It’s been said that effective communication can get you anything you’ve ever wanted. This is because communication is how we all interact with each other through various mediums and laguages. Communication is the transmission of a message from one party to another. A lot of our needs and goals are things we can achieve ourselves but most of the time there’ll be multiple people involved in our goals being achieved or our needs being met. So the more effective your communication is, the more likely you are to succeed in your needs being met or your goals being achieved.
Here are six ways in which you can improve your communication skills. These are also known as “The Six Pillars Of Effective Communication”
1- LISTENING
All effective communication begins with good listening. Without making an effort to really listen to what’s
being said to you, you won’t fully understand the message being relayed to you, and therefore you will
probably fail to respond accurately. We often make the mistake of listening to respond, and not to
understand. It is through understanding that we’ll find the most relevant response. When people see and
feel that they are being listened to, they’re more likely to also listen, and even agree to what’s being
requested of them.
2- CLARITY
Clarity is a very important and vital aspect of effective communication. The more clear you are in the
message you’re relaying, the more likely you are to be understood. We often make the mistake of adding
more words than are infact necessary to our messages, especially in situations where we’re asking someone
for something. This could be because we are trying to overly hard impress the other person to get what we
want, or we are trying to soften the blow of a hard truth. It’s important that we only use as many words as is
necessary for the message to be clearly communicated so that we are understood.
3- OPEN-MINDEDNESS
When communicating with people, it is important to keep an open mind, and not cling rigidly to our own
positions or beliefs or this may get in the way of understanding someone else’s view point. We need to
remember that understanding someone else’s opinion doesn’t mean you have to change your own, unless it
teaches you something you weren’t aware of before and you make the decision to change. Being open-
minded also allows to exercise empathy towards the people we interact with on a regular basis.
4- ASSERTIVENESS
In situations where negotiations are necessary for you to get what you want, assertiveness is key.
Assertiveness means allowing people freedom to be while standing for and maintain your own beliefs. This
will more often than not entail you standing your ground in order for one of your needs to be met, while not
being overly aggressive in your demeanour as you push for your agenda. Assertiveness is merely being able
to enforce your own boundaries without encroaching other people’s boundaries.
5- AUTHENTICITY
Authenticity refers to your ability to express your truth regardless of whether it is popular or not. Many people
make the mistake of trying not to anger or upset people when communicating. While this may be kind, it often
leads to you compromising yourself in favour of the other person and ending up not really getting what you
wanted in the first place. Not being authentic in your communication can also have the unintended effect of
making you seem manipulative because the other person can sense that there is something you’re not telling
them, therefore being reluctant to comply. Authenticity means being able to be 100 percent honest in your
agenda so the other party knows exactly where they stand with you as the negotiations proceed. By the
same token, a lot of people use authenticity as an excuse for brutality. The two are not the same. There’s a
difference between speaking your truth no matter what, and using abusive language in order to intimidate
people into giving you your way. An authentic person is assertive, not aggressive.
6- RESPECT
This is arguably the most important pillar of communication next to listening. Being respectful in your
communication will normally invoke the same treatment from the person you’re communicating to, which will
already put you in a good position for your interaction proceeding in your favour. It is said that respect for
others, begins with self-respect. Your capacity to show respect to yourself will determine how much you can
show it to others, which is partly the reason why people will automatically reciprocate respect because you
will subconsciously be showing them that you are someone worthy of respect.
Practicing and Mastering these six pillars will guarantee positive results in your communication, and you’ll immediately begin to enjoy a much less anxious life in general. Your relationships will improve as well as your general self-esteem, due to your increased ability to get things done through the improvement of your communications skills.
