Communication Techniques

Have you ever wondered how easy it has become to visit the remotest place on earth, but how extremely difficult it yet remains for us to cover the distance to our neighbor’s door? This is a grave pointer to the paradoxical zeitgeist of our society wherein advancement in communication has shrunk geographical distances, but only magnified mental spaces. Lack of proper communication has put a spanner in our relations, both personal and professional. Misunderstanding due to half-baked transmission and misinterpretation of information results in estranged and embittered ties. Communication is the means by which information flows between people and organizations. A healthy communication at all levels is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. To convey your stance pithily, you must acquaint yourself with different communication techniques. They are quintessential not only in your workplace, but also for developing an overall desirable personality. If you are looking for more on communication techniques, the information below will certainly offer useful guidelines on the same. Read on to learn more.

Effective Communication Techniques

Listen
Communication is not a one-way street where it is you who does the talking to prove your point. Communication begins with developing listening skills. Stephen R. Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” lists the fifth habit of successful people as those who “seek first to understand, then to be understood”. Listening with the intent to understand also forces the recipient to match the effective points raised in the reply, thus leading to high-quality communication.

Respond To Criticism With Empathy
It’s easy to get defensive when someone comes to you with criticism. While criticism is hard to hear and often exaggerated or smacks of emotional bias, it is important to listen to the other person’s pain and respond with empathy to his or her feelings. Try to sift the truth from what they are saying lest you miss some valuable information pertaining to you.

Avoid Speaking Fast
People who communicate well in English are not necessarily fast. What makes them great speakers is their steadiness. You should aim at speaking fluently without stammering rather than speaking fast. It is normally difficult for people who speak fast to put their message clearly across. Remember, people will have trouble understanding your conversation if you are not clear with your pronunciations.

Avoid Arguments
It is not uncommon for conversations and discussions to turn into discordant arguments. Arguing is a futile activity which must be avoided. In case you get into one, do not try to prove yourself right just to win the argument. Instead, find the middle-path that serves as an amicable and constructive resolution to all parties.

Clarity
Lack of clarity is the primary cause of miscommunication and misunderstanding not just in the workplace, but also in life. Clarity entails making yourself unambiguous without leaving anything to the recipient’s assumptions. Bear in mind that proper articulation and proper pronunciation in conformity with accepted standards ensures clarity of speech.

Stay Focused
Sometimes, it is tempting to bring up seemingly related past conflicts when dealing with current ones. This clouds the issue and makes the whole discussion more taxing and even more confusing. Never bring up past hurts or other topics. Staying focused on the present ones, understanding one another and finding a solution is the right way.

Relinquish Verbosity
It is critical to use enough words to be clear, but not so many words that they blur the lines and complicate issues. Stick to one subject, or one aspect of the situation at a time until you are able to get some resolution. Only then is it time to move on to the next item. Let others ask you for more details as they need them. Too much talking can result in getting off-track and will prevent anything from getting accomplished.

Use Inclusive Language
The diverse workforce of our times makes it difficult to make assumptions about their beliefs and backgrounds. It becomes essential to use language that shows sensitivity to cultural, sexual and racial differences. You must avoid any sexist or culturally based characterizations that could be offensive.

Feedback
When people miscommunicate, they do not even realize that they have misunderstood each other. They assume to have understood each other which results in avoidable complications. This is where taking their feedback helps by ensuring that things have been understood in proper perspective by all parties concerned.