Improving your communication effectiveness

To be a successful business owner, executive, high-paid professional, etc., communicating effectively during 1on1 and team meetings in hybrid work settings is critical for your success and executive presence. No matter how impersonal your profession or job role is, you will still need to talk to your boss, company executives, team members, and direct reports. Therefore, having effective communication skills and proper netiquette is not only recommended, but also mandatory for your sustained progress and growth in today’s digital age. While they seem to be mostly common sense, know that a fair share of modern professionals fall short of being effective communicators. The digitalization of our communication has enabled us to have an instantaneous, rich, and multi-media contact with people worldwide. While we consider our current times as a communication age, we cannot help at being surprised that many people are still unable to communicate appropriately. To date, a substantial number of people fall short when effectively using their communication abilities. So, let’s explore a couple of pointers on communication effectiveness to help you get your message across with ease and impact in both professional and personal settings. Improving your in-person communication skills and/or digital communication skills is not something you simply ‘enhance’ all at once. It encompasses multiple factors that you need to tend to diligently and incorporate them one at a time. By doing so, you can ensure that you use your self-awareness and learn to improvise from your experience. Communication tools at your disposal A list of tools that you can use for communication include: • Emails • Social media • Direct messaging • Phone calls • Video chats • Group chats • Conference calls Each of these tools has its own significance. Depending on their design and how they are promoted, their use can range from quite specific like conference calls to quite general like emails that serve a wide range of needs. The more you need to communicate with your employees, clients, and co-workers, the more critical it is that you are aware of the benefit of using each tool. Thus, you would pick the right one for matching with the situation. Be aware of your phrasing Thinking of digital communication as a simple transfer of information is terribly superficial and often outright wrong. Apart from what info you are communicating, how you communicate will play a vital role. You need to know how your phrasing is being perceived and what you are meaning to imply. Different emotions, attitudes, and even subtextual messages can be conveyed effectively through phrasing. For example, let's say that you need to respond to a customer complaint with a message. It can be direct, as in, "We will respond soon." Or it can be, "We've received your message, and we will address your concern as soon as possible." While you’re meaning to say the same thing, the second message gives the customer a feeling of being valued and hence a better customer experience (CX). Therefore, it is likely to be far better received by the customer. How you say it, matters the most Just because digital communication gives you a lot of room to communicate doesn't mean that you should write extensive paragraphs or hold endless meetings. Experienced and highly effective professionals know that every word counts and that keeping your communication short and sweet is the best rule to follow. The more concise you can make your messages, the easier it will be to understand and follow. Of course, you shouldn't go to other extremes and make your message ambiguous as that would make it ineffective. Your message needs to be short enough and still get your point across. For example, say that you are relocating, and you need to prepare your employees for it. While it is essential to talk about this on time, it is also important to outline only the vital information. Roleplay to understand the other person's perspective and personality! Sometimes communication breaks down not because of improper wording or thoughtless phrasing. It could be because you are communicating with someone who doesn't see the situation as you do viz. they have a different personality and distinct perspective compared to yours. People exhibit different behavioral styles, and this impacts how they perceive our messages. So, if you don’t understand the behavioral style of the person you are talking to, you will have a tough time understanding what they are communicating. Similarly, it will be difficult to convey the purpose and meaning of your message to them. This is why you need to emphasize first on listening and understanding the other person’s voice tone, facial expressions, body language, etc. After doing that, when you are conveying your message it is important to figure out whether the person you are trying to communicate with is getting your message. The best way to learn how to adapt your communication style is to visualize or simulate talking to people with different behavioral styles. A theoretical manual or sheet can only help in framing your communication script. The role-play practice will enable you to phrase and word your sentences appropriately and ensure that your message is well received. Having role-play conversations with trusted co-workers with differing behavioral styles can help you prepare for future interactions with people with these behavioral styles and personalities. #communication #communicationtips #communicationskills #digitalcommunication