How To Improve Communication Skills
Every one can learn to improve communication skills. It’s a matter of using the feedback they get from their communication with constructive improvement. The better our communication skills are the more effective we are in our lives.
Many times our verbal skills make our break us. The first thing to improve communication with others is to develop one’s own voice. Tone and Pitch have a lot to do with how people relate to you. A high whiney pitch is annoying to anyone. That kind of tone makes people push you away. Also if you speak to soft and whispery you sound like you have serious confidence issues. People that talk very soft have a tendency to be bullied by people with aggressive tones. It is important to have a balance. One good exercise to change the tonal quality of your voice is to practice singing songs you like at home one octave lower than you are used to singing. This deepens and enriches your natural tone.
Another way to improve communication with people is not to speak too fast. If you have a tendency to do this you need to slow down. When you speak very quickly people think of you as being nervous and unsure of yourself.
Practice at home taking a breath and focusing on you thoughts before executing them. Beware though don’t slow down to the point where people are always finishing your sentences. They will think you don’t think to fast on your feet.
Voice animation is very important if you are trying to improve communication abilities. No one likes listening to a droning monotone voice. It makes the listener tired and it is to boring to follow what is being said with that type of voice. A good communicator uses pitch dynamics when speaking to keep the listener involved. When you speak it should be like telling a story. You should know when to raise and lower your voice pitch to keep the listeners interest. You can work on this skill by reading stories out loud focusing on your vocal animation. Remember to use appropriate volumes based on your environment. If you are in close range to a person don’t yell, and if you are in a large group speak louder so you can be heard.
Enunciation is also very important. If you mumble or do not say your words clearly people won’t understand you. Also do not use words if you are not sure what they mean. If you wish to increase your vocabulary pick one new word a day, learn its meaning and use it during that day to get used to it in speech. Makes sure your word pronunciation is correct as well. There is nothing worse than trying to use words and you cannot even say them right. If you have trouble with a particular word’s pronunciation then practice saying it at home, not in public. When you feel comfortable with the word then you can take it out with you so to speak.
Make eye contact with those you are communicating with. It lets them know you are speaking to and with them. Staring off into space or looking around while you are talking detracts from your credibility. Make sure you use your body and face when you speak. Body language or gestures and facial expressions are very important. It lets the people or person you are communicating with that you are absorbed mind and body in the topic of conversation. It also conveys the emotion you feel behind what you are saying. Use smaller gestures when one on one or a small group and larger ones for bigger groups.
Finally the most important feature to improve communication is not to mix your signals. Make sure that the tone, pitch, gestures, facial expression and words all match. This way there is no confusing in what you are trying to get across. Miscommunication occurs when these things are not in sink. For example if you are angry and say it with a big smile and are laughing who is going to take you seriously?
