Communication is a vital skill for any professional, but it can also be challenging to learn and improve. Whether you want to communicate better with your colleagues, clients, customers, or stakeholders, you need to overcome some common communication training challenges. In this article, we will share some tips and strategies to help you do that.
Before you start any communication training, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and why. What are the specific communication skills or competencies that you need to develop or enhance? How will they benefit your work performance, relationships, or career prospects? How will you measure your progress and success? Having SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals will help you focus your efforts and motivate you to learn.
1. Start by clearly defining the goals and objectives of the communication training. Identify the specific areas where improvement is needed, whether it's public speaking, active listening, or conveying ideas effectively. 2. Assess individual needs: Understand the unique strengths and weaknesses of team members. Conduct assessments, such as surveys, interviews, or skill tests, to identify specific areas that need improvement. 3. Tailor the training program to address the specific needs identified in the assessment phase. Use a variety of methods, such as workshops, role-playing exercises, simulations, or one-on-one coaching, to cater to different learning styles and preferences.
In my experience communication skills has always been a work in progress; whether providing training both at work or at home, overcoming challenges will always exist in the world we live in. Recognizing the differences amongst your audience including preferential learning styles(visual, spatial, speech,touch) while discovering deeper ways to connect beyond the usual “ice breaking” questions is a sure way to not only increase rates of retention but also ensures the information provided is retained and resonates in ways most deem suitable who ever they might be.
There are many different ways to learn and practice communication skills, such as online courses, books, podcasts, videos, webinars, workshops, coaching, mentoring, or peer feedback. However, not all methods are equally effective or suitable for your learning style, preferences, or needs. You need to choose the methods that match your goals, fit your schedule and budget, and provide you with enough opportunities to apply and reinforce your learning. For example, if you want to improve your presentation skills, you might benefit from a combination of online courses, coaching, and live practice sessions.
Communication is a two-way process, so you need to get feedback and support from others to improve your skills. Feedback can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and give you suggestions for improvement. Support can help you overcome your fears, doubts, or challenges, and encourage you to keep learning. You can seek feedback and support from various sources, such as your trainer, coach, mentor, manager, peers, or audience. However, you need to be open-minded, respectful, and constructive when receiving or giving feedback and support.
The lovely thing about communication is that you will see in real time how effective or ineffective your strategies are. Ask follow-up questions that help gauge how clear you were. See if people follow through with any advice or guidance you communicated. Do they seem to regularly misunderstand? Then maybe you need to practice being concise, or perhaps practice making one concise version and a longer, more detailed version of your communications to cater to our audience. Everyone receives information differently. It is important to meet your audience, and to listen. Communication is not one-sided; your intent and how your communication is received are both equally important aspects to consider.
Learning communication skills is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. You need to reflect and review your communication experiences regularly to assess your progress and identify areas for improvement. Reflection can help you analyze your communication behavior, outcomes, and impact, and learn from your successes and failures. Review can help you compare your performance with your goals, standards, or expectations, and adjust your learning plan accordingly. You can use various tools to facilitate your reflection and review, such as journals, portfolios, checklists, or self-assessments.
The best method to do this for yourself is to move out of your comfort zone and talk to different people without any scripts. You see, a lot of people can communicate well with pre-practice. It's when you're on the pitch, not knowing which ball can come from which side is when your actual skills are put to work. Challenge yourself frequently and you'll get better results than ever before.
Learning communication skills can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding. You need to celebrate and reward yourself for your achievements and efforts, no matter how big or small. Celebrating and rewarding can help you boost your confidence, motivation, and satisfaction, and recognize your growth and development. You can celebrate and reward yourself in various ways, such as sharing your success stories, receiving recognition or praise, treating yourself to something nice, or taking a break.
Communication training challenges are inevitable, but they are not insurmountable. By following these tips and strategies, you can overcome them and enhance your communication skills.
One of the things I see people doing is responding immediately after someone says something. It gives the impression that the person wasn't really listening--instead trying to figure out what to say. I am not aware of courses, yet, people need to practice their listening skills--you don't have always to say something after a person makes a statement. Pay attention --- work on listening more.