Improved Communication Skills

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you couldn't communicate? That means no tone of voice, no body language or facial expressions, no words, no alphabet. Nothing. Effective skills in communication are necessary: Effective skills in communication are necessary  to maintain and increase the quality of our lives and our relationships. If we can’t communicate effectively, we will be led in a direction we don’t want to go. We all have misunderstandings within our relationships. And it would be very easy to become confused, frustrated and disappointed simply because we are unable to communicate appropriately. Broken and difficult relationships can be avoided by understanding the principles of communication, and the pitfalls we encounter. When we know and understand the process of communication, we can actively implement the principles, hone our skills, avoid the problems and become the effective communicators that we all desire to be. The langu...

Communication is the basic building block of our relationships: It is through communication that we convey our thoughts, feelings, and connection to one another. Developing good communication skills is critical for successful relationships, whether parent, child, spouse, or sibling relationship. We all have had experiences where (1) we have felt heard and understood  and  we've all had experiences (2) where we have felt misunderstood and even ignored. Generally, when we feel heard, we are less angry, stressed, and more open to resolving problems than when we feel misunderstood. Feeling heard and understood also develops trust and caring between people. Communication is a two-way process: For communication to happen there must be (1) a sender—who conveys a message—and (2) a receiver—to whom the message is sent. In successful communication the sender is clear and accurately conveys the message she is trying to send. Also, the receiver clearly un...

1-Show Appreciation Prior to getting into the meat of your conversation, be sure to express your thanks for the other individual’s time. Time is an extremely precious resource, and it important to be respectful and considerate of that. Also, complement or recognize any positive contribution they are making. Appreciation and praise can go a long way towards building good rapport. 2-Connect Connect on a personal level if possible. Look for places where interests overlap if any exist. Even in a professional situation, there may be some personal interests in common, hobbies, sports, children, etc. Take care to avoid such controversial topics as political leanings or religious beliefs. A real sense of connection makes a difference in the tone and outcome of the current conversation and most likely future communications as well. 3- Stay positive Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial to productive communications. Be constructive rather than negative or complaining. People...