Communicate Clearly! Effective Communication in Action!
Communication is key in everything we do. We communicate daily, whether we leave the house or not, we still communicate with others, be it online or in person. How well you get along with people balances in the fact of how well you communicate and how successful you are in life also depends on how well you communicate.
There are a few guidelines that you can apply to start to communicate clearly:
1. The Why
Specifically in work or professional communication, we often waste a lot of time and energy communicating when we don’t actually know why we’re doing so, often it is just formality or the norm. So, think about what you would like to accomplish in this communication?
This can also be applied to your personal life, even casual conversations can have some type of purpose, whether it is bonding or getting to know someone.
When others initiate a conversation with you, consider why it’s taking place. If you can’t understand “the why” try to gently guide the dialogue to determine “the why”. The purpose of this is to focus and understand “the why” to avoid going down rabbit holes and being distracted by side issues that detract from the matter in hand.
2. In-Person Communication Might Be Best
If you have something important to communicate, try to do so in-person. Have you ever read someone else’s tone wrong, then fallen out with them over text message or watched a fight escalate on social media because one person read someone else’s tone wrong? Maybe all uppercase, too many question marks or exclamation marks?
When we are dealing with a highly emotional issue, then it should be addressed in person. If it is impossible to do so in-person, at least do so via video call if possible. This goes for positive and negative conversations. If you are delivering great news, then you want everyone to get drawn into that positive energy.
Bad news or negative conversations will be received better if you do the job in-person and it is only fair to others that they receive clear communication.
3. Email The Facts
We often lose concentration when we are being given facts and figures verbally. If you are discussing finance issues, statistics, or otherwise with someone, choose to email this information. Send it to them or request them to send it to you via email after or before the conversation, so that either of you can easily look back on the information when necessary.
4. Less Talking, More Listening
This is applicable to in-person communication, over the phone or video call. Stop spending so much time doing all the talking and start listening to what the other person is trying to say or convey. Unless you are the one who came to the table to start a conversation, give others the respect they are due when they are trying to communicate their ideas or feelings. Do not dominate conversations or you might never get to the “Why” in step one.
5. Simplicity
We are overloaded with so much information each day, so simplify your message that you would like to get across. If we put thought into what we would like to say, we can use less words and probably say it with only a few with more impact. This is especially true for business communication.
Using these five steps can help you avoid miscommunication. Remember if you don’t understand ask for clarity.