Communication Skills

 

What are Communication Skills?

‘Communication’ comes from the Latin word communis, which means to participate, engage and involve. These abilities enable effective communication while keeping the flow of information smooth between a sender and recipient. For instance, speaking clearly and confidently while addressing a large audience is advisable to ensure that the intended message is adequately conveyed to your listener.

Examples of Communication Skills

You might wonder why these skills are necessary to acquire. You must know that your communication will help you stand out from the crowd and land the finest opportunity of your career, which is a prerequisite for success in any field.

Following are the significant examples of communication skills –

Active Listening

You might hear people saying, ‘You need to be a good listener to be a good communicator’, which may appear simple to follow.  But, you must be very cautious to understand what others want to say to comprehend their emotions. Additionally, when someone speaks to you, put aside all your distractions, such as laptops and cell phones, to become an active listener.

Adapt your way of communication as per the targeted audience

You must keep track of who your audience is and how familiar they are with the topic you will be discussing since an audience can be classified based on their level of understanding and knowledge. This is why we should use only those words and terms that suit the people in front of which you deliver the speech. There will be times when you are about to speak in front of your boss in which you need to frame your conversation formally rather than in an informal manner. Moreover, you should know that each situation demands you moderate your communication accordingly.

Friendliness

This is one of the crucial components of efficient communication that aids in the growth of trust between us and our coworkers, families, and friends. This is why it’s advised to sound pleasant and kind so that your listener feels at ease and can relate to you. You need to bring a positive attitude in your nature to show friendliness when you interact with someone. Also, ask questions about the other person which shows you are curious to know more about them.

Confidence

It is important to be able to speak confidently in front of others, especially if you want to convince them. Finding opportunities to speak in front of your family and friends and your workplace will help you build this confidence. The primary ways to sound confident are making eye contact, sitting straight and speaking fluently without hesitation with a cheerful smile.

Be Ready for Feedback

Feedback is something that helps you progress and become better than before, regardless of the sector you work in, it will help you improve everywhere. The most outstanding technique to determine your strengths and areas on which you need to work is positively looking for feedback from your teachers or mentors.

Volume and Clarity

You should be audible and clear while having a conversation with anyone. A candidate’s personality might be incorrectly assessed in interviews because it is seen that many of them remain unclear and inaudible when answering the interviewer’s questions; thus, you should be able to alter your vocal tone based on the situation as some circumstances may call for you to talk formally and clearly.

Empathy

Empathy is a feeling that emerges when you can understand how others are feeling in a particular scenario. When interacting with someone, it is imperative to show empathy to relate your thoughts with that person.

For example, you and your friend both received your semester results, but you passed the exam, and your friend did not. In such a scenario, you can try to comfort them by showing empathy.

How to Improve Your Communication Skills

Improving communication skills requires you to practice and recognize your strengths and weaknesses. After doing this, follow the below-written steps, which will help you build strong communication skills.

Take feedback by speaking in front of someone

There is no better way to determine your level of speaking proficiency than by taking feedback. This may sound a little embarrassing, but you can pick someone you are comfortable with such as your best friend or a member of your family who can examine your abilities and provide you with the proper feedback. You can use this feedback and progressively get better at communicating.

Attend communication skills workshops or classes

You can register for online and offline courses that are available for those interested in learning practical communication skills. In these programs, you will get lots of opportunities to speak with people from different backgrounds in seminars and classes.

Communicating Effectively In The Workplace

Effective communication skills at work will undoubtedly help you succeed in your goal, as good communicators are always given preference over those unable to bring forth their point of view on a specific subject.

Practice Empathy

To build relationships with anyone, you must be able to comprehend their thoughts and feelings clearly and have empathy for them. It will not only help you communicate effectively but will also help you build healthier relationships in society.

Assert yourself

You should learn how to assert yourself wherever required, as it is necessary to present your point during a group discussion or debate. You may find a thought or idea irrelevant and want to oppose it during the conversation, and you should be able to express your opinions without hesitation.

Understand the importance of body language

One of the aspects of communication when speaking in front of someone is how we use our body language. This includes hand gestures and facial expressions. For example, making a serious point requires you to have a serious facial expression, whereas when welcoming someone, you should smile and show warm body gestures.

How To Highlight Communication Skills?

Everywhere you go, from the workplace to home, you need a firm grasp of communication skills, but each place requires you to use them differently. Below are the situations where you can highlight your communication skills.

Communication Skills for Resume

You should ensure your resume remains free of grammatical errors if you want it to stand out from the competition. Nearly all job roles demand strong communication abilities; thus, you can only succeed in your job search with communication skills.

Communication Skills for Cover Letter

A cover letter conveys your personality in general in front of the hiring managers who make it their basis to shortlist candidates for a vacancy; therefore, you should carefully prepare this crucial document using your communication skills, such as using concise phrases and avoiding typos and grammatical errors.

Communication Skills for the Job Interview

It is the most important place where you make the best of your communication skills since many job seekers get their dream job by impressing the interview panel with the help of communication skills.

Some of the practices you can follow during your job interview are –

• Do not look around or use the phone
• Sit straight and introduce yourself confidently
• Listen the questions carefully
• Take your time and then speak
• Do not hesitate to ask questions when given a chance

Conclusion

Anywhere you go, whether at home or work, you always utilize some verbal or nonverbal communication. Hence regularly practising, speaking and participating in interactive workshops and classes,  can help you develop yourself into a person with whom others like interacting due to your high-standard communication skills.