Become a Powerful Communicator (Pt.1)

Being able to communicate powerfully and effectively is probably one of the most valuable skills anyone could have. Be it in your work environment, with your superiors, with your team or in an entrepreneurial environment, communication is required everywhere. The better you are, the more effective, successful and popular you will be.

Oftentimes common belief is that communication skills are something you are be born with – like a personality trait rather than a skill that can be practiced and improved.

While I agree that some people certainly have a natural gift for communications, networking and relationship building, I strongly believe that anyone can learn, practice and greatly improve their ability to communicate.

What is communication?

Communication is the exchange of information between two or more parties to either evoke a response or just transmit thoughts, feelings or news.

Communication does not just happen through words but also through symbols, body language, eye contact, touch and the pitch, volume and intonation of your speech.

As a matter of fact, studies have shown that words (what we say) make up only about 7% of all the information transmitted when communicating. Tonality (intonation, pitch and phrasing of your speech) makes up approx. 38%, and your body language (facial expressions, movement of arms, hands, etc.) the remaining 55%.

In other words, what you say means a lot less compared to how you say it!

TIP: Watch yourself next time you speak with someone. Are you animated or stiff, are you speaking with varying tonality or more monotonous. These factors can have a huge impact on how your communication is received and responded to.

Basic communicator’s etiquette

Using the term etiquette together with communication may be surprising to some. However, how many times have you talked to someone who had bad breath, or stood too close to you, or spoke to quietly or too fast? Did you not try to get out of that conversation as quickly as possible?

The etiquette of communication has everything to do with making the space to communicate as comfortable, inviting and fruitful as possible. The more you do that, the more effective and productive your interaction will be. It’s like setting the stage for a successful outcome.

So here are a few etiquette points to consider:

- be conscious of your breath, especially after eating, smoking or drinking

- watch your personal hygiene, no one likes BO

- respect the other person’s space by not standing too close

- speak clearly and slowly (Hint: your opponent keeps asking you to repeat yourself)

- be concise in your communication – don’t ramble on

- smile, it makes the other person comfortable

- make eye contact especially when the other person is speaking to you

A word about dressing the part: this generally depends on the environment you are in. Considering that someone’s first impression of you is based on how you look and behave, you can greatly influence how a conversation can go.

First of, you want to dress appropriately for the occasion, exp. wear professional or dressy clothes in professional environments, or be fashionable when going out to a club, etc.

I am not saying that you can’t express your personality through your choice of clothes. However, wearing funky clothing at a business event for example may result in you having to overcome some initial pre-conceptions about who you are and what you do.

So if you are there to network and meet lots of people, you may want to set the stage by wearing appropriate clothing.

Also, taking pride in your appearance by wearing well-fitting, matching, clean, stylish or creative clothing, goes a long way to making a great first impression.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you and will assist you in becoming a powerful communicator. Please look for follow-up articles to this one, where I will talk about how to initiate conversations, the power of listening proactively, networking tips & tricks and more.