Become a good communicator and shine at your workplace

Excellent communicators are rare in the job market. Have you ever sat down for a presentation to be wowed by the skills of the presenter? Their ability to capture their audience sets excellent communicators apart from good communicators.?Effective communication skills ?are necessary for almost every job. With enough practice, you can nurture your communication skills and become an effective communicator.

Communication is all about being clear

Whatever you want to say to someone in the workplace, you need to say it clearly. A defining sign of good communication is that it is always clear and concise. The less words you use to convey your ideas, the better. Before you make a speech for your team to discuss some late developments, you need to do adequate preparation. Identify your goals and who is in your audience. You will need to choose your communication channel to fit the information grasping ability of your audience.

Prepare well

You can’t take the risk of winging it on the day of an important product demonstration. You will be presenting to an audience of management, investors, vendors, and consumers. If you do not prepare for the occasion in advance, your audience will be able to see it clearly. Go through your presentation a few times and work on your timing. Consider the entirety of your communication, not just what goes on the screen. Will you use visual aids, pamphlets, audio, video, or a prototype design for better communication?

Watch the nonverbal stuff

Communication is not just about the things that we say with our mouths. Your gestures, facial expressions, tone, and body language have a huge impact on the quality of your communication. Did you know that nonverbal communication has 65-93% more impact than spoken words??Manage your body language properly . Avoid gestures that will create an aura of hostility such as crossed arms, lack of eye contact, or aggressive hand movements. Use your nonverbal cues to support your message.

Your tone matters

You can’t give a compliment in an angry tone and expect your team members to be grateful. The tone of voice you use carries significant value to the message you want to impart. Use your tone to empower and emphasize your message, not downplay it. Managing your tone will involve controlling the volume, projection, word choice, as well as intonation. Once you practice it in your day-to-day life, you will have no trouble commanding your tone to suit the message.

Work on active listening

Communication is not all about sharing information or being the only one that talks. Active listening is a huge part of communication. Active listening involves giving your undivided attention to the speaker and grasping the information they are sharing. When someone is talking to you, you should clear your mind of distractions and counterarguments. It’s important to not be judgmental when someone is sharing their ideas with you. If you did not grasp something, you should always ask for clarification from the speaker by asking follow-up questions.