5 Communication Mistakes That You Must Avoid
Whether it is your personal life or the corporate world, can you imagine surviving without effective communication?
None of us can!
It isn’t unknown that poor communication or miscommunication can be the major cause of confusion, disputes, misunderstandings, etc. This is why we cannot emphasize enough the importance of communication in the world we live in!
Similarly, in the professional world, good communication is the key to your success.
Knowing how to communicate successfully is crucial. But it’s equally crucial to understand the mistakes to avoid while building effective communication skills.
If you are willing to develop great communication skills, you must completely avoid the following habits –
- Not Paying Enough Attention to Tone
Sometimes, you may be speaking the right thing but in the wrong tone. This leads to misunderstanding and confusion between the two parties. Your tone is crucial at all times, but it’s more crucial while facing a crisis. No matter the situation, become adept at recognizing your tone. One tip is to take a breath before you talk. After that, say what has to be stated.
- Assuming Instead of Questioning
If you are confused or something bothers you, always ask! It is better than making 101 assumptions that aren’t even true. The capacity to receive communications delivered to you is essential for effective communication. A major communication error in business is jumping to conclusions without asking more questions. Simply ask for clarification if you need it to comprehend something better. When they sense you are trying to truly listen, people are usually happy to clarify.
- Not Listening Properly
You can never build good communication with people if you speak more and listen less. Effective communication is maintaining a great balance between speaking and listening. When you’re not paying attention, you might not understand everything being said completely or you might not be able to react as appropriately as you should. Your ability to perfect your response or offer may be negatively impacted if you are not actively listening. You risk losing your professional competence and ultimately losing clients.
- Not Maintaining Good Eye Contact
Body language plays a very crucial role in establishing good communication. And, good body language includes the ability to maintain eye contact with the other party. When you are speaking to someone and they are busy using their phone or looking somewhere else, does it make you feel they are disinterested in the conversation? Well, imagine doing the same with clients. Not maintaining good eye contact can potentially leave behind a negative impression.
- You Tend To Interrupt
The golden rule of effective communication is to never interrupt while the other person speaks and always listen! It makes the other person feel that you have something more important to say and that your words have greater weight than theirs. Not a very good impression!
You may learn the essential tips and tricks for building great communication skills, however; you must also be aware of the mistakes you are making and the ones you should avoid. All of these typical mistakes can obstruct communication and prevent you from successfully conveying your message to others. Therefore, it is imperative for you to learn from your mistakes for better communication.
Till then,
Stay Awesome. Stay Productive.
– Divas Gupta