{"id":11529,"date":"2018-01-23T17:48:03","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T17:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourlifeassist.co.za\/sizani\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\/"},"modified":"2021-03-18T06:47:53","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T06:47:53","slug":"seven-secrets-better-communication-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourlifeassist.co.za\/sizani\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Secrets to Better Communication Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Communication is what helps us to connect with others and build relationships, with our family, friends, colleagues and clients. Good communication skills come naturally to some of us, but if you\u2019re nervous about talking to new people, or speaking in front of a group, it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve.<\/p>\n

These seven practical tips will help you to become a more effective communicator, making it easier to connect with those around you.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t just hear, listen.<\/strong> Learn to pay attention to what other people are saying, instead of thinking about what you want to say next. Cultivate active listening skills, which will make it easier to give others your full attention when they\u2019re speaking. If you listen actively, you\u2019ll be able to respond more constructively.<\/li>\n
  2. Be patient.<\/strong> Don’t interrupt the person speaking. Wait until they\u2019re finished before responding. Interrupting isn\u2019t just considered rude, it can distract the speaker and derail the whole conversation.<\/li>\n
  3. Avoid \u201cfiller\u201d words.<\/strong> Try not to um<\/em> and ah<\/em> when you talk, as it will make you sound less confident and less credible. It helps to speak a little more slowly and to pause more often; this might feel awkward at first, but it sounds much less awkward than all those \u201cums\u201d.<\/li>\n
  4. Be aware of non-verbal cues.<\/strong> Body language plays a big role in communication. Make sure that you look the other person or people in the eye when you talk, and when you listen. Pay attention to their body language and your own when you\u2019re having a conversation, to make sure everyone feels involved and engaged.<\/li>\n
  5. Focus.<\/strong> Concentrate on one topic at a time during a conversation. You could miss out on valuable information if you think too far ahead, or dwell on past topics. Minimise distractions (noise, electronics etc) so that you can focus fully on the conversation at hand.<\/li>\n
  6. Ask the right questions.<\/strong> Avoid asking close-ended questions (those that require simple \u201cyes or no\u201d answers), and ask open-ended questions (which require more detailed answers). Summarise and repeat the other person\u2019s answers back to them, to make sure you\u2019ve understood and clarify anything you might have missed. For example: \u201cSo to recap\u2026\u201d or \u201cSo what you\u2019re saying is\u2026\u201d This will keep both of you engaged throughout the conversation.<\/li>\n
  7. It\u2019s not just about what<\/em> you say; it\u2019s also about how<\/em> you say it.<\/strong> Make sure you use the right tone of voice as well as the right words. If you talk about an exciting topic with a dull, unenthusiastic tone, the topic itself will be boring as well.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Good communication is the start of any great relationship. Work on your skills and you\u2019ll reap the rewards in your professional and personal life.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Top 10 Ways to Improve your Communication Skills
    \n<\/em>Retrieved from https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/<\/p>\n

    The Institute for Management Excellence<\/em>
    \nRetrieved from www.itstime.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Communication is what helps us to connect with others and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,35,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2018-feb-articles","category-lifestyle-work-life","category-your-wellness-family"],"yoast_head":"\nSeven Secrets to Better Communication Skills - Sizani<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seven Secrets to Better Communication Skills - Sizani\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Communication is what helps us to connect with others and [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/yourlifeassist.co.za\/sizani\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sizani\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-23T17:48:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-18T06:47:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/yourlifeassist.co.za\/sizani\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2021\/03\/communication.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"zara\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"zara\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"zara\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/af95e4ffad46b719e872bdf047249ab2\"},\"headline\":\"Seven Secrets to Better Communication Skills\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-23T17:48:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-18T06:47:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":493,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/seven-secrets-better-communication-skills\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourlifeassist.co.za\\\/sizani\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/53\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/communication.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"2018 Feb Articles\",\"Lifestyle - 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