Seven Steps for Effective Communication

Communication is a deciding factor in any business or professional career. Unless you are able to get your message across to the others in a successful manner, you cannot get your work done or express your ideas or views properly.

The success in any organization or group depends on the communication effectiveness of the individuals involved in it. It is mandatory that one masters the steps for effective communication processes. This article details the seven steps that are involved in effective communication processes.

Step 1: Listening

Listening to your receiver will help understand and clarify their concerns better. The art of listening also shows the other person that you are genuinely interested in their talk. Such kind of two sided communication method helps in achieving more than the normal levels of success.

Listening to your client or employee and working on their concerns will not just earn you a simple method of problem resolution but also will ensure increased loyalty. Also look out for symptoms of inattentiveness in your audience.

Many times you can modulate your speech if you figure out that your receiver is bored of your speech. Do not end up in a conversation that is one sided. Provide equal opportunity for your listener also to get involved in the conversation.

Step 2: Talk brief

Unless extremely needed, avoid involving in long and detailed lectures to convey your message to your audience. Many times it is necessary that you provide to-the-point answers to the questions rather than beating around the bush. Remember that time is valuable and take consideration for other’s time especially. Try to be short and brief whenever possible. A short and informative talk is an important feature of an effective communication.

Step 3: Consider using names

Usage of an individual’s name to address them when you talk helps increase the effectiveness of your communication. Hence always ask for a person’s name before you start to talk and make sure that you use their name with the right pronunciation when you talk to them. In case you do not get their name right the first time, do not hesitate to verify it again.

Step 4: Talk confidently

Make sure that you know what you are talking about. Prepare your points and express them confidently. Lack of confidence will spur restlessness in your listener and might even bore them. Do not pause or deviate from your points or try to explain or provide excuses for mistakes.

Step 5: Use non-verbal communication to send your message effectively

An effective communication is a mix of verbal and non-verbal communication. Your body language and voice tone make up for more than half of what you are trying to convey. It is important that you try to establish eye contact when you talk to someone. A proper eye contact creates confidence in your listener. Eye movement, body posture and hand gestures all needs to be modulated and kept consistent with your message for an effective communication.

Step 6: Take care of your language and jargon

When you convey your message or communicate, remember to use the right and crisp words. Lengthy words and repeated sentences might not create the required appeal with your audience. Do not use a lot of filler words in your sentence as they might tend to create loss of interest in your audience. Remember to make your message clear and simple and avoid using jargons and complicated sentences. Also make sure that you are confident and continuous in your conversation, long pauses or breaks might not keep your listener hooked to your conversation.

Step 7: Create a level of comfort

Before you start to talk to your audience, remember to establish an atmosphere of comfort. It is necessary that a comfort level is created so as to facilitate an easy communication process. Provide undivided attention to your listener so as to denote the importance of the communicated message.

The increased comfort level creates a good relationship and conveys the message effectively. Try your best to avoid physical barriers and interruptions when you talk to your listener. Do not involve into a conversation in a loud or busy area. Try to find a location where you can focus on the message at hand.

Editorial Team at Geekinterview is a team of HR and Career Advice members led by Chandra Vennapoosa.

Editorial Team – who has written posts on Online Learning.


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