26/01/2025
16 tips for effective communication 👇
1. Practice Active Listening: Focus on understanding the speaker's message rather than formulating your response. Listen to understand, don't listen to respond. Effective communication doesnt begin with knowing what to say, but understanding what was said; and this begins with active listening ability.
2. Maintain Eye Contact: Show attentiveness and interest by making eye contact with the speaker.
Many are yet to know that it's abusive and insultive looking away while someone is talking to you. Don't say things like, must i be looking at you, is it not my ears that i am using to hear ?
Note this: attention is a sign of respect. There is no effective communication without attention.
Don't just listen while someone talks, make him or her understand, "I am listening to you."
Keep eye contact 😒
3. Ask Clarifying Questions: Seek clarification to ensure you fully understand the speaker's message. Be sure what you hear was what the person is trying to say.
4. Avoid Interrupting: Allow the speaker to finish expressing their thoughts before responding. Remember, you are not in for a fight, you are in for a conversation.
Note: don't turn a conversation into a fight just to feel good about yourself. Before you turn your conversation into a fight, always ask yourself the following question: If i win, who will pay? If I win, who will give me a trophy 🏆
5. Show Empathy: Demonstrate understanding and empathy by acknowledging the speaker's feelings and perspective. See things from their own end, and put yourself in their shoes. What they said or what rhey are asking for may not make sense to you, but you nust be empathetic enough to know why they have said what they said or why they are asking for what they asked.
6. Use Non-verbal Cues: Pay attention to body language and facial expressions to gauge the speaker's emotions and concern. Our facial expressions is a mirror to our heart and they convey 50% of the information we are trying to pass.
7. Paraphrase and Summarize: Reflect back what the speaker has said to confirm understanding and show engagement. Feedback is a big deal when it comes to effective communication.
Don't respond to a conversation with words like: i have heard you, and then walk away, without stating a sneak peek of what you heard.
8. Stay Present: Minimize distractions and give the speaker your full attention during conversations. Stay in the presence, not in the past or future; the danger of this is that sometimes you may end up responding from experience, and not from event. This is a state you see yourself saying something different that doesn't even connect with what the person has said.
In most cases, this could likely lead to arguments.
9. Express Yourself Clearly: Use clear and concise language to convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. State clearly and assertively what you want. Dont say things like, women want this or that, that is simply creating confusion. The person is dealing with you, not women. State clearly what you want, not what women want or what men like.
10. Practice Assertiveness: Communicate your needs, opinions, and boundaries respectfully and confidently. This doesnt make you wicked or harsh, it simply means what you understand your self worth and value.
11. Use "I" Statements: Express your feelings and perspective using "I" statements to avoid blaming or accusing others. To the best that you can, when sharing or expressing your concern, make less use of the "You" word.
For an instance: instead of saying, you are not making me happy, simply say, i don't feel happy. Instead of saying, you don't value me, simply say, i don't feel valued.
12. Seek Win-Win Solutions: Approach conflicts with a collaborative mindset, aiming for solutions that benefit all parties.
When approaching a conversation, always ask yourself this question: what do i want to achieve, do i want to create more problems or resolve the problems on ground?
13. Stay Calm: Maintain composure and emotional control, even in challenging or heated discussions.
14. Take Responsibility: Acknowledge your role in conflicts and be willing to apologize or make amends if necessary.
Every form of resolution, begins with taking responsibility; if you are still pushing blames, then you are actually nit really for a resolution.
Always ask yourself, where did i miss it. What was it that i should jave done differently. Look into the mirror to see the role you are playing in the issues on ground
15. Find Common Ground: Look for shared interests or values to build rapport and bridge differences. What is more important to you should be the wellness of that marriage, focus on that.
16. Be Open-Minded: Stay open to different viewpoints and be willing to consider alternative perspectives. You may not always be right lr wrong. That you are right, doesn't mean the other person is wrong or right.
Be open minded and learn from each other.
