Here at ResponsAble Safety Staffing, one of the positions we’re always recruiting for is safety technician. A core requirement for this position is the ability to demonstrate effective communication skills. How can we grow in our communication skills in our working environment and even our personal lives? We’ll share 20 effective ways to communicate effectively in a two-part series.
Here’s 10 Ways to Communicate Effectively:
1. Listening
Probably the single-most important aspect of communicating effectively is listening. If you never listen, you’re not making an effort to seek to understand. And if you’re not seeking to understand the people that you communicate with, they will feel like you are bulldozing over them.
2. Nonverbal Communication
Pay attention to what it is that the person that you’re communicating with is saying without actually saying. Facial expressions, body language, voice inflection and tone all communicate beyond words. Picking up on these cues will help you read people and communicate more effectively.
3. Clarity and Concision
When you’re giving instructions to people and communicating important content, it’s very important to be very clear and concise in what you’re saying. Don’t go overboard with descriptive words in your explanations- just get to the point. Communicate the bottom-line as clearly as possible.
4. Friendliness
The truth is, if people don’t like you, they won’t want to listen to you and you won’t have much influence with them. Make it a practice to be friendly and smile when you’re talking in person. Being kind by taking an interest in the people you work with will go a long way. Try to find commonalities with the people you work with.
5. Confidence
Be confident in who you are and be confident in the job that you’re doing. Hold your head up high and know that if you weren’t capable of doing your job, you wouldn’t have been hired. If your boss hired you, he or she believes in you! Take confidence in that.
6. Empathy
When you’re communicating, try to see the situation through the other person’s point of view. Be empathic by putting on the shoes of the other person and walking in them, as the old saying goes. Why are they saying what they’re saying or doing what they’re doing?
7. Open-Mindedness
Realize that you have your filter or a world-view that you process the world through. Not everyone has your filter. Allow yourself to become open to other view points and ideas that come from the minds of other people. By listening to others, your mind becomes more open and your world becomes a bit larger.
8. Respect
Being respectful is a key trait that will make you a more effective communicator. Like the golden rule says, Treat people as you would like to be treated. If you give respect, you will get respect. And people will be more likely to listen to what you need to say if you if you give them your respect.
9. Feedback
If you’re in a leadership position, feedback is essential to helping people grow in your business or organization. If others are doing a good job, communicate that. Give specific feedback about what they’re doing well. If they’re not doing a good job, it’s also important to communicate that. Provide some strategies for improving performance and set goals to get them back on track.
10. Choose the Right Medium
When communicating, it’s important to think about not just what you need to say, but how you say it. Would it be better to communicate by writing an email, speaking verbally over the phone, or talking in person. In a text or email, things can be more misinterpreted than if you were saying it in person, where nonverbal cues would go along with the message. Sometimes an email or text is just fine, but sometimes things need to be said in person.
