>Communication is your ticket to success if you pay attention & learn to do it effectively. The world’s most successful people are good communicators & active listeners who understand their audiences properly. So you should keep your audience in mind while communicating. ## **WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?** Communication means sharing or exchanging ideas, knowledge, or feelings. You communicate verbally, writing, or listening. For example, the impact of your PPT presentation depends upon your content part & the way you explain it to other people. Your listening skills are dependent upon how carefully you listen to your professors during lectures or boss in meetings. For example, you go for an interview & the interviewer asks “How relevant this job is for you.?” Now your speaking skills are represented in the manner through which you communicate your answer. _Great leaders communicate & great communicators lead._ If you want to lead, you need to be a master of communication skills for your overall personality development. ## **WHY IS COMMUNICATION IMPORTANT?** Communication is very important because it helps in: - Build a relationship - Sharing ideas - Give responsibilities to people - Team management Communication can be divided into 4 categories namely verbal, non-verbal, written & visual that are discussed as follows: #### **1. VERBAL COMMUNICATION:** When you communicate your point to some other person through the verbal medium. You can directly speak or take the help of sign language. This is a common method used in presentations, video conferences, meetings, phone calls & daily life conversations. Verbal communication is important because it is a very effective method to communicate your point to some other person. You need to follow these steps to develop skills for verbal communication: **(I) Research:** It is the most important point you should consider if you want to master your verbal communication skills. When you research various things & improve knowledge it gives you the confidence to put your views in front of others. For example, you have to give a presentation about a topic on which you don’t have much knowledge. You should wisely use your time & research about the topic as much as you can. Research is not only used in presentation but in many other places also such as meeting with a new client, to know about the competition. Students can also use research in their project. **(II) Use a strong confident speaking voice:** If you want to communicate some information to 2-3 persons or a large group of people, ensure to use a strong voice so that you are audible to other people. Always keep a smile on your face before starting. It is the most important skill of a communicator because it will help you in taking initiative. Also, make eye contact with your audiences. Look into their eyes, not here & there. Keep yourself simple & to the point. **(III) Active listening:** Active listening is an important aspect of your verbal communication. Although both listening & hearing sound the same but you need to understand the difference between these two. Listening skill demands efforts while hearing is running in your natural background. On one hand, listening requires full attention, while hearing means voice is reaching your ears but you are not paying attention to others. So, you should listen to others because you come to know how to respond to them. **(IV) Avoid filler words:** That means you are filling some unnecessary words in between because you don’t want to leave anything during your talk. Filler words such as umm, like, so & ya seem easy to use, but it diversifies the audience’s minds from your point. So while going for a meeting or presentations, please rehearse. Use the fillers’ words as minimum as you can. When you think of using these filler words, take a break & long breath. Think before you speak. Gather your thoughts & give yourself time for 1 minute in case you need it. Keep your sentences brief to minimise the use of these filler words while communicating. **(V) Reciprocate & appreciate:** To master your verbal communication skills, you should develop the habit of appreciation, when you like somebody’s views. For example, if you like someone’s idea or dressing sense, say “You are looking good today.” This will help you in developing verbal skills & social skills. #### **2. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION**: In non-verbal communication, you use body language, gestures, and facial expressions to share your point to others. For example, you are upset & you meet a friend to enlighten your mind. You sit with folded hands & shoulders slightly bent showing your close body language. But if you cool down your thoughts your body language will also change accordingly. You can get mastery in your non-verbal skills as follows: **(I) Notice how your emotions feel physically:** In the entire day, you feel different kinds of emotions such as energized, happy, frustrated, bored & so on. Notice how you show this emotion through your body language. For example, if you are worried you will feel some tightness in your belly part or you might not feel hungry & headache while you are in anger. If you bring awareness of how such emotions affect your body language this understanding will give you mastery in dealing with external presentations. **(II) Be intentional:** Show positive body language when you feel open, alert & positive in some external surroundings. You can also use body language in verbal communication when you are worried or confused about anything. For example, you can frown your eyebrows or make a sad face when you don’t like something. Make sure to use your body language in verbal communication. #### **3. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION:** You can communicate your point to some other person through written communication. Written communication becomes a record or reference to your communication. It is mostly used in information sharing & formal communication. Email form of written communication is used in the workplace & student life. You can follow these steps to develop your skills: **(I) Simplicity:** Simple & clear written communication is very effective. You should keep your written message brief, don’t repeat words, clearly communicate thoughts & structure your writing. It will help other people in understanding your point clearly & easily. **(II) Keep the tone in mind:** You should keep your tone in mind while writing to others. Don’t use abusive language in terms of jokes. Always consider your audiences while written communication. **(III) Review your written communication:** Give some extra time in reviewing your emails & letters. This habit will help you in identifying your mistakes & also you will get one more chance to keep your point in a better way. **(IV) Keep a copy of effective writing:** Save interesting email, pamphlet & memo in a folder. It will help you to make your writing effective in the future because you can refer to these written articles. For example, you find a phrase very impactful while reading a book such as “winners never quit”. Make sure to maintain a diary or click on your phone. If you develop this habit, you will enhance your writing skills & grammar skills. **(V) Grammar & punctuation:** Grammar & punctuation are very important for an effective communication. You should know how to use the comma, full stop, colons & semicolons. Never forget to use words like sorry, thank you & please while writing a text or formal email. #### **4. VISUAL COMMUNICATION:** Visual communication serves as an important link in today’s fast life. This is the first impression of yours on another mind. You should dress up for an interview according to the company & job profile. For example, if you apply for the post of a manager, you should dress up formally along with polished shoes. Do not wear loud clothes. Also, ensure to cut your nails & nicely combed hair. Keep in mind these small things for visual impression. You should wear comfortable clothes but keep in mind the place & occasion. You should follow the tips discussed in this video to improve your verbal, nonverbal, written & visual communication.