their impact and efficiency. Whether you are regularly in charge of teams, somewhat shy, learning to speak in public, or seeking improvement in everyday interaction, improvement is an important goal.
Some challenges will yield results in a few weeks or months with daily practice or a few guided sessions by an experienced teacher. Others may be a project lasting one to ten years with regular practice and goal-setting schedules.
Focus on Tone
"The tone of your communication will either command attention or destroy it." - Judith Martinez
Tone is everything to many people, and it can be easy to lose track of your tone in the middle of a conversation that matters. Be patient with yourself as you research and practice better tone in person, written communication, and non-verbal communication.
Keep in touch with people you trust to give you quality feedback, pointers, and encouragement. A sense of perspective, empathy, and context combined with insight will help you master tone over the long run. Work with a tone coach and try to talk to a variety of people about different issues when it's time to analyze your tone. It is easy to pick up tones when we are used to working with certain people or the same types of people consistently.
Develop Empathy
"When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it." - Stephen Covey
People who want to achieve and communicate efficiently can often forget to approach their work with empathy. We are often taught that expectations and a desire for quality are more important than communicating with understanding. Some people may even feel that prioritizing empathy makes it easier for people to make excuses.
Working with a sense of empathy is important as part of everyone's personal development, but it also gets results. People always want to understand why things happen, gain more insight, and resonate with their audience. Developing empathy helps reduce friction and creates better communicators and decision-makers.
Take Better Notes
"Note-taking is not about recording information, but about understanding and retaining it." - Michael Hyatt
The art of taking notes is a difficult one to master, but it should be high on your priority list. Many people may remember an old teacher who constantly reminded students to organize their notes and write neatly. These are two important things to know about effective notes, but you can take things even further.
Investigate professional note-taking methods, learn some shorthand, and evaluate the paper or software you use for notes. Finding the right system that works for your specific needs can dramatically improve your ability to capture and utilize information.
Cut Out Filler
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein
Filler is often disguised as small talk or another type of pleasantry that we have become convinced makes people feel comfortable. Using effective language doesn't have to mean including details you don't really care about.
Work on your body language, introductions, and meeting formats so you can stay focused on the issue. Plenty of people could talk, write, or email at a slower pace with less filler and improve their communication quality.
Practice Strong Eye Contact
"The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden." - Paulo Coelho
Good eye contact can be hard to maintain if you are used to talking to several people at the same time or managing items. Focus on one person at a time, even if it's only for a few seconds during a group discussion.
Making intentional eye contact demonstrates confidence, builds trust, and shows that you're fully engaged in the conversation—all vital components of effective communication.
Become an Active Listener
"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." - Stephen R. Covey
Active listeners are people who make sure they minimize or eliminate interruptions, respond with insight, and focus on the topic. A hallmark of great active listeners is that they know how to connect different elements of a complex discussion.
They also ask important questions and know that people might need to revisit certain questions multiple times in a lot of cases. Active listeners can minimize distractions and often stick to a relatively strict meeting schedule in order to focus on communication.
Ready to Transform Your Communication Skills?
Mastering these six communication challenges can dramatically improve your professional relationships, leadership effectiveness, and personal confidence. But sometimes, personalized guidance makes all the difference. Ready to accelerate your communication transformation? Schedule a free Clear Strategy Session with our expert communication coaches today. During this complimentary consultation, we'll identify your specific communication roadblocks and create a tailored plan to help you overcome them.
Click here to book your free session now and take the first step toward becoming the communicator you've always wanted to be.
Joe Mitchell, Esquire is a High-Performance Coach and EFT (Tapping) Practitioner, who has logged over 35 years of in-depth study of personal and spiritual development. In his studies, he has done hundreds of self-development courses, spiritual retreats, and health-related workshops. Coach Joe is a certified yoga teacher, meditation teacher, NLP Practitioner, and a graduate of three coaching academies. Two years after he graduated from Harvard Law School, he became a monk for five years. In 2016, after over 20 years as a solo criminal and personal injury attorney, he decided to turn his heart’s passion into a career as a Success Coach, Motivational Speaker and Trainer. For information on Coach Joe’s programs, high-performance videos and to apply for a Free High-Performance Session, book a Strategy Session with Coach Joe today.
