We constantly hear that good communication skills are indispensable in professional and personal life. They allow us to find a common language with different people more quickly, work more effectively in a team and move faster in our careers. But what exactly does the term “communication skills” mean? Why are they so crucial to success? And finally, what to do to improve them?
What are communication skills, and why are they so important?
Communication skills are the ability to transmit and receive information. And at first glance, it seems that nothing is complicated about it. After all, as children, we learn to speak and understand other people’s speech. But the essence is not only the exchange of information but the ability to express our thoughts as precisely as possible, to grasp the meaning of what the interlocutor says, and adequately respond to messages from others. All this is effective communication.
Specialists with well-developed communication skills are in demand in all industries. Communicating effectively helps avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, find solutions to complex issues faster and work more productively. And this, in turn, saves companies’ resources. Therefore, communication skills are necessary for everyone, without reference to the field of activity, position, and experience.
8 most important skills
1.Orientation in a particular situation.
A person must understand the goals, roles, and motives of both their own and the opponent’s and analyze and predict the possible development of the conversation.
2.Establishment of contact.
Either side of communication should be able to start a dialogue independently and adequately perceive and respond to an attempt to establish contact from the other side. Besides, it is necessary to be able to finish the conversation qualitatively.
3.Self-Presentation.
To tell about yourself or situations from your life, a person must be able to so that the interlocutor has the necessary impression. When giving any information, it is required to understand what the words lead to.
4.Obtaining information from the interlocutor.
Indeed, any dialogue participant has some purpose he wants to reach at the end of the conversation. It can be simply receiving positive emotions (for example, everyday communication with friends). Still, in most cases, a person wants to achieve some specific information, and the ability to obtain it is one of the basic skills.
5.Providing information.
Again, let’s turn to the fourth point and consider it not from our side but from the other person’s side. We conclude that the interlocutor, most likely, also wants to get some information, respectively, your task is to provide this information.
6.Emotional regulation of the conversation.
It is also essential to direct the dialogue into an upbeat emotional track, to avoid touchy and unpleasant topics, to regulate your emotional state, and not to create conflict situations.
7.Providing feedback.
Feedback is not just providing information about oneself in response but the reaction to and evaluation of precisely the information the interlocutor has provided, a response, an expression of interest, and respect for what the other person is saying.
8.Psychological influence.
This skill can be classified as primary. The fact is that sometimes a person exerts psychological influence (persuasion, suggestion) and counteracts the impact on themselves not purposefully but at an unconscious level. If the dialogue participant intentionally analyzes the conversation’s psychology and consciously exerts influence, it will no longer be a basic skill.
How to develop communication skills?
Such skills are shaped throughout our lives. But there are many ways to improve them reasonably quickly.
- Avoid factors that interfere with effective communication.
- Observe how people with good practical communication skills behave.
- Ask friends to share their honest opinions about your communication skills.
- Take a course or read a book. On platforms like CMA consulting, you can find online courses on various topics: business communication, presentations, negotiations, meeting skills online training courses, etc.
Practice!
Effective soft skills are one of the most high-valued by HRs. Besides, they are necessary for building productive relationships at work and in all other spheres of life. And making a little effort to improve them is definitely worth it.
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