Optimize every aspect of your communication life
Communicate better
1 | Be a good listener
Actively listening is an essential part of communication
Be humble, be a listener, be a connector, be open to change your mind
Pay attention and demonstrate your understanding of a conversation by formulating key points in your responses (paraphrase)
Make people feel respected, valued and understood
Make eye-contact, smile, use affirmative expressions and gestures
Listen and communicate with empathy = try to understand the perspective of another person. When you communicate with empathy, your audience will feel more comfortable speaking openly, they feel like they matter, and they feel safe
Don’t hijack the conversation and make it about you
Be a CLO = Chief Listening Officer
2 | Get to know your audience
It starts with knowing your audience, what they need to be successful, what they really want, and they care about (hopes and fears)
Don’t assume and ask (open) questions to really understand your audience / listener: “What do you mean?”
Create personas: you can group your target audience into distinct segments (such as different age groups with different motivators or pain points)
3 | Create your story
Get to the point = communicate clearly
Be brief and specific
Make your audience / listeners feel positive
Keep your language simple and jargon-free
Set expectations: tell your listener the length and the nature of the conversation. This can help lower anxious thoughts and help your listener mentally prepare
Create your story and make it connect with your audience in a deep and meaningful way (make it personal and focus on what you can change)
Link your message to the personas you’ve created
Make a story with a purpose: do you want to inform, entertain, persuade or inspire?
4 | Be positive
Have a positive mindset and attitude, it starts with you
Make your audience / listeners feel positive
Demonstrate a collaborative spirit: what's important to your listener, to you and to both of you?
Share your views in a way you include other's views ("I have a suggestion“)
Positive communication is not about avoiding negative topics or sharing unpleasant news with a smile. It’s about mitigating conflict and using language that reassures, motivates, and inspires action
Choose positive phrasing, people react better to positive sounding words
5 | Be you
Be self-aware = have a sound understanding of who you are as a person and how you relate to the world in which you live
Embrace your weirdness: it’s what makes you unique, you should be proud of those things that make you original
Think about your communication style Each person has a preferred method of communication, and it can help make sure that you are effectively getting your message across
You've got this!
Ready to explore the full document (including some exercises)?
Created by Anneleen | Comm.A
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