How to Have Better Communication Skills

Communication is an essential part of our everyday life. Your success in the workplace, family life and relationship can be affected a lot by your communication skills. People who have good communication skills tend to be more successful in many areas of life. We all lack good communication skills in certain situations and periods in our life. Some people are naturally better communicators than others. Fortunately communication skills are easy to learn and practice. Here are a few tips to follow to improve your communication skills:

Start with assessing your communication skills. There are numerous ways to tell how good are your communication skills. Are you a good listener? Do you interrupt people when they try to tell you something? Are you good at expressing thoughts about things in a way that other people can understand them? Are you good at reading verbal and nonverbal cues? Many of us sometimes lack certain communication skills. That doesn't mean you can’t improve them.

Sometimes the people we deal with might not have the best communication skills. We all know people who constantly interrupt others, don't listen or don't pay attention to what you are saying. But you can still find a way to achieve good communication with them by asking more questions, being more patient, appearing more friendly and paying more attention.

Listening is a key part of a good communication. If you don’t pay attention to what people are saying or constantly interrupt them you can’t have a good communication. You can become a better listener by paying attention to what someone says and by asking questions. You also need to be patient and express your thoughts the other person finishes talking.

Sometimes we are not well understood by others because we don’t communicate our thoughts very well. We may have internal blocks that stop us from expressing ourselves. Maybe we fear we will be rejected if we express our own needs and feelings. Sometimes we expect people to just figure out what we think and want. Expressing yourself in a way that the other person can easily understand you is an important skill to have. You should avoid adding unnecessary details to your conversation and using difficult words. Get to the point quickly so the other person will pay more attention to you and understand you easily.

Arguments always arise in all areas of life: in the workplace, relationships and family. It is important to avoid attacking people personally when you want to express a concern because that leads to more heated emotions and it drives you away from solving the problem.Even if you are angry you should express yourself in a calm manner focusing on finding a solution to the problem by asking other people how they feel about the situation.

Pay attention to the tone of your voice, your body movements and facial expressions. Talk with a calm voice and make eye contact with people. Pay attention to other people's body language as well. That can reveal a lot about their innate emotional state and their intentions.

Serious conversations require privacy and a situation where you won’t be interrupted by other people. Also, if you want to have the attention of the person that you are talking to you need to talk to them when they are not busy. If you feel like you need to have an important conversation with someone, pick the right time, situation and place. Usually important and serious conversations are best achieved in person. Avoid using social media when talking about serious subjects. Also, limit social media communication with work colleagues .