Effective communication is a common challenge across organisations of all sizes and it’s something that we, at AI have been discussing a lot over the course of this year.
Remote working has brought with it a raft of new communication challenges but despite this and regardless of the platform, there are some very simple techniques that we can all employ in order to play our part in improving our own personal, and our corporate communications.
- Think Before Speaking – Being knowledgeable and confident in your subject is essential and it’s important to consider the point you are trying to make before you start to speak. It’s simple advice but this small step is vital in your overall articulation.
- Listen – Don’t interrupt others and take the time to listen clearly to the points they are making, this is essential in ensuring you are not talking at cross-purposes. Active listening will enable you to respond appropriately and therefore communicate effectively.
- Be Open – Try to enter into all of your communications in a neutral and open frame of mind. Putting a firmly fixed agenda to one side will enable you to be more receptive to ideas and will make the other parties more comfortable.
- Be Mindful of Your Body Language – Make a conscious effort to consider your non-verbal signals. Body language is often conveyed instinctively rather than consciously so try to remain aware of how others may interpret your crossed arms and lack of eye contact.
- Stick to Topic (Concisely) – Be mindful that people are giving up their time to take part in discussion so strip out unnecessary details and stay on topic to ensure you are both making effective use of your time, and not wasting theirs.
Here’s to better communications in 2021!