Effective communication doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler you are, the more effective it can be. Instead of allowing ourselves to become bogged down in details, nuances, fears & judgment, here are 4 Best Practices to Level Up your Effective Communication.
1. Clarity
When in doubt, keep things as simple as possible.
Can you say it in one sentence?
Can you present the information in a way that can be understood with no questions asked?
Release details that weigh down the narrative, just focus on the most important parts; where the gettin’s good.
Frame it in a way that someone with no context could understand what you’re saying.
2. Listen Don’t just wait until it’s your time to talk, step back and really allow yourself to really listen when someone else is talking. Get curious. Be interested. Can you learn something new about them? Are you understanding them fully? What questions can you ask to allow them to go deeper? This will open the door you to know people better, retain details, and be the kind of person people want to talk to – because you allow them to be Heard. 3. Flexibility aka Make Space for what you Don’t Know
You don’t know everything. No one does.
Even when it comes to your opinion, there are apprx. 1000 factors and exceptions that lends itself to the fluidity that is truth within the human experience.
The opposite of that is rigidity – and there is nothing more boring than rigidity.
Sometimes you will be wrong - that’s ok.
Sometimes you will make mistakes – that’s ok too.
Remove your ego – you don’t know everything, no one does. Keep a space open for the piece you won’t know and you’ll be amazed at what you can learn.
4. Perspective aka Know Your Audience
I don’t talk to my friends the same way I talk to my co-workers, the same way I talk to my parents.
Think about your audience.
What do they already know?
What don’t they know?
What foundation do you need to provide in order for them to follow?
How will they best hear you?
Are you using references they might not understand?
What is the most important thing for them to take away from this interaction?
Think about those pieces and let them inform what and how you share.
Tap into these 4 strategies and watch the way your communication changes – and the way people communicate with you.