Communication is the basis of any relationship, and good communication is the key to relationship success, Help Guide notes. Communication is the way in which messages are generated and received. Therefore, having good communication skills and making improvements to your communication will be beneficial to you.
Make Eye Contact
According to the Help Guide, the visual sense is dominant for most people, making the influence of eye contact in nonverbal communication important. Eyes can communicate interest, anger, sadness, attraction and lying, as reported by Help Guide.
Use Your Voice
Your voice should fit the emotions and feeling behind your words. With voice, it is not what you say but the tone, pitch, volume, inflection, rhythm and rate at which you say it. Help Guide suggests that sounds of speech provide the listener with insight into the feelings behind our words.
Adjust Body Posture
Body position allows others to know you are paying attention. Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders, writing in "The Essentials of Negotiation," suggest that to improve communication you should hold your body erect, lean slightly forward and face the other person to ensure he is aware of your interest.
Communication Inconsistencies
Ensure your nonverbal communication signals match your verbal communication signals. Also, pay attention to any inconsistencies in the other person's verbal and nonverbal communications. The Help Guide points out that if the nonverbal signals do not reinforce what the person is saying, he could be repressing some truths.
Ask Questions
According to Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders, using questions in communication is a way to obtain further information and allow the speaker to know you are still interested. Asking good questions enables you to secure valuable information and improve the clarity of your communication.
Listen
Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders suggest three different types of listening that will improve your communication. In passive listening, you receive the message without providing feedback. Many times, this makes the other person provide more information. In acknowledgement, you provide feedback in the form of nonverbal gestures such as nodding or verbal responses such as "I see" or "Mm-hmm." In active listening, you actually rephrase the other person's message in your own words.
Role Reversal
This technique will help to improve your communication because it allows you to more fully understand the other person's position, as reported by Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders. An example of role reversal is asking yourself how you would deal with or feel about the person's situation.
Emotional Intelligence
Increase your emotional intelligence. The Help Guide reports, emotional intelligence allows you to recognize your own emotional state and the emotional state of those around you, thereby helping you to communicate more effectively.
Use Humor Correctly
Humor can be a communication tool to help to convey messages that are harder to say. It creates a space for trust and intimacy among people, suggests Help Guide. The key to using humor in communication is to ensure that the other person is in on the joke with you instead of feeling that he is being laughed at.
Record on Video
Watch your communication patterns, learn and make improvements. Use a camera to record a conversation and then watch the conversation. Observe the nonverbal signals and the inconsistencies between the verbal and nonverbal communication, suggests Help Guide.
References
- Help Guide: Nonverbal Communication Skills The Power of Body Language
- Help Guide: Playful Communication in RelationshipsThe Power of Laughter and Play
- Help Guide: Emotional Intelligence Five Skills for Raising Your EQ
- "Essentials of Negotiation," Roy J. Lewicki, Bruce Barry, David M. Saunders, 2007.
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