18 Effective Strategies to Improve Your Communication Skills
18 Effective Strategies to Improve Your Communication Skills
Communication skills are among the most useful and sought-after in the workplace. They are critical for leaders and individual contributors to master. In today's largely remote and hybrid work environments, strong communication skills distinguish between connected, agile teams and teams that fail to collaborate, stay aligned, and achieve shared objectives.
The good news is that you can improve your communication skills more easily than you might think. Here are some basic principles that can help you communicate more effectively.
Five types of communication to develop.
You and your teammates may have been working remotely for some time. Whether you work in an office on a daily basis, from home, or in a hybrid workplace, you've most likely used more than one type of communication.
Long-term business success requires the development of communication skills that span all types. Here are the five most common communication styles to work on improving.
Oral communication
is the process of sharing thoughts through speech. Examples include presentations, one-on-one meetings, and virtual calls.
Written communication
involves the exchange of thoughts and ideas. This can include emails, handwritten notes, and signage.
Nonverbal communication
is the sharing of information without using written or spoken words. Examples include facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and gestures.
Active listening,
unlike the previous examples, focuses on receiving information. When someone is actively listening, they may ask questions to better understand the information, but they should not be so preoccupied with their response that they miss the speaker entirely.
Contextual communication:
Information is shared based on mutual, possibly unspoken, understandings of various factors such as interpersonal relationships and the environment.
What constitutes effective communication?
The most effective communicators provide clear information while also actively listening to others. They can accept input, both verbal and nonverbal, while also expressing their thoughts and opinions in an open manner.
Regardless of communication style, effective communication requires a connection with others. It's a dance with a partner that occasionally moves in unexpected ways. This means that the most powerful skill you can use is being in sync with your audience. It entails first understanding and communicating with its needs, and then responding to real-time feedback. It entails engaging in the conversation that your audience wants to have.
However, achieving all of this may require some practice.
The following are some effective communication strategies that will help you listen and communicate better.
How to improve your communication skills
The best messages are usually simple.
There is no point in delivering any type of communication, whether written, verbal, formal, or casual, if the message is not understood clearly.
High-level communication skills include communicating concisely, maintaining interest, and including everything your team needs to know.
Here are some tips for better communication.
1. Keep the audience in mind.
Tailoring your communications to your audience's interests will naturally increase their interest and engagement. Piquing their interest by speaking directly to what is important to them will naturally increase their desire to understand and interact with the information.
2. Avoid using ten words when just one will suffice.
Even the most engaged and committed audience will eventually become bored. Keeping your message simple and concise will make it easier to comprehend and remember. Remember, you know exactly what you're going to say, but they're hearing it for the first time. Keep things simple.
3. Consider the best way to deliver your message.
If the information you're conveying isn't urgent, send an email or a memo. This is especially important for communicating expectations. Written communication allows your audience more time to review, reflect, and ask follow-up questions. It will also provide them with a convenient record to refer back to.
4. Get them involved.
If you've ever worked as an instructor, manager, trainer, or coach, you'll understand that teaching is one of the best ways to learn new information. Request their feedback or ask them to help explain new concepts and policies to their colleagues.
5. Use face-to-face communication whenever possible.
Face-to-face communication adds multiple layers of information to any exchange, whether it's between two people or two hundred. In-person communication often creates synergy that is difficult to replicate elsewhere. Here are some suggestions for making the most of face time with your team:
6. Establish eye contact.
If you're wondering if your message is getting through, few metrics provide more feedback than eye contact. You can easily tell if the person you're speaking with understands you, is distracted, worried, or confused—much of which is lost in digital communication.
7. Ask for feedback.
Not sure if they got it? Ask! A powerful technique is to have people repeat back their version of what you just said. Often, this can improve retention, immediate comprehension, and reduce future misunderstanding. You can also request that they contact you with suggestions for improving your presentation and communication skills.
8. Read nonverbal cues.
There are several types of nonverbal cues. Yawns, fidgeting, and looking around the room are usually indications that your audience is not paying attention to what you're saying. If you notice this, do not take it personally. Try asking them to share their thoughts, review previous points they may have missed, or adjourn for a later time.
9. Minimize distractions
If you're chatting with someone (or a group) in person, avoid distractions by leaving unnecessary electronic devices out of the room. Limit attendance to those who absolutely need to be there, and avoid scheduling at times when people are likely to be preoccupied with something else.
Improving online communication:
Office spaces are becoming less important for conducting business. It can be difficult to adjust to having meetings, conversations, and even people collaborate with you or report to you digitally, especially if you're used to working with in-person groups. Because online communication provides a unique way to interact, here are some things to consider:
1. Stick to the time limit.
Online meetings can be even more difficult to focus on because they include distractions from a nearly limitless number of settings. Keep meetings brief and to the point, and avoid (potentially lengthy) Q&A sessions. If necessary, use asynchronous communication methods to protect everyone's time.
2. Be considerate of the other person
In most cases, the presenter is the only one who can devote their full attention to the meeting. Assume that participants have multiple demands on their time, especially if they are working from home, and structure the content accordingly.
3. Recap important details.
Many nonverbal and interpersonal cues can be lost when communicating digitally. Recapitulate the key points to ensure understanding. You can either conduct a quick review during an online meeting or provide a brief summary at the end of a lengthy email.
4. Do not forget to respond.
Even if the communication is informal, make sure to acknowledge it quickly. Although you may have received the message, the person on the other end is unlikely to be aware unless you inform them. Usually, a few words or even a "like" are sufficient.
5 additional tips to improve your communication skills
In general, if you're looking to improve your communication skills, the following tips will help you succeed no matter the situation (or the audience):
Be approachable. If your teammates are intimidated or concerned that you will not respond well, they are less likely to provide you with information.
Be patient. Not everyone communicates in the same manner. Taking the time to make sure you understand the other person and communicate clearly can pay off.
Be self-aware. It's okay if you're still working on your communication skills, nervous, or having a bad day. It takes time and practice to become an effective communicator.
Check for understanding. Don't be afraid to solicit feedback or pose questions to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Swap out the messenger. Allow other team members or leaders to improve their communication skills by giving them the authority to lead discussions and meetings.
How to Be a Better Active Listener
There is a lot of talk about the benefits of active listening, but many people are unsure how it applies to actual behaviors. One of the most difficult aspects of active listening is the need to respond. Many people are preoccupied with formulating the perfect answer, leaving no time to engage with the input. Consider the steps below to break this habit, which is not really beneficial to the speaker.
Rethink how to add value.
You may believe that adding value to an exchange is primarily about what you say. However, that is not always how others see it. Most of us value responses that help us think through our own ideas, clarify our assumptions, or identify potential blind spots. We frequently don't require a listener to be brilliant or impress us with their own data. Instead, we may value them most for helping us sharpen our thinking.
Paraphrase without judgment.
If you find yourself preoccupied with responding, try shifting the focus of your response. Instead of adding your own thoughts, aim to provide a summary that does not include your opinion or judgment. As you listen, make it your goal to provide a concise summary, possibly clarifying the speaker's first language.
Bonus points for using language that the speaker recognizes as their own ("So you were frustrated with the project because the deadline was an uncomfortable high?")
Ask questions to help speakers think.
The next step after paraphrasing is to ask questions that move the needle. Similar to how a coach listens, these questions encourage speakers to delve deeper into their own thinking, clarify their expressions, or consider potential concerns. Play devil's advocate by pointing out inconsistencies or unclear language. All of these are true gifts to a speaker and will help you stay focused while listening.
Interrupt politely.
Active listening is not mindless indulgence, and not all interruptions are inappropriate. Sometimes speakers get lost in the weeds and provide unnecessary detail. Interruption can help them stay relevant and be rewarded with increased engagement.
Most speakers do not mind being interrupted by a question that allows them to continue talking. Interrupting someone in a meeting and taking away their floor time is much more difficult, especially for introverts. Make sure to:
Validate the speaker: "Thank you for bringing that up."
Maintain a warm and polite tone. Get feedback from others about how you sound and appear.
Refer to shared interest ("I'd just like to make sure we get to hear from everyone about the project."
Tips for Engaging Your Audience When Speaking
Become relevant.
Given the abundance of information, many audiences will be unimpressed by data. In fact, the desire to cover all bases or anticipate all potential questions is a common cause of wordiness.
To keep listeners engaged, particularly during virtual meetings, carefully curate content for relevance. Consider how this information will affect your intended audience. How might it help them at work? Is this level of detail useful for understanding my main message?
If you don't have clear answers to these questions, consider removing the content.
Be concise.
Concision, a hallmark of executive presence, is the ability to express yourself in as few words as possible. Listeners appreciate this because it demonstrates your preparedness and respect for their time. Furthermore, concision indicates confidence: the confidence to do less, say something only once, and trust that it will be received.
Many speakers struggle with being concise, particularly in virtual meetings where the feedback loop is often flat. They may repeat themselves "just to make sure" or use additional examples to clarify a point. However, this type of "more" can often be less, as audiences disengage after hearing the point the first time.
Concision requires a leap of faith. Your confidence in your own preparation and delivery is clear. This faith becomes more difficult to maintain during virtual meetings with cameras turned off. For your own self-care as a speaker, you could ask your audience to be fully present and turn on the cameras — and then reward them with your confident performance.
Leave gaps for the audience to fill.
Pausing after making a point is one way to slow down and connect with your audience. Not just a second to catch your breath, but a real space for silence. It creates an opening for your listeners to fill, giving you real-time feedback on what they need next, both virtually and in person. How granular do they want you to go? Do they have the questions you were planning to answer? Or are they taking your ideas in an entirely new direction?
Treat pushback as openings, not obstacles.
You may believe that making a compelling case should result in instant buy-in. Which, of course, almost never occurs. As your proposals are challenged, you become frustrated, possibly even defensive, as you attempt to explain why you are correct. Soon lines are drawn, both sides double down, and you're stuck in a rut.
To avoid such a shutdown of your ideas, consider how you handle pushback. Most new ideas are not accepted the way they are initially proposed, and your audience may not require you to have ready-made answers to all of their questions. 
Final thoughts on effective communication strategies.
As a leader and manager, you have tremendous influence over how your team communicates. While it is easy to fall into bad communication habits, particularly when transitioning to a more digital interface, a change in how one person communicates can pave the way for a radical shift throughout an entire workplace. Building effective communication skills takes time, but the benefits are worth it at all levels of your organization.
