Life is an endless journey of conversations and connections. Navigating through this labyrinth of misunderstood words and lost intentions can sometimes be frustrating, particularly if you’re an introvert. Let’s explore effective ways to improve your communication skills. This will eventually polish your verbal toolkit while embarking in your quest of self-discovery and human connection.



The Power of Listening

Before we dive into the depths of speaking, let’s pause and reflect on the art of listening. Listening, truly listening, can open the door to someone’s soul, allowing their words to echo in our minds.



Listen actively and try to understand what the other person says instead of thinking about something to answer. You want the speaker to feel valued and understood. Forge your answers according to what the other person is telling you; this will lead to infinite conversations since you can just rinse and repeat the process.



Embrace silence.



Not as a void, but as a blank page for the speaker’s thoughts and feelings. You can practice this by giving your undivided attention, nodding, and paraphrasing to ensure you’ve captured the essence of their message.



Avoid Closed Up Body Language

According to Albert Mehrabian, a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, communication is 7% words, 38% tone of voice and 55% body language. His research led him to think that most of our communication is felt through our non verbal.



With that in mind, make sure to avoid closed up body language, as you can be perceived as unreceptive to the speaker’s thoughts.



Don’t cross your arms.



This is a sign of insecurity, anxiety and stress. Instead, use your arms and hands to gesture your thoughts. If you don’t know what to do with them just place your hands on your hips or your arms on the side of your body.



Your shoulders shouldn’t be rounded forward either. Take a deep breath and lift your chin, put your shoulders up, back and then down while maintaining your chest up and forward. You want to look alert and ready to answer back.



Maintaining Eye Contact

Avoiding eye contact can make you seem shy or uninterested. Make sure to maintain eye contact, but break it on certain occasions not to appear too intimidating or inauthentic.



Have you heard about the unspoken 80/20 rule?



Here’s the trick : 80% of the conversation you maintain eye contact, while 20% of the conversation you don’t. You can break eye contact when gathering your thoughts or thinking about what the other person said.



As cheesy as it sounds, you can practice it in front of the mirror. Talk to yourself and see how you look when you’re maintaining eye contact the whole time versus breaking it 20% of the time. You’ll feel the difference.



Show Empathy

Empathy can turn a mundane exchange into a profound connection. It allows you to step into the shoes of others, to feel the depth of their experiences, and to see the world through their eyes. When you communicate with empathy, you’re not just exchanging information; you’re sharing understanding and compassion.



Try this: next time you’re conversing with someone, imagine their words are colors, painting their current emotional landscape. Associate each sentence with a color, and each color with a feeling. Respond not just to their words, but to the picture they are painting.



Clarity and Brevity

In your quest to be understood, we often forget that simplicity is our greatest ally. The beauty of communication lies in clear, concise expressions. Think of clarity and brevity as the keys to unlocking the hearts and minds of your audience. Before speaking, ask yourself :



“Is there a simpler way to say this?”



This doesn’t mean stripping away the personality of your message, but ensuring it’s accessible and relatable. And we can’t stress this enough, as mentioned in past stories : stop using filler words.



Ask for Feedback

Feedback is the compass that guides our improvement in communication. It’s a gift, although sometimes a hard-to-swallow one, that shows us our reflection through the eyes of others. Embrace feedback, whether it’s a gentle nudge or a harsh revelation, as a step towards growth. Remember, feedback is not just about what we can do better; it’s also about recognizing the strengths we already possess.



Practice Makes Perfect

Confidence is hard to attain. You can always fake it until you make it. Like any art, the art of communication requires practice. It’s a muscle that strengthens with use, a skill honed by trial and error.



You can even start debating on Versy to practice your communication skills and see how people argue and prove their point. Make sure to leave us any constructive feedback.





Seek opportunities to engage in conversations, particularly those that push you out of your comfort zone. Each dialogue, each exchange, is a step to becoming a more effective communicator.



In your journey to improve communication, remember to find your own voice while learning to listen to others. Try to connect with people’s hearts. Embrace difference, and approach this quest of self-improvement with an open-minded view, as each conversation is as unique as there are humans on earth.