Communication: A Skill Worth Mastering

Communication is an essential skill that transcends domains and situations. It takes many forms and impacts us all - sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. One of the most valuable communication abilities is identifying a problem, clearly laying out its details, and conveying it in a way the listener can understand.

For non-native English speakers like myself, speaking clearly and fluently can be particularly challenging. Some common obstacles include:

• Limited English proficiency
• Lack of practice in speaking English
• Striving too hard to speak smoothly
• Using overly long sentences
• Speaking in a monotonous tone or at a constant speed
• Speaking too quickly
• Fear of failure

While effort and practice are crucial for learning any language, I want to focus on a few of these less obvious challenges with an example.

A Lesson from Saad's Cold Calling

During my usual social media browsing, I came across a short video of someone named Saad making a cold call—a form of uninvited outreach to market or sell products or services. I found the video compelling and thought it served as a great example of communication in action. You can watch it here: Instagram Link.

In the video, Saad faces clear rejection, yet he manages to navigate around it successfully. How does he do it?

1. No Fear or Anxiety in His Voice Saad accepts rejection and aggression as part of cold calling. He anticipates it, so it doesn’t catch him off guard. This keeps his tone confident and composed.
2. No Stuttering or Filler Words His speech is well-practiced. Even when faced with an aggressive question like, “How did you get my number?” Saad deflects it with a compliment, catching the listener by surprise and effectively breaking the barrier. It’s worth noting that what you see on his page are his successes - not the numerous failures he likely endured to get there.
3. Quick Thinking and Adaptability Saad uses different tactics depending on the situation: a compliment, a simple question, or another seasoned approach. His confidence stems from thorough knowledge of what he’s selling and an understanding of the common objections customers have.

Key Takeaways for Better Communication

Here’s what I learned from Saad’s example and my own reflections on communication:

1. Know Your Subject: Be an expert in your field. Invest time learning the "how" and the "why" behind what you do. This not only improves your competence but also builds your confidence.
2. Know Your Audience: Do your research and understand who you’re speaking to. Pay attention during conversations to gauge if the listener is engaged, confused, or excited. This helps you adapt your message to meet their needs.
3. Engage with Their Attention: Once you have the listener’s attention, focus on clarity rather than trying too hard. When they seem excited, ask questions to let them talk. Their responses will provide valuable insights into their needs or concerns.
4. Speak Clearly and Simply: Avoid long, convoluted sentences. Keep your message concise and to the point.
5. Slow Down and Emphasize Key Points: Speaking too quickly can overwhelm your listener. Slow down, emphasize the important parts, and use pauses to give your audience time to process information.
6. Practice and Reflect: The best communicators don’t just rely on natural talent—they practice. Here are two exercises I recommend:

Actionable Exercises to Improve Communication

1. Practice Failure: Try an exercise where you aim to have 10 conversations with the goal of failing. If you fail, you succeed in the exercise. My favorite version of this is to force myself to talk to strangers about any topic I can think of on the spot. This helps you embrace the discomfort of fear and get used to handling rejection. Over time, this builds resilience and confidence. Example Video.
2. Record and Analyze Yourself: Record yourself speaking about a topic, then watch and evaluate your performance. Look at your speech from auditory, visual, and textual perspectives to identify areas for improvement. This method allows for structured, quantitative self-assessment. Example Video.

Both exercises require effort, but the rewards are significant. Communication skills enhance your value regardless of your role, experience, or domain. With time and persistence, you’ll see measurable improvement.

I hope this helps you as much as it continues to help me.