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How to Communicate Effectively

How to Communicate Effectively

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Catherine Blyth has written a series of very well respected books on The Art of Conversation

The Art of Conversation

 

Knowing how to communicate effectively can mean that every relationship is started off on the right foot. This ‘how to’ provides some killer tips.

Steps

1- Exhume confidence. Whether you are naturally confident or not is irrelevant. Acting confidently is just that- acting! Confident people are much more likeable and easy to get on with. Smile, be forward and open with your body language and take the initiative.

2- We have 2 ears and 1 mouth so use them in that proportion. Listening is the key skill essential in the art of conversation. Nod, agree and smile. Listen to what they’re saying and reiterate to them, in your own words, important aspects of any point that they are making. This shows that you’re being attentive. Probe further into their response by asking questions.

3- Remove distraction. Turn off the TV, put your phone away, and turn off your computer screen. If communication does not come naturally to you then it will need your full attention.

4- Look up, hold eye contact, and speak with clarity. Do not mumble or be shy, approach conversation with confidence and it will be received well. Someone will be more subconsciously inclined to forgive inaccuracies in articulation should you be delivering confidently.

5- Deliberate over what you’re going to say. Although time spent thinking before delivering a response to a question may seem like a lifetime to you, in reality it may only be a couple of seconds. Allow your mind time to gather your thoughts and organise the best way to communicate them.

6- Speak with accentuation and diction. The way you say what you say will determine how engaged your audience is. Speaking with poise, diction and even drama will give a story telling aspect to your responses or speech that people will naturally be more inclined to listen to.

7- Take the pressure off of you by learning what they’re passionate about. Identifying what a person feels passionate about and encouraging them to discuss it will help you engage this person on a deeper, more emotional level, whilst providing you with confidence as conversation will be flowing naturally without having to require too much of your input.

8- Should the other person be showing queues that it’s time to exit the conversation (such as looking elsewhere, checking the time or becoming fidgety), bring the conversation to a close and exit it before they do. Playing ‘hard to get’ is a ploy that also works outside of courtship.

Tips

If you have to give a speech or presentation to a wide audience, practice with friends or family. Get used to looking up and engaging your audience whilst not having to read word for word your script.

Be confident. Whether you are actually confident or not is an entirely different matter!

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