This document provides an overview of developing advanced communication skills. It identifies four key areas for improvement: listening skills, understanding non-verbal communication, emotional awareness and management, and questioning skills. For each area, it outlines specific techniques such as paying attention to words and how they are produced when listening, understanding body language and other non-verbal cues, developing emotional intelligence through self-awareness and empathy, and using questioning to clarify understanding and continue conversations. The document also notes other aspects that can affect communication like using humor, treating people equally, resolving conflicts positively, and minimizing stress.
2. Introduction
Advanced communication skills are fundamental to success in many aspects of
life.
Many jobs require strong communication skills. People with good
communication skills enjoy better interpersonal relationships.
Effective communication is therefore a key interpersonal skill and learning
how to improve your communication has many benefits.
However, many people find it difficult to know where to start.
3. Identifying Problems
Ask your friends, family and colleagues to advise you. Most people will be
happy to help you with your journey towards self-improvement.
Use a self-assessment tool like our Interpersonal Skills, Self-Assessment.
You could instead simply work to improve the most common problem areas
and see what happens.
4. Four Key Areas for Improvement
1. Learn to Listen:
To become a good speaker, you have to become a good listener first.
We forget that communication is a two-way process. We fall into the trap of
‘broadcasting’, and fail to listen to the response.
Improving your listening skills is likely to pay off in improvements in your
relationships both at work and at home.
Listening and hearing; listening is not the same as hearing. Learning to listen
means paying attention to the words and how they are being produced.
Good listeners use the techniques of clarification to confirm what the other
person has said and avoid any confusion.
5. Four Key Areas for Improvement
2. Studying and Understanding Non-Verbal Communication:
Much of any message is communicated non-verbally.
It is important to understand non-verbal communication. For example when
you are communicating in writing or by telephone.
Non-verbal communication is often thought of as body language, but it
actually covers far more.
You can understand other people better by paying close attention to their
non-verbal communication.
6. Four Key Areas for Improvement
3. Emotional Awareness and Management:
We think that everything should be logical, and that emotion has no place.
But, we are human and none of us can leave our emotions at home.
An awareness of emotions, both positive and negative, this understanding of
emotions is known as Emotional Intelligence.
Empathy is the ability to share emotions and understanding them. It includes
understanding others and developing them.
Emotional intelligence is that you have to be aware of and understand your
own emotions, and be able to master them, in order to understand and work
well with others.
7. Four Key Areas for Improvement
4. Questioning Skills:
Questioning is a crucial skill to ensure that you have understood someone’s
message correctly.
It is a very good way of obtaining information about a particular topic,
starting a conversation and keeping it going.
Those with good questioning skills are often also seen as very good listeners,
they spend more time drawing information than broadcasting their own
opinions.
8. Transmitting Messages
Do not simply say the first thing that comes into your head. Instead take a
moment and pay close attention to what you say and how you say it.
Focus on the meaning of what you want to communicate. Consider how your
message might be received by the other person.
By communicating clearly, you can help avoid misunderstandings and
potential conflict with others.
Avoid jargon and over-complicated language, and explain things as simply as
possible.
9. Other Aspects That Can Affect
Communication
There are a number of other elements and aspects that can affect how a
message is both transmitted and received.
Using humor..
Treat people equally..
Attempt to resolve conflicts..
Maintain positive attitude and smile.
Minimize stress..
Life long journey:
None of us can honestly say that we could learn no more about communication:
that we were now experts, and never got it wrong.