Communication is Key

What is one of the top skills employers value? How can couples improve their relationships? Which way is the most effective way to get your point across to your audience? It's communication! Without communication, we cannot communicate our thoughts.

Most people think they are effective communicators. For crying out loud, babies communicate with their parents from the moment they're born. Babies will cry, scream, and coo. As babies turn into toddlers, young children, and eventually adults, they develop communication patterns based on their surroundings (e.g., mass media, family, friends, employees, etc.).

When we communicate with people in our lives, do you wonder why messages are misinterpreted, misrepresented, words become twisted (aka manipulation), etc.? I don't think there is a singular answer to this question. What I do know is this: if communication isn't improved, then how will we progress?

The following are ways to improve your communication skills. It is not an exhaustive list. It is meant to be a beginning guiding tool. My hope is that these tips will help you to become an effective communicator:

-Know your audience. If you don't know who you're speaking to, then the conversation becomes awkward.
-Pause before talking. Many times, people will fill in silence with filler words (e.g., ah, uh, and uhm). Also, it will prevent verbal vomit.
-Know your facts. Misrepresenting the truth will annoy people and possibly put words into someone's mouth.
-Practice good listening. Put the technology down for 5 minutes. Turn off all devices or put them on silent. If it's an important conversation, let your phones calls go to voice mail.