We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak
Planning for employee communication you need to plan and engage employees, and be focused on the reasons for change and therefore changes their behaviour to impact business outcomes. Information tools mean that you are telling employees something, it is information sharing not an opportunity to become involved. Undertaking focus group research will allow one to explore specific aspects of employees' perception of the organization and customer satisfaction and to identify the gap between reality and perception & will also help you to identify clearly what will create a paradigm shift in your employees thinking and therefore understanding of the reasons for change. You should also know what employees know and also know the fact about the gap between customer and staff research.
Setting aside a specific time for meetings and regular communications is a great idea. This allows time for everyone involved to prepare. Also, keep in mind that listening is oftentimes much more productive when working to communicate effectively, and can very well be more important than talking. Allow everyone involved the time they need to communicate effectively.
The key to communication is listening well. Save your judging for later after you have heard and understood the same.
Listen without thinking about what you will say next. Take time before you respond.
Do not be invested in being right.
Find quiet moments and pay attention to what you are hearing from yourself. Body language is not something to read only in other people.
Say it honestly, but with consideration for the listener's feelings. Be polite, respectful and sincere.
Understand and acknowledge that most things are not black or white, but somewhere in a gray area. Get comfortable with gray.
Have integrity and build trust. Don't say what you don't mean. Don't promise what you won't or can't fulfill.
Communication is not just about speaking effectively and in an impressive manner. If you are looking out for ways to improve your communication skills then remember you also need to be a good listener. This is one factor that is so often overlooked.
Whenever you listen to the person opposite you, remember you need to take time to think before you pass any judgment on what is being said. Always remember to take a few moments before you respond to anything.
Think about your positive points when you are about to start off on a great conversation. This will help you overcome the initial hiccups especially if you are going to give a speech before a very large audience.
Having a sense of humor helps to make any conservation light and fun to be in! Develop your sense of humor and use it as an effective way to improve your communication skills. Do note one important thing in such cases. Always remember you must not hurt the sentiments of others in any possible way.
If you wish for ways to improve communication skills, develop a love for reading; it could be books or even the newspapers. A well-read person can have loads of intelligent things to talk about.
Avoid thinking that what you say is always right. This may create a certain barrier beforehand in any conversation. Listen to the other viewpoints before you judge anything. This will help you to assess the situation better.
Rethink about the ways you are framing your sentences. Ways to improve communication skills would also need you to frame your sentence in a better manner to avoid offending the person. Sometimes you may reply in such a way that it may seem to make the other person feel aggravated towards the way you speak. Remember, at work, even if you are displeased, sometimes an effective manner of speech can help you to get better results rather than yelling your head off about the same.
Sporting the right kind of body language can also help you to improve your communication skills. Having a good conversation can turn to be more effective when you combine it with the right posture. Maintain eye contact when you speak. Sit and stand in an erect position and have a firm handshake. All these factors are also very necessary for effective conversations.
A polite manner of conversing can help you improve your communication skill and also earn the respect of others. The manner in which you convey any message across can help you to impress people more effectively if done in a polite way.
Ask questions that would urge others to speak as well. Remember, that having good communication skills is not only about talking all the time, it is also about how you get others interested enough to participate in the conversation with you.
This would in turn help you to build successful relationships that would create a feeling of harmony and also increase productivity at work.