It’s never too late to hone communication skills

We all have been communicating since the day we were born. Babies cry to get their parents’ attention, and as we grow older we develop more sophisticated ways of letting people know what we want, as well as listening to others. Most of us know how to communicate, but not everyone is good at communication. The good news is that you can grow your communication skills over time.

The problem is that ‘good communication skills’ is a phrase so overused, and so broad, that it’s hard to know what it’s really means. Effective communication sounds like it should be instinctive. But here comes the huge difference between communicating and simply talking. We see so many examples of the latter in our daily lives. All too often, when we try to communicate with others something goes astray. We say one thing, the other person hears something else, and misunderstandings, frustration, and conflicts ensue. This can cause problems in your home, school and work relationships.

Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information; it’s about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. As well as being able to clearly convey a message, you need to also listen in a way that gains the full meaning of what’s being said and makes the other person feel heard and understood.

Developing your communication skills can help all aspects of your life, from your professional life to social gatherings and everything in between.

The ability to communicate information accurately, clearly and as intended, is a vital life skill and something that should not be overlooked.

We all know that the majority of what we say is just not communicated verbally — it’s communicated through physical cues like our body language and our facial expressions.

Studies show that 55 per cent of communication is body language, 38 per cent is the tone of voice and only 7 per cent is the actual words spoken. It’s incredibly important to pay attention to nonverbal communication if you want to become a better communicator. Avoid sitting with your arms crossed, slouching or fidgeting and try to maintain a good amount of eye contact when speaking with others, are a few useful things to keep in mind.

Almost everyone lays claim to having ‘excellent communication skills’, and every job requires them — but what does it really mean? And what does it mean to have these skills when it comes to your job? Professionally, if you are applying for jobs or looking for a promotion with your current employer, you will almost certainly need to demonstrate good communication skills.

Communication skills are needed to speak appropriately with a wide variety of people whilst maintaining good eye contact, demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to suit your audience, listen effectively, present your ideas appropriately, write clearly and concisely, and work well in a group. Most jobs need good communicators, people who can express themselves clearly and positively, both verbally and in writing. It’s one of the key ingredients of success, so it pays to understand what’s involved — since there’s more to ‘good communication’ than the obvious.

Having good communication skills in the workplace is all about being able to convey information to people clearly and simply, in a way that means things are understood and work gets done.

It also means that you can adapt yourself to new and different situations, read the behaviour of other people, compromise to reach agreement, handle difficult conversations with ease, and avoid and resolve conflict.

In fact, a large part of good communication is about being empathic, so you can understand how others will interpret your words and behaviour. And don’t forget that communication is a two-way street, so being a good listener is vital.

Good communication skills are some of the simplest, most essential and yet most useful soft skill for success you can possess. It is hence not surprising to see the burgeoning demand for communication trainers and soft skill coaches.

Employers as well as employees have realised its value and are all game to gain from this. So regardless of what field you’re in and despite the monotony of the term, working on your ‘communication skills’ will pay you back many times over. If you get it right, you’re guaranteed to have a much smoother path through life and your career.

As Paul J. Meyer said: “Communication — the human connection — is the key to personal and career success.”