How to communicate effectively

Communication, a way to interact between individuals.  The art of communication is very complex, as a simple message can be interpreted many different ways, and will induce a variety of reactions from different individuals from different backgrounds.

Therefore, it is very important for us communicate effectively so that misunderstandings can be avoided.

For me, I am still trying to master the basics but I do really want to work on this.  I will split this post into three sections:

Fillers

Ummm, like, mmm.  Filler words you use while giving presentations and holding a meeting.  These words are often not noticed by the speaker, but is very noticeable for the reader.  Effective leaders tend to not use any fillers (see Presidents and Prime Ministers).  Successful celebrities are also able to speak elegantly without any stoppage in their deliverance or speeches.  But why do we use fillers?

We usually user fillers when we are thinking while speaking.  Meaning, we are still trying to find the right type of word while speaking.  Due to human nature we tend to think silences equals awkwardness, thus we are naturally inclined to use filler words.  one way to solve this?  Just speak slow, and think of what you want to say before you even say it.

Think before speaking

Don’t worry about the pause and silence.  Being able to pause actually proves you are confident, and that you want to take the time to say the right things.  This is a bad habit of mine, as I tend to speak on the spot, rather than carefully crafting my words and message.  One trick I am going to do is whenever I want to say something, I will repeat what I want to say three times in my head.  See if this makes it awkward =p  To do this though, I am going to need to catch up with more people, which leads me to the next section:

Care More

I feel like I have been losing touch with a lot of people.  I need to reach out more, and hold value adding conversations.  I also feel like I am not a caring person, which is something I really want to change.  This has nothing to do with communication I know, but I feel like if you feel good about yourself, it will be reflected in your tone of voice when you speak.

Happy Communicating =)