4 Ways To Communicate Better

Whether it is at home or at the office, we know communication is essential. It’s what helps us to understand one another and what we want.

Yet, there’s often a communication gap in relationships. We fail to communicate what’s expected, how to be treated, or what needs to be done.

Communication failures all over the place, I say!

But when communication is good, there are fewer misunderstandings. There’s more of a feeling that you matter.

So, what can you do to communicate better? Try these 4 tips for better communication.

Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash

4 Ways To Communicate Better

Get rid of the business jargon:

Have you ever been in a business meeting when people start dropping the business jargon? Every word sounds like the person speaking just picked up the latest business bestseller and is using the latest terms. You might have heard:

There are silos that need to be broken down
I’ll ping you later today
We need to find our blue ocean
Our employees need to have a paradigm shift in their thinking

We don’t speak like that around our friends. Heck, we typically don’t talk that way with our coworkers, unless we want to prove how smart we are or that we read the latest business book.

Instead of using business jargon that people don’t understand, use regular, everyday terms. Find ways to replace the business jargon with something people will understand. You may even be able to use the following examples:

Our teams have put up barriers. How can we stop that?
Let’s connect later today
We need to find a business space that isn’t crowded
Our employees need to change their thinking

When we make communication simple, we make it so everyone in the organization can understand it.

Be clear about what you want:

Far too many relationships have broken down because one or both parties are not clear about what they want from the relationship. We know salespeople want sales from us. We know business leaders want results.

But is it being communicated clearly? Does the salesperson ask for the sale? Has the owner of your business stated what results she’s looking for?

The same questions can be asked of you…. Are you sharing what results you want from your team? Do you constantly change the goal or do you stay true to what you’ve asked?

If you’re not clear, people won’t know what you want. Be as clear as can be.

Repeat yourself, if necessary:

It can be frustrating to repeat yourself. However, people need to hear what you are trying to communicate multiple times before it sinks in.

There’s good reason for this. You’re not the primary focus. Here’s why:

You aren’t holding the attention of the person you’re talking to
There are environmental distractions
The listener has created a distraction habit

Everything around us is vying for our attention. And it’s okay if you lose someone’s attention while you’re talking to them. Just be sure to repeat yourself.

When you repeat yourself, you help the person you’re communicating with understand what’s important. The more you repeat it, the more they know to focus in on that specific point.

Ask for clarification:

We’ve already established that you need to be clear in your communication. What about the person you’re communicating with? Should they be clearer than mud? Of course. But that doesn’t always happen.

There’s something you can do if the person you’re communicating with isn’t clear…. Or maybe you think you misheard something…

It’s okay to ask for clarification. By asking for clarification, you let the other person know you’re listening but something didn’t get communicated all of the way. You’re giving them the opportunity to solidify what was said.