10 Strategies to Improve Your Communication Skills

Summary

This video script outlines 10 strategies to enhance communication skills, crucial for workplace success. It emphasizes the significance of nonverbal cues, understanding your audience, engaging them in discussions, and the importance of listening. It advises on concise messaging, respecting timing, and the value of over-communicating to ensure clarity. The script also stresses the importance of respecting the audience and seeking honest feedback for continuous improvement, offering practical tips for better interpersonal and professional relationships.

Takeaways

• 🧍‍♂️ Understand the fundamentals of nonverbal communication: Body language is crucial as it can communicate your emotions more effectively than words.
• 🌐 Know your audience: Tailor your communication to match the cultural norms, beliefs, and emotional temperament of your audience.
• 🗣️ Engage your audience in the discussion: Keep the audience's attention by asking questions and encouraging interaction.
• 📣 Say just enough to get your message across: Be concise and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information.
• 🔔 Start and end with key points: Reiterate your main points at the beginning and end of the conversation for clarity.
• ⏰ Timing is important: Master the art of timing to know when to move on or reiterate a point, and respect your audience's time.
• 👂 Learn to listen: Effective communication starts with being a good listener; it shows respect and allows for thoughtful responses.
• 📢 Over-communicate: To ensure clarity, especially with new ideas, provide multiple perspectives and use storytelling or gestures.
• 🙏 Respect your audience: Show genuine care for their needs and perspectives, and give them the floor when they speak.
• 🔍 Ask for honest feedback: Seek feedback to identify areas for improvement and become a more effective communicator.

Q & A

What is considered the most important quality sought in job candidates according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers?

Communication skills are considered the most important quality sought in job candidates.

How does effective communication contribute to the workplace?

Effective communication fosters good working relationships, improves morale, and enhances efficiency in the workplace.

What percentage of communication is nonverbal according to an ACM Publication?

Nonverbal communication accounts for 55 percent of how an audience perceives a presenter.

Why is it important to understand your audience's cultural norms and beliefs?

Understanding your audience's cultural norms and beliefs helps you communicate better by relating with them in a familiar tone and choosing the appropriate language style and stories.

How can engaging your audience in the discussion improve communication?

Engaging your audience by asking questions and encouraging interaction helps maintain their attention and keeps the discussion lively and effective.

What is the significance of starting and ending with key points in a conversation?

Starting and ending with key points ensures that the audience understands the main takeaways of the discussion, reinforcing the message.

Why is timing crucial in communication?

Timing is important because it helps determine when to move on or reiterate a point, and it shows respect for the audience's time by not delaying them unnecessarily.

What does Richard Branson suggest is the key to effective communication?

Richard Branson suggests that listening more than talking is key to effective communication.

What does the 'tappers and the listeners' study from Stanford University indicate about communication?

The study indicates that over-communication is necessary, especially when sharing new ideas, as understanding can be much lower than expected.

How can respecting your audience enhance your communication skills?

Respecting your audience by sincerely caring about their needs and giving them time to speak when they want to can make them feel valued, leading to more effective communication.

Why is asking for honest feedback important in improving communication skills?

Asking for honest feedback helps identify areas for improvement, making you a more effective communicator by understanding how your message is received.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Effective Communication Strategies

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of communication skills in the workplace, highlighting that it tops the list of qualities employers seek in job candidates. It acknowledges the challenge of effective communication in the age of social media and stresses its role in fostering good working relationships and improving morale and efficiency. The paragraph introduces 10 strategies to enhance communication skills, starting with understanding nonverbal cues like body language, which significantly influence how an audience perceives a speaker. It also advises on knowing your audience, engaging them in discussions, being concise, timing your communication appropriately, and the importance of listening. The strategies are designed to help viewers improve their communication in both professional and personal contexts.

05:02

🤝 Enhancing Communication Through Active Listening and Feedback

The second paragraph continues the discussion on communication by focusing on active listening and the value of over-communicating, especially when introducing new ideas. It references a study from Stanford University that illustrates the common gap in understanding between communicators and listeners, suggesting the need for clearer and more frequent communication. The paragraph also stresses the importance of respecting the audience, being considerate of their time and perspectives, and seeking honest feedback to improve communication effectiveness. It concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe for more content, offering a selection of additional videos for their enjoyment.

Keywords

💡Communication Skills

Communication skills refer to the ability to effectively express ideas, thoughts, and feelings to others. In the context of the video, these skills are crucial for success in the workplace and fostering good relationships. The video emphasizes that effective communication not only shares information but also helps in developing relationships, making it a key quality sought in job candidates.

💡Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication encompasses body language, facial expressions, and gestures, which convey messages without using words. The video highlights that nonverbal cues, such as posture and eye contact, are as important as verbal communication. It cites an ACM Publication study indicating that nonverbal communication accounts for 55 percent of how an audience perceives a presenter, underscoring its significance in conveying messages.

💡Cultural Norms

Cultural norms are the unwritten rules and expectations that guide behavior in a society or group. The video suggests understanding your audience's cultural norms and beliefs to communicate more effectively. This involves tailoring your message to resonate with their values and customs, which can enhance mutual understanding and rapport.

💡Engagement

Engagement in communication refers to actively involving the audience in the discussion. The video advises engaging the audience by asking questions and encouraging interaction to maintain their attention and interest. This approach helps ensure that the message is not only delivered but also absorbed and considered by the listeners.

💡Audience

The audience represents the individuals to whom the communication is directed. The video underscores the importance of knowing your audience, including their background, beliefs, and emotional states. Understanding the audience allows for more effective communication by enabling the speaker to adjust their language, tone, and content to better connect with the listeners.

💡Key Points

Key points are the main ideas or messages that the speaker wants the audience to remember. The video recommends starting and ending a conversation with these key points to ensure clarity and retention. This strategy helps to emphasize the most important aspects of the discussion and aids in the audience's comprehension.

💡Timing

Timing in communication refers to the appropriate moment to deliver a message or respond. The video stresses the importance of mastering timing to be an effective communicator. This includes knowing when to move on from a point or when to reiterate it, as well as respecting the audience's time by not prolonging the discussion unnecessarily.

💡Listening

Listening is the act of receiving, attending to, and interpreting verbal or nonverbal messages. The video quotes Richard Branson, emphasizing that a good speaker is first a good listener. Effective listening allows for thoughtful responses and shows that the speaker values the audience's input, which is essential for meaningful communication.

💡Over-communication

Over-communication means providing more information than might be necessary to ensure clarity and understanding. The video references a study that illustrates the importance of over-communicating, especially when sharing new ideas. It suggests using multiple perspectives and methods, such as storytelling and hand gestures, to convey a message clearly.

💡Respect

Respect in communication involves acknowledging and valuing the audience's needs and perspectives. The video advises respecting the audience by showing genuine care for their concerns and giving them space to speak. This approach fosters a positive communication environment where everyone feels heard and valued.

💡Feedback

Feedback is the process of receiving and incorporating responses to one's communication. The video encourages seeking honest feedback to identify areas for improvement and enhance communication effectiveness. It suggests that feedback from colleagues, business partners, or friends can provide valuable insights into how one's messages are perceived and understood.

Highlights

Communication skills are the most important quality sought in job candidates according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Effective communication is becoming a challenge with the rise of social media networking.

Good communication fosters a positive working relationship, improving morale and efficiency.

Communication facilitates information sharing and helps develop relationships.

Poor communication leads to poor relationships in both business and personal life.

Body language is as important as the words you speak, accounting for 55% of audience perception.

Controlling body language, such as sitting up straight or maintaining eye contact, can improve communication.

Understanding your audience's cultural norms, beliefs, and emotional temperament is crucial for effective communication.

Engaging your audience in discussion by asking questions and encouraging interaction is important.

Being concise and saying just enough to get your message across prevents boredom and ensures understanding.

Starting and ending with key points helps to ensure your audience understands the main takeaways.

Mastering the art of timing is essential for a great communicator, including knowing when to move on or reiterate a point.

Being a good listener is fundamental to being a good speaker; listen more than you talk.

Over-communicating, such as using storytelling and hand gestures, can help clarify ideas and prevent misunderstandings.

Respecting your audience involves caring about their needs and giving them time to speak.

Asking for honest feedback is a key strategy for discovering areas of improvement in communication.

Seeking feedback from colleagues, business partners, or friends can help you become a more effective communicator.

Transcripts

10 proven strategies to improve your communication skills

According to a survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, communication

skill tops the list of the most important quality sought in job candidates.

It is one of the fundamental skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

Unfortunately, with the rise of social media networking, effective communication is fast

becoming a challenge.

Effective communication can help to foster a good working relationship between you and

your staff, which can, in turn, improve morale and efficiency.

You see, communication does not only help to facilitate the process of sharing information

and knowledge but it also helps people to develop relationships with others.

This means that poor communication will result in poor relationships, both in business and

in our personal lives.

In this video, we’ll be sharing with you 10 proven strategies to improve your communication

skills.

If you’re new here, consider subscribing so that you won’t miss other interesting

videos like this.

1.

Understand the fundamentals of nonverbal communication (Body language)

Body language is as important as the words you speak.

It communicates to others how you are feeling emotionally at that point in time.

For instance, if you lack confidence, your body language will transmit the information

to others faster than your words will.

According to an ACM Publication, it was discovered that nonverbal communication accounted for

55 percent of how an audience perceived a presenter, which means that a majority of

what you say is communicated via your body language than your actual words.

The good news, however, is that you can control and influence your body movement.

For instance, sitting up straight instead of hunching over or widening your shoulders

instead of slouching, maintaining eye contact and the likes are some of the ways you can

improve your body language.

Thus, improve your communication skills.

2.

Know your audience

Try and find out where your audience is from, their cultural norms and beliefs, their emotional

temperament and the likes.

This will help you communicate better because you can relate with them with a familiar tone.

Also, you'll know the kind of stories to tell and the best language style to communicate.

3.

Engage your audience in the discussion

Regardless of how eloquent you are, all audience has an attention span which is why you should

interact with them in the course of your discussion.

Ask questions and encourage your listeners to do the same.

4.

Say just enough to get your message across

Okay, you have a lot to say because you want to ensure that your point is well noted and

understood but nobody enjoys getting bored by the continuous sound of someone else's

voice.

Before you begin to speak, think about the point you want to make, the reason you are

responding to someone, the essence of the conversation.

With that in mind, you can approach the conversation from the important point and say just enough

to get your message to sink in.

5.

Start and end with key points

Reiterate the key points of your discussion at the beginning and the end of your conversation

to ensure that your audience understands the takeaway points.

That way you are sure that your communication was well understood.

6.

Timing is important

Again, no one likes the sound of other people's voice better than theirs, which is why you

need to master the art of timing.

To be a great communicator, you must be able to determine your audience mood, know when

to move on and know when to reiterate a point.

You should also learn to respect your audience's time.

Don't get so carried away trying to make a point that you end up delaying them more than

necessary.

7.

Learn to listen

A good speaker is, first of all, a good listener.

According to Richard Branson, Founder at Virgin Group, you should “Listen more than you

talk.”

You need to first listen to what others have to say in order to communicate effectively.

When you listen, you can provide thoughtful answers or ideas which shows that you took

in your audience's concern seriously.

It gives them a sense of importance and they will be happy they had the discussion with

you in the first place.

So, instead of formulating your response while the other party is passing across his/her

message, listen carefully to them.

People want to know that they are being heard.

At that moment, the person/people should be the most important to you.

Give them your undivided attention.

8.

Over-communicate

According to a study known as "the tappers and the listeners" carried out by a graduate

student of the Stanford University in 1990, one-half of the participants were asked to

tap the rhythm or melody of 120 famous songs.

The second half of the participants were asked to guess what famous song the “tappers”

were tapping.

While the tappers estimated that 50 percent of the songs tapped would be correctly identified.

Surprisingly, only 2.5 percent of the 120 songs were correct.

The study shows that it is important to communicate clearly and to over-communicate especially

when sharing new ideas.

To communicate clearly, you can include storytelling, hand gestures and the likes.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should talk for 3 hours when your audience wants

1 hour.

It simply means that you should give more than one perspective of the same thing so

people can see it from different sides.

9.

Respect your audience You need to understand that your message is

not just about you and what you have to say, but about your audience.

You should sincerely care about their needs and their own perspective.

Also, you should give them audience when they speak.

10.

Ask for honest feedback One of the advantages of seeking honest feedback

is that people will help you discover areas where you can improve.

Hence, helping you become an effective communicator.

Whether it is your colleagues, business partner or friends, seek honest feedback from whichever

party is truthful enough to tell you the truth.

Understand the fundamentals of nonverbal communication Know your audience

Engage your audience in the discussion Say just enough to get your message across

Learn to listen Start and end with key points

Timing is important Learn to listen

Over-communicate Respect your audience

Ask for honest feedback

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