As said by Plato, 'Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools speak because they have to say something'. Effective Communication (EC) is the exchange of ideas, knowledge, or information over certain topics of interest to both parties. This is in a way that the content of such conversations reaches the other person meritoriously. The main key to effective communication is carefully listening and understanding what the other person is trying to convey.
In the modern world, effective communication is one of the most essential skills that one needs to possess in order to stand out in a crowd with equal professional expertise. It needs to be worked on and can be learned every day from the easiest and routine chores that are expected of us.
1. Start Working On Your Listening Skills
Listening to others and observing their tone helps you to revamp your communicating skills. Active listening produces a better understanding which results in easing the tension and helps the speaker relax. If a person is listened to, he/she puts faith in the speaker. This builds better relations and leads to more cooperation.
2. Start and End With Key Points
While conducting a seminar, it is crucial to have all your points covered either implicitly or through the expression of words. Starting and ending your speeches with quotes or personal experiences helps you to fuel your communication and ensure that your discussion's intent is served.
3. Purpose, Importance, and Preview
Every type of communication is based on the three main components. They are Purpose, Importance, and Preview, also known as the PIP approach. For communication to be effective and to be remembered for a long time, it is vital to have a purpose or reason to have such a conversation.
Next is Importance; If the topic is trivial, the other individual will just respond for appearances only and it won't mean anything to him. Preview in the PIP approach is the brief outline of the topic that will be the talk of the day.
4. Take Notes
To better understand the topic, you must jot down points or doubts to be asked from what you learned, draw-up a brief conclusion for your own comprehension, and refer to later.
5. Time Management
While conducting a one-to-many seminar, it creates a good impression on the attendees if you speak extemporaneously. During such times, you need to have a rough guideline of the talk with you so you do not divert from a topic and then lose the link for making it more effective. Hence, you should always keep an eye on the time, if allotted any or otherwise, as time management seeks to be one of the key factors to achieve effective communication.
6. Communicate With Novelty
Your tone makes up most of the communication that you are going to have with someone. Communicating with novelty improves audience retention and also ensures that the content of the conversation sticks with the audience. Use simple words to avoid misinterpretation and a faster understanding of the concepts.
7. Manage Passive Communication
Passive communication is a form of communication where individuals avoid expressing their opinions or feelings, protecting their rights, and identifying their needs. Thus, such individuals don't respond overtly to hurtful or anger-inducing situations. While being a communicator, you should be able to channel your thoughts before speaking about them to avoid major conflicts of interest over certain sensitive matters.
8. Include Non-verbal Communication
It is often said, 'Action speaks louder than words'. Likewise, it may come to your attention that graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams constitute a better understanding than just reading texts. Effective communication can be achieved by including such alternatives in vibrant colors or in the form of presentations.
9. Engage the Audience
If you stumble upon a chance to conduct a seminar or host a Q&A session based upon your expertise in a particular field, you should involve the audience as much as you can. Clearing the doubts of your attendees and not distracting from the main topic of communication. Take such little steps to keep the attendees attentive and the communication will turn out to be fruitful.
10. Ask for Feedbacks
Anthony Robbins has said, 'To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others'. Thus, after every conversation or seminar, you must get involved with the audience. Every opinion that comes your way helps you make your next communication more effective.
To summarize, effective communication is the perfect mixture of tone, body language, and the right number of words. Communication may be direct or indirect in the form of actions, eye contact, or sign language. Effective communication can be developed by observing other people, learning new skills and working to become better versions of yourself.
Written by - Saee Wagh
Edited by - Mayank Tak
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