12 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills and How to Explain Things More Effectively

Everybody has some sort of communication problem, even if it’s just a little one.

This article aims to help you if you feel frustrated when someone doesn’t understand you and explain things more clearly.

Communication skills are critical in any workplace, from retail to accounting.

Even if your co-workers aren’t personally attacking you, the lack of good communication skills can be detrimental to other people in the office.

Why?

Because working with unclear and vague people costs so much more than working with clear thinkers who provide accurate feedback and suggestions on how to improve things.

Poor communication skills mean you don’t see things from other perspectives or hear others say about them.

You also tend not to offer helpful feedback, suggestions on improving things, or explanations as to what is wrong and what should be done about it, instead of trying everything before making a snap decision.

It sounds like everyone, right?

So how do you fix these problems? Read on…

 

Knowing What You Are Talking About is Crucial

First and foremost, know what you are talking about.

If you’re not sure of your point, say so. It’s better to start with a well-thought-out explanation than to spew out a bunch of random words that no one can understand.

Whenever you are uncertain about the mechanics of something or what something is, ask questions before you make a hasty decision that could lead to some significant consequences if things go wrong.

This will allow you to gain more information, learn more about the subject at hand, and let others know what they need to do for it to work correctly.

This helps everyone get on the same page as soon as possible rather than leaving people uncertain and confused about what they need to do to get on the same page more quickly rather than waiting until the last minute.

 

Taking into Consideration the Perspectives of Others and Respecting Them

You may quickly get frustrated when you feel like someone doesn’t understand your perspective.

However, if you take into consideration the perspectives of others and respect them, you are on your way to becoming a better communicator.

When it comes to communicating well, it is essential to make sure you listen and not just hear what someone is saying.

When someone is talking about something, there’s always more than one way to look at it. You need to see why they think this or that way so you can take the conversation in another direction.

While listening and processing their words, ask yourself questions such as “why?” or “what if I were in their shoes?”

This will ensure that everyone involved has a chance to express themselves and contribute to meaningful conversations rather than getting lost in the shuffle because of poor communication skills.

The next step is giving others feedback and suggestions on how they can improve things. Again, this takes time and effort because it means hearing what people have to say before offering an opinion or solution.

The best thing you can do is keep an open mind while listening and offer feedback based on what you’ve learned from listening rather than just letting your feelings guide your responses. The hard part comes: learning to give clear explanations without making people feel dumb or inferior.

One option would be finding out where they’re struggling with understanding things so that you can figure out a way for them.

 

The Importance of Listening and Responding to Questions

The first step in improving your communication skills is learning to listen and respond to questions.

Regardless of whether the person who asks the question is or is not your boss, you need to be able to answer their questions and provide them with responses they can understand.

Developing the ability to listen is an essential skill you can work on regardless of your level of communication. It’s something that will help you not only in the workplace but also in your personal life as well.

It sounds like a simple skill, but it’s not that easy for some people, especially those who are very busy or distracted during conversations.

To avoid getting distracted, it might be beneficial to use technology when having conversations to multitask and keep your attention focused.

This seems counterproductive initially, but trust me when I say it will benefit you in the long run.

You need to stay focused on what the other person has said because that is where all the valuable information is found, whether it’s personality quirks or new insights into why someone does something the way they do it or how they do something.

The more specific your listening skills are, the more likely you will be able to follow up on things and steer conversations towards successful outcomes.

 

Keep in Mind That you Should not Talk Over others’ Heads

When you think in circles and speak without being able to explain your thoughts, it can be frustrating for others.

Communication is all about building up relationships, so when you don’t have good communication skills, it can make things difficult for people around you.

When someone asks you a question, and you respond with an answer that doesn’t make sense, just try explaining yourself before responding to them.

Because communication is such a crucial part of any workplace, it’s essential to recognize the importance of good communication skills.

 

Pose Inquiries to Decide People’s Understanding

Pose questions to determine how someone understands what you’re saying.

In most cases, you only have to ask one person;

“Do you have any idea what I said?” OR “Is it clear to you what I mean?”

Asking these questions should help to clarify how the person understands your words.

If the person seems uninterested in the conversation or unsure of the meaning, try asking them with different phrasings, such as “Can you tell me what this means?” or “What do you think this means?” If they can’t answer, it might be time for a break and a new strategy.

 

Rather Than Focusing on Features, You Should State the Benefits

Your company is known for its innovative technology, which is excellent, but you need to simplify the language on your website.

Utilizing keywords is an excellent way to get more traffic. But don’t just use words like “smart” or “responsive”; instead, you should focus on benefits. For example, if your company makes a smartphone app that helps customers find the nearest pharmacy, you could say that this app saves time and money.

Instead of focusing on features, you should focus on the benefits of your product or service.

To be more customer-centric, ensure your website has language about customer testimonials and how people love the product or service.

 

It’s All About Taking the Conversation Step by Step

One of the biggest communication obstacles is not knowing how to take a conversation step by step.

Sometimes, people just want to talk and don’t want to be analyzed or challenged. They want someone who will listen without asking challenging questions.

This isn’t always bad, but those people might not understand your point of view or how you feel about something they’re trying to tell you.

To avoid this, break conversations down into smaller groups of steps so there’s less confusion on both sides.

The result?

This way, you can better understand what the other person wants out of the conversation and have more control over it because you’re leading it instead of following along.

If you are ever unsure about what to say next in a conversation, ask yourself these three questions:

– What do I care about?

– What do I know?

– What would make me happy?

 

Make Direct Eye Contact with Other People

One of the easiest ways to improve your communication skills is by making direct eye contact with others.

If you don’t make eye contact, it can make you seem nervous, distant, or even distracted from what you’re saying.

To be heard and understood, meet their eyes while speaking. You’ll find that others will be more likely to listen to you if they see eye-to-eye with you.

It has also been shown that making direct eye contact can benefit people in another way because it helps build trust.

Whenever you look someone in the eye while you are speaking, they might feel like they can trust what is being said because they can see the sincerity in your expressions and gestures.

This makes other people more open to hearing what you have to say and thinking about how they might help improve a particular aspect of something without fear of reprimanding or getting into an argument with someone who seems distracted or unsure of themselves.

Using Analogies as a Way to Clarify Ideas Will Make Them Easier to Understand

This one is a bit more tedious but worth it in the long run.

When you find yourself explaining something to someone, and they don’t seem to be able to fully comprehend the idea that you have tried to convey to them, then you may want to use a related analogy to make things easier for them.

This will help them understand your idea better and will help ensure that you are clear with your point of view.

 

Verify That you Understand What Has Been Said

This is important because if you don’t understand what the other person is saying, you’ll miss much of the context.

For example, if someone said something like, “We have to make more money to pay for this,” it would be easy to assume that they meant they need more customers or sales.

This isn’t necessarily true at all and could lead to some misunderstanding.

When it comes to your company, ensuring that you fully understand what is being said can help avoid misunderstandings and save your company from potential setbacks.

 

Visuals Can Be a Powerful Tool to Use

One way to introduce yourself is through your visuals.

Your visuals might be a picture, postcard, or magazine ad.

Make sure the visuals are engaging and something that would attract people’s attention.

From there, you can start explaining what you do and why it’s essential by telling people about your goals and what your company does in general.

 

Talking Down to People Should be Avoided at all Costs

One of the biggest communication problems people have is talking down to other people.

This is an easy mistake, especially when one perceives another as being too stupid for their excellence.

Belittling someone means that you are not taking things seriously, which makes it more difficult for people to understand you, your point of view, and your reasoning behind what you’re saying.

Talking down to someone as a way to communicate is disrespectful because it sounds like you think the person isn’t intelligent enough for your point of view. As a rule of thumb, if you want people to listen to and appreciate what you say, avoid belittling in any situation where someone may take it personally.