Improving your communication skills is essential in this day and age of information overload where messages, meanings and tone of voice can get lost in texts, emails, tweets and smiley faces. It may seem like an old school concept but effective communication is much more than just sharing information, it's about understanding people and improving relationships all round.
Improving your communication skills is essential in this day and age of information overload where messages, meanings and tone of voice can get lost in texts, emails, tweets and smiley faces! It may seem like an old school concept but effective communication is much more than just sharing information, it's about understanding people and improving relationships all round whether that be at home, at work or in social situations.
So what is Effective Communication?
The essence of effective communication is building relationships and unless you are a natural at building rapport then the benefits of working on creatung and maintaining rapport will be enormous to you.
Building rapport isn't just about understanding other people it ensures that you are understood too.
Here are our tips for creating better rapport:
- Make eye contact. And hold it for longer than you would normally (without crossing the line into staring)
- Make your body language open. Uncross your arms, avoid covering your heart and turn to face and body the person you are talking to. This encourages openness and trust
- If you are trying to build rapport online then have you found out anything about the person you are connecting with? Do you think about what you could offer them before you ask them to give their time and expertise?
- Show that you’ve actually been listening by asking appropriate questions - sincerely. Most people will whole-heartedly appreciate it when you show a genuine interest in what they're doing
- Find common ground from the beginning of the conversation. Generally, people like people who are like themselves
- Listen for verbal thinking preference clues. Is the person you are talking to visual (I see what you’re saying…), Aural (I hear you), Kinaesthetic (How do you feel about?)…
- Step into the other person’s shoes and try imaging life from their viewpoint. Not a single person on the planet has exactly the same perspective on life yet we often imagine that other people see things or should see things in exactly the same way we do. This is wrong!
- Match your tone, pace, volume and inflection to the person you’re talking to. We don't mean mimic them in a really obvious way as that may offend them but a subtle shift in the way you communicate could take you miles ahead of others.
Seem simple don't they? That is because these steps are but it is the putting them into practice where the magic comes alive. See how you get on by implementing these tips, we're sure they will help.
Happy connecting and communicating!
