Clear communication helps to avoid conflicts, misunderstandings, embarrassment and failures. Many of our students often ask how they can develop clear communication. I will share with you my tips in this blog.
Let me first list the facts that might lead to unclear communication:
1. Differences in cultural and educational backgrounds
2. Difficult to understand speech. This can be an unintelligible accent, rushed speech, bad articulation
3. Quiet voice
4. Lack of sincerity and integrity
5. Poor listening
6. Lack of attention to details
7. Lack of patience and psychological issues
8. People do not know what they want and just express their emotions and thoughts in a random way hoping that others think in the same way they do
How can we make our communication clear?
I recommend starting with mastering your listening skills. Use active listening. Pay attention to the intonation and voice. Is it sad and serious or lighthearted and happy? Does the person sound hesitant or confident? The truth might not be in words but in the intonation and emotions that people use when saying something.
Secondly, you can paraphrase what you heard to make sure that you understood correctly. You can use various techniques to paraphrase: synonyms, changing the word order, changing passive voice to active voice, etc.
The third recommendation is to observe people from different cultures and adjust to them. The same words in your culture might mean totally different things in another one as described in the Anglo-Eu Translation Guide above.
A few of my European friends married English men and all of them are complaining about the same: they never know what their husbands really think. I personally noticed that in English culture the social code is quite particular and being polite is above sincerity. So having clear communication with Engish requests skills such as reading between the lines and paying close attention to words, voice, intonation and facial expressions. I enclose a table that demonstrates that.
Finally, I strongly recommend that you work on delivering your messages clearly and concisely. Do not drown them in a sea of unnecessary words. Do not beat about the bush, just say it! Most people do not have the patience to listen and if you want to be heard be concise. Stress the important words. I said it many times and I will say it again: use pauses. Articulate well and project your voice. Do not speak with your mouth half closed. To help with these important skills we have useful apps, books and video courses for you:
iOS Apps(the same apps are available on Google Play as well)
1. Get Rid of your Accent UK1 and Fluent English Speech (British English)
2. American Accent App and Fluent American Speech (General American English)
5 Paperback, Kindle and Audiobooks to master English:
1. Get Rid of Your Accent: The English Pronunciation and Speech Training Manual
2. Advanced Level (Pt. 2) (Get Rid of Your Accent: The English Speech Training Manual)
3. Get Rid of Your Accent for Business: The English Pronunciation and Speech
4. GET RID OF YOUR ACCENT, PART ONE AND TWO: GENERAL AMERICAN SPEECH TRAINING MANUAL, Second Edition
2 Video Courses to master English speech:
Get Rid of your Accent Part One and Get Rid of your Accent Part Two