Effective Communication

Do you struggle with communicating your ideas and opinions? Think about your last team meeting or meeting with a client. How would you rate your communication skills? Were you able to get your points across effectively? Did you understand the other person well, or did you struggle to follow their train of thought? Resident or non-resident, communication is one of the most important skills when working in any type of office environment. Whether you work in a small office, have many remote employees, or are part of a larger organization with numerous departments, effective communication is crucial to producing results as efficiently and thoroughly as possible every day. Communication also has the potential to be stressful and awkward. If you’re not sure how to break the ice and start communicating effectively with others at work, keep reading for some helpful tips on how to improve your communication skills.

Practice effective communication skills

Effective communication is a two-way street — if you want to be heard, you have to be actively listening, too. First and foremost, practice active listening. This means being fully present when communicating with others, not just waiting for your turn to talk. Be mindful of what the other person is saying and respond appropriately. If you find yourself constantly zoning out and thinking about what you want to say next, you need to re-evaluate how you are communicating. Active listening requires being fully engaged with the other person. Avoid distractions, maintain eye contact, and avoid multi-tasking when you’re communicating with someone. Focus on the conversation at hand, and let the other person know you’re fully present by actively listening and responding appropriately. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re not sure how to respond to what someone else is saying, consider asking them to clarify. This will allow you to fully understand their point of view, and it will also show that you’re interested in what they have to say.

Establish and maintain eye contact

Eye contact is another crucial aspect of effective communication. Make sure to maintain eye contact with the person you’re speaking with, but don’t stare them down. Give yourself a few seconds to look away, and then come back to eye contact again. Try using a timer or keeping track of the amount of time you are making eye contact to avoid making the other person feel uncomfortable. If you tend to stray away from eye contact as a nervous habit, consider keeping eye contact with yourself in the mirror as a reminder to do so during a conversation. Eye contact shows interest in the person you’re speaking with and lets them know you’re fully engaged in the conversation and listening to what they have to say. Avoid staring at someone while speaking to them, though.

Be mindful of your body language

Next, pay attention to your body language while you’re communicating with someone. While you don’t want to be so casual that you look uninterested, slouching and sitting too casually on a chair might appear unprofessional. Avoid resting your arms on the table (which can make people feel like you’re closing off and shutting them out) and keep your palms facing up to demonstrate openness and interest in the conversation. Hands down, the most important thing is to avoid fidgeting. If you have a nervous habit, such as cracking your knuckles or playing with your hair, try to distract yourself before you get to that point.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Communicating effectively also means knowing when and how to ask questions. Ask clarifying questions if you don’t understand something or if you need more information. Never pretend like you comprehend something if you don’t fully understand it. You don’t want to be misleading or making false promises you can’t keep. Ask questions when you need clarification or want to dig deeper into the topic at hand. This will also help you avoid generalizations and sweeping statements that might make other people feel like you’re talking about them. When you need to ask a question, phrase it as a question (not a statement). This will show you’re actively engaging with the topic at hand and that you’re interested in what the other person has to say.

Learn how to ask good questions

Asking good questions is a critical aspect of effective communication, but many people get it wrong. Avoid asking closed-ended questions like “Do you like your job?” or “What do you think about this project?” Instead, ask open-ended questions that are broader and will get the other person talking. Open-ended questions are great ways to start a conversation or keep the momentum flowing in a conversation. They’re also great for breaking the ice and getting a conversation going if you feel shy or awkward about speaking with someone for the first time. Some examples of open-ended questions include:

Don’t rush to speak

When you’re in a conversation, try to avoid rushing to speak. If you have a tendency to be an “interrupter,” this will be especially important. Interrupting is when one person cuts off another person while they’re speaking. Interrupting is a major faux pas that can make the other person feel unimportant and unvalued, leading to a serious communication problem. Make sure to pause before you speak and wait for the other person to finish their thought. This shows that you’re actively listening and not just waiting for your turn to talk. You may also want to take a few extra seconds to plan out what you want to say before actually speaking. This will help you avoid rushing and tripping over your words.

Summing up

Communication skills are an essential part of every office environment. Whether you work in a large company with hundreds of employees or a smaller company with just a few people, effective communication is a crucial and often overlooked skill. If you want to improve your communication skills, you must practice and actively work on them. You can do this by actively listening to the person you’re speaking with, maintaining eye contact, and being mindful of your body language. You can also ask better questions, avoid rushing to speak and take a few extra seconds to plan your thoughts before speaking.