How does better verbal communication grow your business faster

“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and reality.” This quote by Nat Turner perfectly sums up the importance of communication in today’s world. 

Communication refers to the act of sharing or exchanging information, ideas and thoughts via verbal and non-verbal methods. 

Communication is more than just words. It encompasses how you engage, express, and listen among yourselves. 

There are different ways to communicate, each of which plays a vital role in expressing thoughts, emotions, and opinions. However, we primarily use five types of communication on a daily basis—verbal, non-verbal, written, listening, and visual. 

This article tells you about verbal communication, its importance, and how you can improve your verbal skills. 

What is verbal communication?

Verbal communication refers to the process of conveying information via the use of language. Put simply, it is the communication that includes words—spoken, written, or signed. Spoken communication involves face-to-face interactions and conversations via radio, phone, television, etc.; while written communication involves conversing through text (both online and offline).

Effective verbal communication is crucial for both—interpersonal and professional interactions. It helps you initiate conversations, engage in discussions, build relationships, and much more. When you speak with confidence and poise, you are more likely to create a rapport and command respect from your peers. 

Moreover, Robert M. Krauss in “The Psychology of Verbal Communication” explains, “A species’ survival depends critically upon its ability to communicate effectively. The quality of its social life is determined in large measure by how and what it can communicate.”

What are verbal communication skills?

Verbal communication skills are now more critical than ever. They include receiving and delivering messages in a written or vocal manner. 

Basically, verbal communication skills refer to effective speaking and listening.

They focus on optimally using verbal and non-verbal cues such as body language, choice of words, posture, facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, sentence framing etc. 

Whether it’s about interacting with colleagues, making phone calls, or having personal discussions, verbal skills are among the most vital skills to succeed in life. 

Some examples of good verbal communication skills include:

• Profound understanding of non-verbal cues
• Open to giving and receiving feedback
• Active listening to the speaker
• Speaking and sharing your ideas confidently
• Adding humour in everyday interactions
• Carefully using jargons and technical terms

How can you improve your verbal communication skills?

As mentioned above, verbal communication skills help in having fruitful interactions and developing stronger work relationships. Those who communicate well tend to succeed both personally and professionally. 

Therefore, understanding the different aspects of verbal communication and its crucial role in our lives is the first step to enhancing communication skills and nurturing relationships.

By acquiring these valuable skills, you will be not only able to express your views clearly but also feel confident and secure.

• Stop talking and start listening

Listening is even more important than talking in any conversation. When you listen to someone, it reflects your interest in their ideas and helps you understand their needs better. 

Additionally, others are more likely to reciprocate and hear what you share and convey when you pay attention.

• Think before you speak

Take your time to reflect on a question. It will help you concise your thoughts in a more precise statement. 

If you don’t think before speaking, you will lose the impact of your message. Similarly, it’s equally important to allow your counter peers to talk without interrupting their thoughts. It shows mutual respect and enhanced professionalism. 

• Use of concise language

Being concise and crisp is an effective way to deliver a message. Try to convey your thoughts as clearly as possible and use as few words as you can. 

It helps others understand your views better and make you more approachable. Also, it is useful when providing instructions to colleagues, leaving little or no room for confusion. 

• Focus on body language

Body language is fundamental when sharing information.

Make sure you have a proper posture and relaxed body language when you deliver your message. It shows a sense of confidence and authority that makes people listen to your ideas and thoughts. 

Other ways include maintaining eye contact, hand gestures, using facial expressions, and nodding to grasp people’s attention. 

• Speaking with confidence

Confidence is the key. When you are confident, it shows in your body language and reflects in your words. 

If you are confident, others will listen to you more intently and believe in what you are saying. A simple way to build confidence is to plan your conversations. Writing pointers helps stick to a script if it’s an important meeting or speech.

• Feedback is important

One way to improve verbal communication is to practise in front of friends and family. They can give you valuable feedback that will help you improve. 

Practise conversations and speeches in real-life scenarios and ask for feedback from your colleagues or supervisors to get a different perspective. This will help you enhance your verbal and non-verbal skills. 

• Practise, practise, practise

The fastest way to improve is to keep on practising. 

Try speaking in front of a mirror to see how you stand, how you look when you talk, and how your hands move. 

Record yourself to listen to the tone of your voice later. It will give insight on how you sound and how you can improve your message’s delivery. Use that to modify specific sentences from your message to have a strong impact on the listeners. 

Most importantly, ensure that you have a smile on your face. Practise in front of friends, family, and work, and you will feel more confident about your speaking abilities.

• Understand your audience

To deliver messages effectively, you need to understand your audience. Not everyone has the same knowledge as you; people are from different demographics and backgrounds. 

Learn about your audience and strategise an effective way to communicate so that everyone can understand the message clearly and feel a part of the conversation.

• Be mindful of your tone

Your tone is a crucial element in verbal communication. Match your tone with the type of message you wish to deliver. It creates a lasting impression on your audience and ensures that they get the message right.

Speaking monotonously or in a flat tone drives the listeners towards boredom, and you can quickly lose their attention. Express emotions via your style to better convey your messages without losing their interest.

• Show your authentic self

Authenticity connects with people like nothing else. If you are authentic, people will be drawn towards you and will find you more relatable.

For example, if you don’t know the answer to a question and admit it in front of others, it reflects that you are honest to accept it. That’s not all. Being your authentic self in conversations shows a sense of comfort and allows people to engage with you organically. 

• Silence is okay

Resist the need to fill the silences. Ideally, people should avoid silence as it can make a conversation static and awkward. 

It can, however, be beneficial to take necessary pauses to reflect on what you are about to say and allow the other person to process everything without interrupting their thoughts and ideas. 

• Use names in conversations

Using names is probably the simplest way to improve verbal communication. How often do we see that someone introduces themselves and the other person forgets their name? 

Remembering people’s names and bringing them up in conversation is an excellent way to show mutual respect. It’s a great way to keep people’s attention and build a relationship with them. 

The Takeaway

Verbal communication is a skill that differentiates good from the best. If you can verbally communicate well, you will succeed in both your personal and professional life. 

By simply improving your speaking abilities and listening skills, you can master the world of professionals. Good speaking skills will help you build rapport and stronger relationships with your employees, superiors, and clients.

If you want to check out our verbal communication skills, connect with us at 0800-084-3663 or write an email to [email protected].