The ability to communicate effectively will serve you greatly. There’s something special about a strong communicator. One that can listen, articulate well, and influence others.
So how do you do it?
Here’s my five steps to be a top notch communicator.
Step 1: Always Listen
Don’t be the person whose already prepping what to say next. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen more.
Having *full presence* listening allows the other person to feel heard and you to understand better— the first time!
Plus, the “what you’ll say” will often be different if listening to respond, rather than listening to react (not really listening at all.)
Step 2: Eye Contact
It’s easy to tell when someone’s listening because they’re looking at your eyes. Especially if they’re nodding their head.
So, look someone directly in the eyes when talking. It shows respect and demonstrates high self-esteem.
Eye contact is important for all types of relationships— business, family, intimate etc. Take this everywhere you go and watch how your communication changes!
Step 3: Tonality
When speaking to another person— whether one-on-one a or group setting— it’s important to know when to accentuate specific words and phrases. Just as important is to know when to tone down to sound soft and gentle.
These subtle differences add flavor to your communication and illustrate different meanings. So, know what words your trying to add emphasis to, and add them!
Step 4: Body Language
A high level communicator has strong body language. That means their posture is upright. They’re also using their hands to add emphasis to what they are communicating.
Not every setting calls for adding emphasis with the hands, but usually doing a little something can add a lot to the words being communicated.
Step 5: Dress for what you’d like to Communicate
There’s a guy by the name of Dan Pena— a high level business consultant— who says we’re judged on two things. How we look first. Then what comes out of our mouths.
It means what you wear matters!
To communicate on a high level, it’s critical to dress appropriately to how you’d like to be received.
Do you want to communicate to the world that you’re a hipster and don’t care what others think about you? Then it might make sense to wear baggy clothes and a sweatshirt to professional settings.
But if you’re looking to communicate to a potential employer — in an interview— it’s important to dress well. This will communicate you’re worthy of working for them.
If these 5 steps sound simple, it’s because they are. Keep it simple when communicating and you’ll go far.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Share it if it’s valuable to you!
Brock’s Blog 