Communicating is difficult, you are probably thinking …no it’s not, I talk to my friends ALL the time. EXACTLY! It’s easy to talk amongst our friend group and people who we are comfortable with but how about talking with your boss or your professor? What about having a conversation with that stranger in the elevator that you see everyday but never speak to (instead you look at your phone to avoid awkward conversation). No worries, you’re not alone, but lucky for you i’m here to share 5 ways that can help you grow your verbal communication skills!
Rather than texting, call people.
It sounds silly but in all honesty this is a great first step to improve your communication skills. Do you ever think about how many messages you send back and forth to a friend or family member compared to a call? Or when you do call them you awkwardly talk for a few minutes and hope that the conversation ends soon. END THIS HABIT!!! Force yourself to call people when asking to meet up or when it’s someone’s birthday rather than texting them, this can help get a point across and show a more personal meaning behind the conversation. The first step to improving a skill is forcing yourself to do that set skill and becoming comfortable with doing it. Challenge yourself to call someone once a day! It’s harder than it looks but it will help!
Ask questions!
When communicating, acting like you know everything that the person is saying (in fear of looking dumb) is not a great way to understand the content from the conversation. Asking questions will help you learn more and improve your skills by gaining self confidence when engaging in a conversation. This is great for interviews, most employers highly respect candidates that ask questions because it shows that they are highly engaged in the conversation and interested in learning more about the job itself.
Improve body language.
Research shows that “how we position our bodies causes chemical reaction in us that build our confidence” STAND TALL when you want to get a point across, it shows more credibility and can influence others. Slouching and crossing your arms shows a lack of opening yourself up, it also implies that you are reserved and less influential.
Join organizations / clubs!
Joining a club or organization is a great way of improving your communication skills. This requires you to speak up and discuss topics that are necessary in order to pursue the organization’s goal. Great organizations to join are Toastmasters and TEDx. Toastmasters is an organization that solely focuses on improving communication (speech) and leadership skills. TEDx is a organization that emphasizes on ideas that excite. As a member you will find speakers and help coach them on their talks.
Practice.
Force yourself to have at least ONE meaningful conversation with someone everyday. When you go to the grocery store, initiate a conversation with the cashier. After class, meet with your professor and discuss a topic that you either understood or didn’t comprehend with them. Practicing your communication skills daily will help you immensely!
