Effective communication skill according to experts that admin takes from various sources:Communicating effectively means that communicators and communicants both have the same understanding of a message. Therefore, in foreign languages, people call it “the communication is in tune”, that is, the two communicating parties understand what the message is conveyed. According to Jalaluddin in his book Psychology of Communication, effective communication is characterized by understanding, can cause pleasure, influence attitudes, increase good social relations, and ultimately lead to action.
The requirements for effective communication include:
- Creating a favorable atmosphere.
- use language that is easy to grasp and understand.
- the message conveyed can arouse attention or interest on the part of the communicant.
- The message can arouse the interests of the communicant which can benefit him.
- The message can foster something of appreciation or reward on the communicant’s side.
Talking about interest or awareness on the part of the communicant, it can be argued that interest will arise if there are the following elements:
- The availability of something that interests you.
- There is a contrast, namely the difference between one thing and another, so that what stands out can attract attention.
- There is an expectation of profit or perhaps distraction from what was intended.
- Those are just a few things that can lead to an effective communication.
Effective communication is seen as important and complex. It is considered important because the various dynamics of life (business, politics, for example) that occur usually present critical situations that need to be handled appropriately, the emergence of a tendency to depend on communication technology, and the various interests that arise.
- Message sender (sender),
- Message sent (message),
- How the message is sent (delivery channel or media),
- Message receiver (receiver),
- Feedback (feedback).
10 Effective Communication Skill You Must Know
Leech added that in order to build effective communication, we must at least master four basic skills in communication, namely reading-writing (written language) and listening-speaking (spoken language). So important, many people spend their time performing, at least, one of the four skills.
Effective communication occurs when something (message) that is notified by the communicator can be well received or the same by the communicant, so that there is no misperception. Communication is an activity to transfer information both orally and in writing. However, not everyone is able to communicate well. Sometimes there are people who are able to convey all information orally but not in writing or vice versa.
How can we make good communication, two-way communication, effective communication, so that the target information that must be conveyed or absorbed is as expected?
Skills in communicating effectively can be learned and mastered with regular and continuous practice. To be able to communicate effectively there are several things that should not be done, namely:
- Analyze
- Blame
- Judging
- Advise
- Interrogating
The skills that must be possessed in effective communication are listening and questioning skills. In the process of communicating, a person must be able to listen and understand well. Then ask questions that are interrelated and lead to a solution or calm for each party. So that the main goal in effective communication is a win-win solution. Nobody wants to be blamed, this is the basic concept of effective communication.
Effective communication or in other languages is often called diplomacy, it is necessary to be able to build a common desire from the information presented. So that the goals you want to achieve can be done together.
Effective communication can be done by everyone. If someone feels inadequate, this is more due to a matter of habituation. Training people to communicate effectively can be done directly in practice. Although at first glance, this can help each individual to achieve success both in his personal life and in his career life.
When you want to communicate with other people, do it effectively. Under any circumstances it is recommended that you always communicate effectively. By communicating effectively, we can show
personalities with positive characteristics and open ourselves up to always grow and develop towards success together.
Developing your communication skills
If you are trying to connect with a larger circle of people, you need to ask yourself these 5 questions:
- Have you found anything in common between the two of you?
- Do you make them feel good?
- Do you make them feel understood?
- Is your relationship clearly defined?
- Do they feel positive emotions as a result of interacting with you?
To answer these questions, you must consider the explanation below …
Effective Communication Skills
- Give the impression that you are enthusiastic about talking to them – Give them the impression that you would rather talk to them than anyone else on earth. When you give them the impression that you are passionate about talking with them and that you care about them, you make them feel more positive and confident. They will be more open to you and very likely to have in-depth conversations with you.
- Ask questions about their interests –
Ask open-ended questions that will get them to talk about their interests and lives. Dig into as much detail as possible so that it will help them gain a new perspective on themselves and their purpose in life. - Adapting to their body language and feelings –
Get a feel for how they are feeling at the moment by observing their body language and tone of voice. From this point of view, you can adjust your words, body language and tone of voice so that they will respond more positively. - Show approval: Tell them what you admire about them and
why – One of the best ways to get in touch with people immediately is to be honest and tell them why you like or admire them. If stating it outright doesn’t feel right, try it in an indirect statement. Both approaches can be equally effective. - Listen attentively to everything they have to say –
Don’t focus too much on what you will say next while they talk. Instead, listen to every word they say and respond as relevant as possible. This shows that you are really listening to what they have to say and that you are fully engaged in the atmosphere with them. Also be sure to ask whenever there is something that they don’t understand about the things they are saying. You want, of course, to avoid all possible lapses in communication if you are to develop a full-fledged relationship with this person. - Give them prolonged
eye contact – strong eye contact communicates to the other person that you are not only attracted to them and what they have to say but also shows that you can be trusted. When done in moderation, they will also assume you are confident in yourself because of your willingness to meet them in person. As a result, people will naturally pay more attention to you and what you have to say. - Express yourself as much as you can –
One of the best ways to earn someone’s trust is to express yourself as openly as possible. Tell stories about interesting events from your life or just describe funny examples from normal everyday life. When you talk about yourself, make sure not to mention things that stray too far from their interest or even go too far. You can let them know more about you as they form a bond. When you use those words, you make it look like you and they are on the same team, while other people are on different teams. - Give them your best smile –
When you smile at people, you convey the message that you like them and their presence brings you happiness. Smiling at them will cause them to realize they want to smile back at you which will instantly build a relationship between the two of you. - Offer useful advice –
Introduce places to eat you’ve been, movies you’ve watched, nice people they want to meet, books you’ve read, career opportunities or whatever else you can think of. Describe what appeals to these people, places or things. If you come up with an idea that catches their eye enough, they’ll be looking for you when they need someone to help make decisions about what to do next. - Give them motivation –
If the person you are dealing with is younger or in a more difficult position than you, they may want to hear some motivational words from you because you are more experienced or you seem to be living life well. If you want to have a healthy relationship with that person, you certainly don’t want it to appear like you have it all and they don’t. Assure them that they can transcend their problems and limitations, so that they will hope to make you a nice friend to talk to. - Appear with a slightly higher energy level than others –
Generally, people want to be around people who will lift them up, not bring them down. If you consistently have a lower energy level than other people, they will naturally move away from you towards someone who is more energetic. To prevent this from happening, consistently show in your voice and body language that you have a slightly higher energy level so that they will feel more energized and positive around you. But don’t be overly energetic either, causing people to appear helpless. The right energy and passion will build their enthusiasm. - Say their name in a way that pleases their ears –
someone’s name is one of those emotionally powerful words for them. But it’s not necessarily how often you say someone’s name, it’s how you say it. It can be helped by practicing saying someone’s name for a minute or two until you feel a strong emotional presence. When you say their name is more touching than other people they know, they will find that you are the most memorable. - Offer to take the relationship a step further –
There are a number of things you can do to further your friendship with someone: the offer to eat with them, talk over coffee, watch a sports match, etc. Even if the person doesn’t accept your offer, they will still be flattered that you want them to take their friendship to a deeper level. On the one hand, they will look at you because you have the courage to build friendships instead of expecting an instant friendship.
Become a Skilled Communicator
If you can develop just a few of these techniques, you will dramatically increase your ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Take some time to observe the most social person in your life and you will see many of the above methods being applied. They don’t do it in a rigid way, they do it naturally and in a way that fits the situation at the moment.
For best results, just relax and let this technique flow from within you naturally. Choose the techniques that best match your personality and what your goals are when interacting with people. Learn to be able to feel which techniques are suitable or not suitable with the various characters of people and situations according to your personality the meaning of effective communication.
When you successfully develop your ability to communicate with people, it will bring you to a lot of new opportunities that were not available to you before.
MOST people pay more attention to what they say or think about what they hear and how their words can be understood by others. But this method is less pleasing to the discussion and can lead to quarrels. For that you can become a more effective communicator by speaking attentively with anyone as well as understanding effective communication.
“How do I know what you want?” are concerns about questions in a relationship. Many people don’t want to be rejected, criticized or wrong guess what other people want. In addition, most people answer “yes” immediately when someone asks a question.
Since most of our interactions occur through conversation, a simple technique with which to communicate effectively is to speak attentively. The point is to really pay attention and not guess what other people are thinking. Speaking attentively means paying attention, not only to what is being
said, but also to understand the other person’s response. Starting from facial expressions, body movements and postures that
provide clues to whether the other person is interested, restless, eyes wandering, bored, confused or a blank stare.
Characteristics of Effective Communication
- The term.
The use of the term that means “the same” between the sender and receiver of the message is the basic rule for achieving effective communication. Words that have vague meaning (have more than one meaning) can cause confusion and misunderstanding. - Be specific.
The message exchanged must be specific. That is, the message conveyed must be clear, so that the recipient of the message can receive and repeat it correctly. - Well structured.
The message must develop logically and must not be fragmented. - Objective, accurate, and actual.
Senders of information should try to convey the message as objectively as possible. - Efficient.
The message should be as concise and original as possible and one should try to eliminate irrelevant words. - The Law of Effective Communication
The Laws of Effective Communication (The 5 Inevitable Laws of Effective Communication) that we have developed and summarized in one word reflect the essence of communication itself, namely REACH, which means embracing or reaching. Because actually communication is basically an effort to get attention, love, interest, care, sympathy, responses, and positive responses from others.
Rule1: Respect
The first law in developing effective communication is an attitude of respecting each individual who is the target of the message we convey.
Respect and mutual respect is the first law in us communicating with others. Remember that, in principle, humans want to be respected and considered important. If we even have to criticize or scold someone, do so with respect for someone’s self-respect and pride. If we build communication with mutual respect and respect, then we can build cooperation that results in synergies that will increase the effectiveness of our performance both as individuals and as a whole as a team in the sense of effective communication.
Even according to communication professor Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, the greatest secret which is one of the basic principles of dealing with humans is to give honest and sincere appreciation for the meaning of effective communication. The very famous psychologist William James also said that “The innermost principle in human nature is the need to be respected.” He said this was a need (not a wish or a wish that could be delayed or not fulfilled), which had to be fulfilled. It is a human hunger that is unbearable and unshakable. Carnegie further said that every individual who can satisfy this heart hunger will hold a person in the palm of his hand.
Charles Schwabb, one of the first people in corporate American history to earn over a million dollars a year in salary, said his greatest asset was his ability to generate enthusiasm in others. And the way to generate enthusiasm and encourage others to do their best is by giving them genuine appreciation. This is also one of the three one-minute manager secrets in Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson’s book, The One Minute Manager.
Law2: Empathy
Empathy is our ability to put ourselves in situations or conditions faced by others. One of the main prerequisites for having an empathetic attitude is our ability to listen or understand first before being heard or understood by others.
In particular, Covey puts the ability to listen as one of the 7 very effective human habits, namely the habit of first understanding the meaning of effective communication, then understanding it (Seek First to Understand –understand then be understood to build the skills of empathetic listening that inspires openness. and trust). This is what he calls Empathic Communication. By understanding and listening to others first, we can build the openness and trust we need to build collaboration or synergy with others.
A sense of empathy will enable us to be able to convey the message (message) in a way and attitude that will make it easier for the receiver of the message (receiver) to receive it. Therefore in the science of marketing (marketing) understanding consumer behavior (consumer’s behavior) is a must. By understanding consumer behavior, we can empathize with the needs, wants, interests, hopes and pleasures of consumers. Likewise with other forms of communication the definition of effective communication, for example communication in team building. We need to understand each other and understand the existence of other people on our team. Empathy will generate respect or appreciation, and respect will build trust which is the main element in building teamwork.
So before we build communication or send messages, we need to understand and empathically understand the potential recipients of our messages. So that later our message will be conveyed without any psychological hindrance or rejection from the recipient.
Empathy can also mean the ability to listen and be perceptive or ready to accept any input or feedback with a positive attitude, meaning effective communication. There are so many of us who don’t want to listen to suggestions, input, let alone criticism from others. Yet the essence of communication is a two-way flow. One-way communication will not be effective if there is no feedback (feedback) which is a feedback flow from the recipient of the message. By
Therefore, in marketing communication activities above the lines (mass media advertising), the ability to hear and capture feedback from the audience or message recipient is required.
Legal3: Audible
The meaning of audible, among others: can be heard or understood well. If empathy means we have to listen first or be able to receive feedback well, then audible means that the message we convey can be accepted by the recipient of the meaning of effective communication. This law says that messages must be conveyed through the media or delivery channel so that they can be well received by the recipient of the message. This law refers to our ability to use various media or audio visual equipment or aids that will help us so that the message we convey can be received properly. In personal communication this means that the message is conveyed in a way or in an attitude that is acceptable to the recipient of the message.
Rule 4: Clarity
Apart from that the message must be well understood, the fourth law associated with it is the clarity of the message itself so that it does not cause multiple interpretations or a variety of different interpretations. When I worked at the State Secretariat, this was the most important law in preparing high-level correspondence.
Because misinterpretation or messages that can lead to various interpretations will have an impact that is not simple.
Clarity can also mean openness and transparency. In communicating we need to develop an open attitude (nothing is hidden or hidden), so that it can generate trust (trust) from the recipient of the message or our team members. Because without openness there will be mutual suspicion and in turn it will reduce the enthusiasm and enthusiasm of our group or team.
Rule 5: Humble
The fifth rule of building effective communication is humility. This attitude is an element associated with the first law to build a sense of respect for others, usually based on the humility we have. In the Mandiri 32 edition, Humble Behavior, we have discussed, which in essence, among others: a service full attitude (in the language of Customer First Attitude marketing), respect, willingness to listen and accept criticism, not being arrogant and looking down on others, daring to admit mistakes , willing to forgive, gentle and full of self-control, and prioritizing the greater importance of understanding effective communication.
If the communication we build is based on these five basic laws of effective communication, then we can become a reliable communicator and in turn can build a network of relationships with other people that are full of respect, because this is what can build long-term, lasting relationships. mutually beneficial and mutually reinforcing.
Effective Communication Skill: The Key to Success
Introduction
Communication is a fundamental aspect of human interaction. The ability to effectively convey ideas, thoughts, and emotions is essential for success in both personal and professional relationships. In today’s fast-paced, interconnected world, honing effective communication skills has become more important than ever. This article explores the significance of effective communication skill, its impact on various aspects of life, and practical strategies to improve communication abilities.
The Power of Effective Communication
Effective communication skill is the cornerstone of successful relationships, whether it is within a team, with a client, or even in a personal setting. It enables individuals to articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly, while also understanding and empathizing with others. The power of effective communication lies in its ability to foster understanding, build trust, resolve conflicts, and inspire collaboration.
The Impact on Professional Growth
In the professional realm, possessing excellent communication skills can significantly impact career growth. Effective communication enables individuals to present themselves with confidence, influencing important conversations, and persuading others. Strong communicators are often viewed as trustworthy, reliable, and authoritative. They are the individuals who can clearly convey their ideas, engage their audience, and inspire action. These skills are particularly crucial for leadership roles, where the ability to communicate effectively can define success.
Strategies to Improve Communication Skills
Enhancing communication skills is an ongoing journey that requires practice, self-awareness, and a willingness to adapt. Below are some strategies to develop effective communication abilities:
1. Active Listening
Listening attentively is a crucial component of effective communication. By actively engaging in a conversation, focusing on the speaker, and retaining information, one can better understand the message being conveyed. It is essential to show genuine interest, maintain eye contact, and avoid interrupting. Active listening helps to build rapport, understand perspectives, and respond appropriately.
2. Clarity and Conciseness
When communicating, strive for clarity and conciseness. Using simple and concise language helps to avoid misunderstandings and ensures the message is easily understood. Avoid jargon or technical terms unless they are essential to the conversation. Consider the audience and tailor the message accordingly.
3. Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice, play a significant role in effective communication. Pay attention to these cues, ensuring they align with the intended message. Maintaining open body language, making eye contact, and using appropriate gestures can enhance communication and convey sincerity.
4. Empathy and Understanding
Effective communication involves being empathetic and understanding towards others. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes, listen without judgment, and validate their feelings and experiences. Empathy fosters trust and helps to build stronger connections.
5. Practice and Seek Feedback
Improving communication skills requires consistent practice in real-life situations. Engage in conversations, presentations, or debates to sharpen your abilities. When possible, seek feedback from trusted individuals who can offer constructive criticism. Use their insights to further enhance your communication style.
Conclusion
Effective communication skill is a vital asset that can enhance personal relationships, foster professional growth, and shape success in various aspects of life. By practicing active listening, striving for clarity and conciseness, utilizing non-verbal cues, demonstrating empathy, and seeking continuous improvement, individuals can develop strong communication skills. Invest in honing this skill, and discover the transformative impact it can have on your life and career.