How to Build Communcation Skills

Communication is a part of every interaction a person has in this world. Communication can be positive or negative, verbal or nonverbal and can convey a variety of emotions. Learning how to build up your communication skills can translate into more success for you, both personally and professionally.

Instructions

• 1

  Work on improving your language and vocabulary skills. Having an excellent vocabulary will help you to communicate more effectively and convey your ideas with more confidence. Make a goal to use one new word per day in a sentence; soon you will have expanded your vocabulary by hundreds of new words.

• 2

  Improve your listening skills, since listening is a large part of the communication process. Use active listening, which involves rephrasing what you have just heard a person say into your own words and asking for clarification. Active listening will help you to better understand what a person is saying. It will also help you to improve your listening skills because you will be paying close attention to what is being said in order to state it back.

• 3

  Practice using appropriate body language during a conversation. People will see how you look before they hear what you say, so convey the right message by using your body. Lean forward, nod your head and demonstrate interest in what the other person is saying. This will show a person you care about what they have to say and will keep the conversation flowing smoothly.

• 4

  Use I-messages to convey your feelings in a respectful manner. I-messages allow you to tell another person how you feel without being accusatory or judgmental. An I-message follows a very particular format, which is as follows: "I feel (insert emotion) when you (insert behavior causing emotion) because (reason for your feelings)." An I-message allows you to tell a person how you feel without the conversation veering into negative territory.

• 5

  Role play different communication scenarios, particularly those that might be troubling to you, such as asking someone on a date or talking to your boss. Enlist the help of a friend or family member. Practice exactly what you want to say, using the proper inflection, tone and body language. Do this as many times as necessary until you feel comfortable with the scenario.