Improving your communication skills

 

 

 

 

Making relationships work boils down to the efficiency of your communication skills. Communication is a two way street. You need to be able to get the message across to another person effectively, but also be able to listen to what the other person is telling you.  Some people are so busy trying to decide what they want to say next or thinking about what they are going to do in the future that they fail to listen to what the other person is saying.

 

Being able to recognize and deal with your feelings is a very important skill to master before being able to manage and understand another’s emotions. The qualities of honesty and self-awareness are very important if you really want to be more in touch with your emotions. Once you have achieved this, it will be easier to deal with your emotions more appropriately.

 

Self-control is another productive quality to have if you want to foster positive relationships with others. Some people struggle with self control because they tend to fly off the handle in response to someone else’s words, instead of checking in with themselves before retaliating. Instead of reacting impulsively, take a step back and think about what the other person has said to you. Would it serve you to start screaming and shouting back at them or using sarcasm, or would it be better to approach them in a logical and practical fashion without an emotional outburst?

 

Empathy is being able to recognize the emotions in others, but without taking on those emotions. If you can enter into another person’s world and try and feel what they are feeling, you can decide on a strategy which will help you to get your point across more effectively.

 

By listening to the tone of another’s voice, you will be able to gauge what sort of mood they are in. If their voice is flat and dull, they may be feeling very tired or unhappy. If someone’s voice changes to a higher pitch, they may be excited about something or anxious. Listen to the speed at which they are talking as this may also indicate irritation or nervousness. Facial expressions and eye contact will also offer a signal if someone is upset or uncomfortable about discussing certain matters with you.

 

When you listen to someone, listen without judgement.

Save your judging for later after you have heard and understood what was said.

 

Do not always try to be right. Being right is not the point of a conversation. If you must be right, you are not able to listen or communicate because you have already set up a barrier. If you are always right that means the other person is always wrong, and that is not possible.