Let you be a businessman or professional, an icon or to be an icon, you always want to grow. Communication is the biggest asset one can have to grow professionally. So write professionally, behave professionally and speak professionally. Professionals say that, it is not important what are you saying, but it is very important how are you saying. Sometimes, we have seen people commenting , the person is really big and can talk, or not positive, or not energetic, or not enthusiastic etc. If you don’t speak well, people will notice that and the judgement will be harsh. If some want to grow really in professional life, it is always better to have best professional communication skills. Ironically, there are ways you can consciously, carefully clean up how you speak or communicate. We need to revisit our ways and need to fine tune. Following are some of the points I took from my life and writing,
You are not running 100 meter race
Success people are known for their clear, professional speaking with low pace in talk. They never try to dump all they know, but they will all that need to talk. They will talk by taking time, and meticulously plan for the audience to understand, how the speaker want them to understand. So speak slowly with a focussed approach to the topic.
It does not mean that you have two minutes to talk and you have taken 10 minutes to complete, consider the situation and talk to the point in a clear and understandable way.
2. Are you a villain?
Another tragedy is that some of the people keep everything serious. They think being lite means some sort of weakness. But the reality is different, initially you may feel you are acting, but having a smiling face while talking will instantly life the voice and tone and also make the audience more attentive. Even when we are making a voice call, try to have that nice smile on your face, it will make great impact on your audience, also big confidence for you.
It is proven that if you want to put a big change or something which the audience may oppose, put with a pleasant face, they will be tempted to agree with you.
3. Be a good listener You might have come across situations where people usually comment about somebody, he is a very good person, but talks his point only. They are the people who try to impose their views on us and never try to hear what the other side want to tell. Some people, they hear what you want to tell but as if they are sleeping or in some other world. The other side feel bored and will stop talking. The solution is , be a good listener, it may become an eye opener for you, or it may help you to understand one more aspect of your topic. Also when you are listening, don’t try to be a silent listener, put some attentive gestures and words in between, so that the other person will be motivate to clear his view point. Otherwise the other person may also feel that you are a dishonest person or a person without manners and can not be associated.
4. Pausing while talking
Some people have the habit of continuously talking and some time cutting across the other person while talking without a stop. I feel it is very bad attitude and not at all professional. It is not important how much you talked, but it is important what you were trying to establish. So talk less with much needed small breaks or pauses in between. You can see wonders in the listeners approach, if you take pauses in between also your efficiency and impact as you can think and talk. This will help you, not to deviate from the point you want to talk. Your listener will sit up and notice and make good sense.
5. Don't try to be a google, there is one already
When some people get opportunity to talk they talk any thing and everything under the sun. Not required, talk to the subject and to the point. If you really want to move on to some other subjects, do it but take your discussion point and relate with it. The listener should not feel that you are doing a public speech where the speaker tells something, and the listener’s mind roam else where, usually happens.
6. Big and complicated words, no impact
Some people use every speaking opportunity to show their vocabulary. This will never increase the efficacy of the discussion, but they usually end up as a comic figure, as the listener will brand him as egoistic self centric man. There is no need to add all difficult words from the dictionary, but it is enough if your language enough is express his point. A professional is a person who is able to make the other person understand his view.
7. Other side, improve your vocabulary
If you are in to academics or legal profession, or cross country or cross culture business, it is very much important to improve your vocabulary by adding new words. This will make you a listener’s person and the impact your discussion will make will be great.
8. Do not utter a word which you are not sure
Be sure – dead sure – you know what a word means before you throw it out there. Using double edged words or words or phrases you don’t know the meaning will be suicidal. Also same word may mean different in situations or in regions, so it is always double sure, before use it in new places, if you doubt or do not know the meaning.
9. Talk professionally and not locally
Some people to grab attention talk like one among them. The danger here is they were expecting a professional and when you start talking in local slang, you are doubted. Now you are talking in local slang for mingling with them, but you are not an expert and they find fault with you. The much needed image which you supposed to create in their minds, you end up as a failure. Better be the real you and talk professionally and your mistakes or slang will be forgiven.
10. Be the communication as expected
No politics or religion, these are very sensitive subjects now a days. Don’t try to be the last word on the subject, leave chances for improvement or change. Also very important that you are not using bad words in between or argue. Do not swear by god, mother, father, wife or family, or use words of curse. Keep you communication clean, you will rock.
11.Be Animated
Be energetic in your talk and use some famous examples or situations so that the listener will be with you. They do not like the monotonous long speech, they need some energisers in between, so your filler stories, actions and interactions will make more engaging.
12. Conclude it properly
Take breath at the end, find time to conclude properly to the point of discussion and your view on it. This will help you reiterate your view point.
Best communication skills can be trained but a real effort is needed. Professional communication skills helps even an average person to be successful.
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