Communication can sometimes seem to be a daunting task, especially for shy people. Most people find it difficult to communicate especially when they are surrounded by a crowd, communication tends to be a difficult task for such people. However, Shy people are not the only people who fumble to communicate effectively, even overconfident people tend to miss the important protocols in effective communication. The best communicators we mostly admire did not acquire good communication skills overnight, they did not need a magic wand to communicate better, they had to practice till they got better. So, the secret trick to being an effective communicator is to practice and without that, it would be impossible to communicate effectively. In this article, I would talk about effective ways to improve your communication skills.

Work on your listening skills

Everyone is talking every day but how many people get time to listen? To improve on your communication skills it is important to learn how to listen. It is virtually impossible to improve your communication skills when you always do the talking and have no time to listen. For communication to be effective both parties must understand each other and it is impossible to understand the messenger when you do not listen when they talk. To improve on your communication skills learn how to pay attention when someone is speaking, show facial gestures and nonverbal signs when someone is talking to you this assures them you are paying attention. Many people downplay listening when it comes to communication they don’t see it as an effective tool when it comes to communication. Most mistakes would have been avoided if people listened very well. Once you listen attentively you would be able to send effective feedback to your messenger. So to be effective in communication you should develop your listening skills.

Practice conversations

To be an effective communicator you have to practice conversations. You can start with small talks, master how to start conversations with your neighbors, family, and co-workers. Make it a conscious effort to talk to people every day. This would boost your confidence and also improve your communication skills as I said earlier practice is the catalyst for every good communicator. Once you practice talking to people and even sometimes random people you would be shocked how you will improve. It may take some time if the person doesn’t speak your language.

Put away distractions when communicating

putting away distractions is one effective way to improve your communication. In this era when everyone is on their phone, most people do not even put their phones down when communicating with others. This is a bad practice and it gives the impression you don’t take the communication you are currently having seriously. Technology is not the only distraction sometimes our environment can be a distraction. It is advisable to look at the person you are communicating with, do away with every distraction, you can always come back to them after the communication. Once you are communicating your total focus should be on the person you are communicating with. This shows you take what the person is communicating very seriously. This is an effective way to improve your communication.

Engage your Listeners

No one wants to listen to boring conversations. To be an effective communicator you should work on how to engage your listeners. People tend to lose interest in conversations or talks when the listener is not engaging. Ask questions and follow-ups when you are talking to people.

Also, pick topics that would interest your listeners. Sometimes what it takes to get your listeners engaged is an interesting topic. People tend to respond better to interesting topics that sometimes do the trick for you. If you take a less engaging topic people normally show less or no interest in what you are saying. So to be an effective communicator be strategic on topics you choose and learn how to ask questions a little sense of humor won’t be bad to work to improve on that.

Learn to overcome social anxiety

The number one impediment to effective communication is social anxiety. Social anxiety comes in several forms, it can come in shyness, nervousness, racing heart, sweating profusely, etc. these anxieties are experienced when we try to communicate among people. Effective communication is nearly impossible when we have social anxiety so it is best to overcome it. One way to overcome your social anxiety is asking for help from your close friends or family we mostly tend not to be shy of our family members and close friends, these people love you and they will help you overcome your fears. You can also face your fears by challenging yourself to talk to a few people each day. This is quite daunting but once you persist you get better with time. Communication will never be effective if one party is very shy or has social anxiety so you should practice hard to improve your social anxiety.

Learn to control your emotions

There are many effective ways to improve your communication skills but controlling your emotions is golden. To be an effective communicator it is imperative to learn how to control your emotions and learn how to express them appropriately. We are not human if we don’t express emotions but emotions must be in their proper context. You don’t want to be seen laughing in a conversation when a tragic event is being discussed this makes you appear callous and insensitive. Learn not to shout at people when you are angry this speaks ill of you rather learn how to express your emotions nicely and do not let them have the best of you. Every proper communicator knows when to put on a smile even when they don’t feel like smiling, these are all part of the nitty-grittys of communication. This should be mastered to be an effective communicator.

Be brief and specific

One way communication can be effective is when they are brief and straight to the point. No one likes to listen to conversations that beat around the bush such a method in communication ruins effective communication since the other party loses interest. Communications should not contain unnecessary anecdotes and topics, it should be brief and straight to the point. once you master this skill it would improve your communication skills.

Mastering effective ways to improve your communication skills is very essential and therefore everyone should put in much effort to be good at that. Effective communication breaks many barriers and it is worthwhile to improve on it.