Why you must improve your communication skills – Basic Communication Skills

In this fast past world of today, it is very important that you improve your level of communication skills. This should not be an option. It should be a must whether you need it for your business or for your personal life. These and more are what we are going to be talking about today.

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What you will learn in this series

In this article series on Communication Skills, we will cover such topics as:

• Basic Communication Skills: Beginner guides
• How To Improve Your Communication Skills,
• Why You Must Improve Your Communication Skills
• What Is Nonverbal Communication?

You need to improve your communication level

On a consistent basis, we are always giving and receiving information. There is no doubt about that, but to deliver quick and accurate information, a good understanding of nonverbal and written communication skills is absolutely essential. Now, let’s consider some of the ways we can benefit from good communication skills.

Now, imagine that you are applying for a job or looking for a promotion within your current job. You definitely will need to demonstrate that and one way to show that you deserve the position is through good communication skills. Learn more about Basic Communication Skills in our article series.

You see, the point is that your employer, though not always, might know fully well that you deserve the promotion or the work you are applying for, and he/she might never give it to you until you ask for it. By that, I mean asking for it in a proper manner.

Is that the correct way to treat an employee? Well, I leave you to be the judge. But that is the way it often turns out to be sometimes, and if you have ever worked for different people, you will understand that to be true.

As we have said in the previous discussion in this series, you need good communication skills to speak correctly on every given occasion. This, of course, requires that you maintain good eye contact with the person of a group of persons with whom you are communicating.

Remember also to tailor your language according to the sensibility and understanding of your audience. Listen effectively and say exactly what you mean, whether it is verbal or written communication. When you do this, you will appear more valuable to other people because you will appear to them that you know what you are doing and therefore deserve the respect for it.

Now the big takeaway is this – if you keep practicing what we have been talking about throughout this series on communication, you will see a considerable appreciation in your perceived value as a person and this will quickly be reflected in how people treat you.

Imagine that you have an idea that might even help someone and maybe this person really does need the pieces of information you have to share. Do you know that the likelihood that the person will actually act upon your idea depends largely on your level of communication skills? It is true.

With good communication skills, the ability to listen, speak clearly and convincingly, you can put other people at ease. That is, an effective communication skill can stop an otherwise escalating tension and can even put an end to the war between countries and save millions of lives.

Have you heard of the saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword?” It’s not literarily referring to a pen as a writing tool, compared to a sword an instrument of war.

It means the power of communication, written or spoken, is more effective than the physical force. And come to think of it. All wars are won or lost on the table of communication.

The physical violence, the bloodshed, the genocides and the death of millions of people are only a manifestation of that power of communication or the lack of it.

So, make it a duty to tap into such immeasurable skill as communication. Learn to listen to other people and show interest in what they say or do. Pay attention to the tone of a telephone conversation because it reveals a lot about the other side that might be invisible to the naked eyes.

Yes, the other side might be thousands of kilometers away from you, but through your listening skill and attentiveness you get the following clear:

• Understand the hidden and unsaid message,
• Feel the emotional temperature,
• Be able to persuade others,
• And make your values felt.

Build better rapport with clients through good communication

Another benefit of effective communication skill is that it helps you to build better rapport with your customers. How? I will explain it.

You see, understanding your customers, and treating them well, like making them feel special can easily boost their loyalty to you and your services, and this can quickly lead to more sales and profits for your business. How to go about building strong relationships with your customers.

At the time of this writing, I had an eBay store where I listed some PDF books for sales. It happened more than once that despite the fact that I clearly state on the product page that buyers will receive PDF books, some customers will send me rather challenging messages, requesting a physical copy of the book they have bought.

Of course, we usually do resolve the issue with some of them coming back to get more PDF books.

What I want you to understand by this example is that as a business person, you may have done your best to communicate your message to the customers and maybe for some reason, sometimes beyond your control, some will not get the message. At that point, you don’t need to hold your ground and start claiming a right.

It’s always a better approach to help the customers understand the message, even to the point of repeating yourself a couple of times until the issue is clear.

Your customers are your employers and you do not want to lose your employer, except it is the last option and there was nothing else you could do to save the situation.

If you manage to demonstrate to the customers, through an effective communication skill that you care about their concerns, they will usually come back, even if your product might not be the best at the moment. So, good communication skills are highly important if you want to build and maintain a good rapport with your customers.

Learn more about how to improve your communication skills in the following article: How To Improve Your Communication Skills.

Use your mindset to develop key communication skills

Becoming a good communicator starts with your mindset and developing the necessary skills. In order to do this, you need to work on your communication mindset and develop the communication skills that are necessary.

Mindset is a way of thinking that is established in specially in relation to one’s cultural or social values. For example, a mindset may also develop when you think about the outlook on life of someone else or the attitude they have towards things.

A growth mindset is the great equalizer. With a growth mindset, it doesn’t matter what academic level you are at, how old you are, or whether you are male or female. All that matters is your willingness to learn and grow.

The world of communication is constantly changing and evolving so it’s important to be able to adapt to the times in order to succeed when meeting new people.

Our thoughts are always present in everything we do — our attitude, our facial expressions, and the way we speak. When you are having a bad day, people can tell. And when you are feeling good about life, other people pick up on that too. So, mindset shapes your behavior and helps you take charge of life and communication ability.

People have different mindsets and these affect the way they communicate. It’s important to be present, and active not just when listening but when talking too. You should ask questions that listeners won’t always expect and tailor your communication style to the person you are communicating with.

Believe it or not, our mindsets can change the way we communicate – and help you do it even better. Start by using your mindset to develop key communication skills.

Increase your engagement with good communication skills

According to a recent study on the psychology of employee engagement, only about 15% of adult employees are effectively engaged with their employers. Now imagine you are a manager of a company and you understand that only fewer workers are truly engaged with their co-workers and maybe yourself too. What you can do is to prioritize effective communication among co-workers, thereby increasing engagement for all.

Why would a company need to invest in prioritizing effective communication among its employees? Well, studies have shown that people tend to be more productive when they work in a more harmonious and friendly environment, as against hostile ones.

People naturally want to be among other happy people. No one wants to be in a toxic environment. Am I speaking your mind?

Ok. Just because I used a working environment as an example doesn’t mean this apply only to that situation. Consider your home. With better communication skills, you are able to create more engagement among the members of your family, friends and loved ones.

Of course, this does not mean that there will no longer be negative people around. I do not mean that. Those kinds of people, like the weeds on a farm, are part of society and even within our networks. We know that. And that is also another reason why you need to increase your level of positivity and better engagement with people, through your communication skills. By so doing, you are reducing the reach of their negative influence.

So, good communication skills, from wherever you want to look at it has a lot of advantages and benefits to you, personally and professionally. And helping to increase engagement is one of those important benefits.

The last benefit I will like us to consider about effective communication is building trust. This is not a small benefit by any measure.

Build trust through effective communication

There is one article I will like you to consider reading on this topic and it’s titled: “How to Use Communication to Build Trust and Inspire Loyalty, as Well as Lead Effectively”.

In the article, which you can find at Amanet.org, the writer started with the attractive line “Leaders can’t succeed if they aren’t good communicators”.

If that is not valuable enough to what we are discussing today, then I don’t know what else should be.

“More often than not,” continued the article, “leaders don’t even know that their communication skills need polishing. In my many years of advising leaders on the actions and communication needed to win, keep, or restore public confidence, I have concluded that many leaders, much of the time, fundamentally misunderstand communication.”

And “this misunderstanding,” the writer added, “has consequences: corporations lose competitive advantage; not-for-profits find it harder to fulfil their mission; religious denominations lose the trust and confidence of their followers; nations diminish their ability to protect citizens and achieve national security goals.”

Now, this is the point: the importance of building trust through effective communication can never be underestimated and this is why we are talking about it throughout this article series. Really, I am confident that you are getting the point because this is so important.

In this service-based economy, where people are now necessarily required to engage with other people in doing their businesses and in navigating the world, you cannot afford to neglect the importance of such interpersonal skills as communication. You just cannot do that. Not anymore.

We have seen the disaster it can cause, both at the highest political offices to the lowest position, within the families. So, you must pay attention.

For people to trust that you are making optimal decisions for everyone in the group you really need to develop your ability to listen attentively and embrace the opinions of other people. Trust is such a fundamental requirement in today world and effective communication skills can help you build it.

Your key takeaways why you must improve your communication skills

Communication is the foundation for success in personal and professional life. In personal life, communication is key to understanding people and situations that happen on a daily basis.

Communication skills are also essential for developing relationships with other people, and improving mental health.

They can help you find a job and keep it, promote your business, make great friendship work, and even maintain a healthy relationship with your spouse.

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