Introduction
One of the most basic and yet important skills to learn is a solid communication style. Having the skills necessary to communicate what you want and need in any situation is vital if progress is the desired outcome. Being able to effectively communicate is defined by transferring information to produce greater understanding. This can be achieved in many different ways, primarily it is seen through verbal exchanges (vocally), written media (books, websites, and magazines), visually (using graphs, charts, and maps), or even non-verbally (body language, gestures, pitch of voice, and tone). These types of communication are considered soft skills and are influential in every aspect of life, whether professional or personal, success will increase as communication skills are improved.
Found within the mindset of industry professionals, communication brings every transactional result. Good communication skills are essential for others and yourself to understand the needed information with accuracy and speed. On the other hand, poor communication skills lead to frequent misunderstandings and individual frustrations. In a 2016 LinkedIn survey conducted in the United States, one of the most sought after soft skills among employers was communication. With this in mind, there comes the idea that there is no reason as to why to not improve communication skills, especially within professional relationships.
There are seven basic ways to improve communication skills, listed not in any particular order, because all seven, when implemented intentionally, will be a catalyst for development.
1. Listening.
In order to become a great communicator, it is essential to also become a great listener. This at first thought, might seem counterintuitive but these two soft skills are completely intertwined, when one is strengthened the other is strengthened. It is also important to practice active listening, which is simply more intentional listening. Paying close attention to what those around you are saying, how they are saying it, and possibly discovering the why behind what they are saying will edify your personal understanding of the conversation. Also clarifying any ambiguities in what you hear by rephrasing their questions is a good practice to achieve greater understanding.
2.Conciseness.
The ultimate goal of every conversation is to have mutual understanding within the transfer of information. In order to do this as effectively as possible using words with proactive intentionality is key. To convey your message in as few words as possible will create more power and weight in the words that are used. A tip is to not use filler words but get straight to the heart or meat of the message. Rambling on will cause your listener to potentially tune out and misinterpret what you are trying to say, or be lost and unsure of what you are even talking about. Lastly, avoid using excessively difficult words while speaking because this may confuse your audience.
3. Body Language.
As stated above, not all communication is verbal, one of the most impactful ways to effectively communicate what you want is through your body language. It is important to have a consistent practice of good body language, such as, using eye contact, utilizing hand gestures, and controlling the tone of your voice when speaking with others. Amy Cuddy makes the connection between nonverbal communication (body language), and judgment of those around us in her famous TedTalk, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are”, she states,
“Social scientists have spent a lot of time looking at the effects of our body language, or other people’s body language, on judgments. And we make sweeping judgments and inferences from body language. And those judgments can predict really meaningful life outcomes like who we hire or promote, who we ask out on a date. For example, Nalini Ambady, a researcher at Tufts University, shows that when people watch 30-second soundless clips of real physician-patient interactions, their judgments of the physician’s niceness predict whether or not that physician will be sued. So it doesn’t have to do so much with whether or not that physician was incompetent, but do we like that person and how they interacted?”
Amy Cuddy’s quote drives home the important connection between having good communication skills and personal body language practices.
4. Confidence.
Being confident within a conversation is married between body language and tone of voice. The simple gestures of maintaining eye contact and maintaining a relaxed body position will portray a confident communicator. Also having a calm yet sure tone of voice will assist in communicating the assertiveness of your speech without being aggressive or demeaning. Finally, an easy practice to instill confidence in your communications is trying to not make statements sound like questions.
5. Open-mindedness.
Even with all the tips and tricks in the world, when it comes to communicating with others there will be a vast number of thoughts and opinions. In situations where you disagree with what someone else has communicated it is important to sympathize with their personal point of view rather than simply trying to get your individual message across. This could occur among co-workers, friends, employers, or even family, with these people strive to never demean what they are saying, regardless if you agree or not. By respecting the differences and diversity of opinions found in others the expansion of your thought process will help create a more open minded communicator, and even listener.
6. Respect.
The sixth tip given to improve communication builds off of the fifth, open-mindedness. Having genuine respect for those around you is only one aspect of finding success throughout life. Specifically within conversations, respecting what others have to say is a simple practice that can have a lasting and great impact. This respect can look like paying attention to what is being said, using someone’s name, and trying always to not become distracted. This respect will make people feel appreciated which then leads to more honest and productive conversations.
7. Using the correct medium.
Because there are several different types of communication avenues and platforms it is important to use the right one to effectively communicate what you desire. For example, if you are having more difficult and serious conversations, such as layoffs, salary changes, etc. it is more appropriate to communicate in person rather than through an email. But for a weekly in house newsletter, highlighting needed information, an email is sufficient. By using the medium of communication that fits best for each situation there is greater understanding and success if found.
Communication within the Marketing Industry
Now this is all very important information regarding how to improve the much needed soft skill of communication. But what does it really mean? And how does it affect different industries? Using the field of digital marketing as an example, here is one way that communication can improve overall experiences and outcomes.
Within the digital marketing industry there are many different communications, business to business communication, business to customer communication, in house, out of house, the list could go on. One of the conversations that occurs regularly within digital marketing is communication between a marketer and a graphic designer. The goals of these conversations surround, increasing brand awareness, creating a strong brand image, logo design, ultimately the core is to promote the brand. Marketers then take this strong brand and use it to find and nurture customers. When both the marketer and the graphic designer have strong communication skills these processes of creation, design, and production go much smoother and honestly have a higher chance of having positive returns.
By listening to each other’s ideas and inputs marketers and graphic designers will have a greater understanding of the bigger picture and how to get there. Because both of these individuals are professionals they value their time, being concise in their language will increase the quality of each communication. When working with different people on different projects the way body language plays a role differs. However when marketers and graphic designers both have positive and uplifting body language the atmosphere for creation and success is found. The individual confidence of both graphic designer and marketer creates a foundation of equality and can assist in the specific result of the collaboration. Being open minded and having respect will allow each professional to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions, creating a work space that is conducive to success. Lastly the communication medium most likely used between graphic designers and marketers when working on projects is a combination of in person, online video chats, emails, and quick communications using platforms such as Trello or slack.
As you can see each of the seven tips of good communication listed above have an impact on the outcome of conversations in any industry. Because of this being within any field, communication is vital to have more effective success. These seven suggestions are simple and can be added to any conversation about any matter. May each individual find more positivity within communicating among those around them.