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The Top 15 Most Effective Communication Techniques and Strategies

If you ask 10 people, “What is communication?” You will get 10 different answers about what effective communication techniques are . For some, effective communication techniques is limited to what they can convey through writing, whether it is via a novel, email, or text message. For others, it may be defined as the information that can be conveyed via the spoken word. To help clarify this seemingly vague term, we have gathered together  a guide of effective communication techniques and strategies designed to help you maximize the effectiveness of your ability to communicate on all levels.

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Table of Contents

What is Communication?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines communication as the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.

This is a very broad definition but it does manage to encompass everything that makes up the concept of communication. Every time you convey information to another person, whether it’s the order taker at your local drive-through or your supervisor at work, you use communication. Here a list of some excellent reads on improving your communication skills.

Communication skills, by definition, are slightly more refined applications of the concept of communication. You can further your skills by taking a look at the top books on communication techniques and skills . These skills consist of the ability to convey information both efficiently and effectively. A good communicator will have good verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills. What does each of these entail?

• Verbal communication consists of delivering your information by the use of the spoken word . If you can give clear and easy to follow directions over the phone, then you are a good verbal communicator.
• Non-verbal communication includes the use of body language and facial expressions. Actors are masters of this style of communication; because they have been trained to portray emotions or deliver whole messages simply by the way they hold their body and position their facial expressions.
• Written communication is simply the conveyance of information or instruction by utilizing the written word. This type of information exchange is often the easiest, especially for people who are uncomfortable with face to face encounters.

To be an effective team leader or company owner, you need to be fluent in all three forms of communication. It is hard to motivate people if you stand with your arms crossed over your chest and your head down. These indicate that you are a closed off individual and are not confident in your ability to efficiently convey the necessary information.

15 Most Effective Communications Techniques and Strategies

Communication is becoming more and more difficult to master, because so few people actually utilize the three forms. While people are constantly connected, they are also detached by their heavy reliance on smart phones and other mobile devices.

Here we’ve collected the top 15 communication techniques and strategies designed to help you learn to communicate properly.

The Silent Treatment

Surprisingly, remaining silent can be one of the most effective strategies for communication, especially if are trying to entice someone to share more information with you. Instead of immediately answering after your partner’s completed statement, remain silent but attentive. This can actually encourage people to volunteer more information than they would have done otherwise. Practice this by pairing off, and simply discussing current events in your life. For example:

Person A : My daughter just had a baby!

Person B : (responds immediately) Aww, how adorable! Is it a boy or girl?

The information about the gender of the baby has to be coaxed out of person A rather than being freely offered. Now let’s look at this exercise again.

Person B : (remains silent but attentive)

Person A : She had an 8lb 5oz baby girl named Abigail. She’s my second grandchild but my first granddaughter!

Instead of having to encourage the communication, the conversation continues naturally on its own.

Ask Questions

No matter how much information is readily volunteered, you will never learn everything you need to know without asking a few questions. What type of questions should you be asking?

• Closed-ended questions are designed to get a simple yes or no response. This can be a good tool if you need to gather basic information quickly or want to obtain an answer without a long or drawn out explanation.
• Open-ended questions will provide you with a broader and more comprehensive answer. Instead of asking “Can I help you?” (Which is a closed-ended question because it can be answered with a yes or no) ask “What brings you to our store today?”

Communication is effectively useless if you don’t listen to and comprehend the responses that you get in regards to your message. Listening isn’t just using your ears to collect sounds. You need to understand the things that are said to you in such a way that you can form a coherent and knowledgeable response. A class or seminar on active listening is one of the most effective ways to improve your listening skills, and by proxy, your communication skills as well.

Feedback is an important part of communication, both from your intended recipients and from you. You should be able to convey your information in such a way that your targets can offer feedback or criticism on your information. They should also be able to form direct questions if anything is left unclear. To practice giving and receiving feedback, pair off and try to convey some form of information to your partner. This could be as simple as your favorite beef stew recipe, or as complex as replacing the alternator in your car. Once you have conveyed this information to your partner to the best of your ability, he or she should offer feedback on your technique and the quality of the information.

This exercise is also a good way to learn how to accept criticism easily and well.

Observation

This is a good tactic if you have really poor verbal or non-verbal communication skills. Find a way to place yourself in or around a large crowd of people. These don’t have to be people that you know, and in many cases, it may be better to use people that you are unfamiliar with. The only requirement is that these individuals need to be skilled communicators.

Once you’ve selected your group, the purpose of this exercise is to observe. Use your eyes and ears to learn how these skilled people communicate. Once you’ve gathered enough information, you should try to implement some of the tactics you have learned via your observation.

Open a Book

People don’t read as much as they used to and this is easily seen in poor written communication skills. Young people who were raised on computers and mobile devices are often most at risk for this, because they tend to convey their thoughts via shorthand and text speak which is not appropriate in a business setting.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a book that you read. Pick up a magazine or newspaper or a For-Dummies book your latest and greatest hobby. What you read is not important; the important part is that you read.

Not only does reading keep you informed, it can help you to adapt and improve your written communication skills. Your verbal skills may also benefit because you will have new and exciting things to discuss with your coworkers or friends.

Stress Management

Communication can be very stressful, especially if your skills are not up to par. Problems only begin to arise when you cannot mitigate this stress and begins to interfere with your ability to deliver coherent information .

If you find yourself overly stressed by a situation, remove yourself from it for a few moments. This could be any situation that causes stress or anxiety, such as an argument or disagreement with a boss or coworker. Simply step away for a moment and take the time to compose yourself. Once you have done so, you will be able to approach the situation with a clearer head and communication will become infinitely easier.

Empathy and/or emotional awareness are also essential for a clear transfer of information. You can easily recognize when your own emotions are causing issues with your communication. Being empathetic gives you the ability to discern when the emotions of others are likely to cause a problem.

Empathy is one part emotional awareness, and at least two parts body language translation. You can often discern the emotional state of a person by simply looking at how they hold themselves. A happy person will walk with their head up and shoulders back. They will make eye contact and will smile, or respond easily to an offered smile. A sad person, on the other hand, will often walk with their shoulders hunched and head bowed. They will not often respond to an offered smile, and if they do it will not reach their eyes.

Learning to read these intricate emotional cues can make you a more effective communicator.

One of the easiest ways to get someone to respond to you in a positive manner when you are communicating is to appear enthusiastic in regards to what they are telling you. No one is going to want to talk to you if you sigh, roll your eyes, or seem otherwise impatient or bored while they are trying to convey their information.

This can actually be as simple as maintaining eye contact, and modifying your body language to appear attentive and interested. Emphatic positive responses can help to magnify this feeling of enthusiasm. As a result, your speaker will be more interested in talking to you and will end the conversation with an overall positive outlook.

Language Choices

The words you choose to use to describe yourself or your coworkers can have a dramatic effect on their overall receptiveness to your communication skills. If you are trying to foster a sense of solidarity and cooperation, use pronouns like “we” and “us” to refer to the group. This will help them to consider themselves part of a team, rather than as an individual.  “We need to come up with a plan to tackle this project”, implies that everyone is equal and can contribute to the group.

Alternatively, if you are trying to set yourself apart, as a leader or boss, using pronouns like “I” and “me” can do that effectively. “I need to come up with a plan to tackle this project”, implies that you alone has what it takes to come up with a plan, and everyone else on the team will be expected to implement said plan once it has been completed.

Keep a Sense of Humor

Keeping your sense of humor, even when things are looking bad, can be a great way to augment your communicative skills. Everyone likes to laugh , and laughing relives stress and releases endorphins, which can help to improve the overall mood of the conversation.

Make sure your humor is appropriate to the situation, though. No one should be cracking jokes at a funeral, after all, and not everyone will appreciate that dirty joke you picked up at the bar the other night. Using common sense and discretion where humor is concerned is often the safest bet.

Nothing sets a nervous team member at ease better than a friendly smile. A smile is your best tool and your best weapon rolled into one. A genuine smile can often entice an otherwise quiet or reserved person to be more open and willing to communicate. They are invaluable for setting nervous or apprehensive individuals at ease.

Your smile also makes an effective communications weapon. Where a genuine smile can encourage feelings of warmth and safety, a dangerous smile can create apprehension or even fear. This can be a boon if you find yourself facing a particularly unpleasant client or coworker. This sort of smile usually will not reach your eyes, but leaves no doubt as to who is in charge in the current situation.

Honestly is often one of the largest barriers to effective communication, but it is one of the easiest to overcome. Effective communication is largely based on trust. You have to trust the person you are speaking with to provide the correct information in an easy to understand manner. You put your absolute trust in this person not to lead you astray. Honesty should be paramount in every single thing you do. In this case, it really is the best policy.

If you feel the need to lie, for whatever reason, take a step back and remove yourself from the situation momentarily. Determine why you feel like you need to lie to your coworker or boss, and from there, you should be able to easily determine the correct course of action.

Speak Equally ​​​​​

A good verbal communicator can speak to an auditorium full of people and have each one leave feeling like he or she was spoken too individually, or that the presentation was designed especially for them. This is the sort of skill level that you should strive to attain. The first step to doing this goes back to observation. Find a seminar or a class taught by a skilled communicator and observe the way he or she works with the audience. From there, you can take the things you have learned and implement them in your own communications.

Never Stop Learning

When it comes to developing effective communication techniques, the biggest mistake that people often make is that they stop learning. They think that after they have become an effective communicator, there is nothing left for them to learn. Albert Einstein said it best.

Once you stop learning, you start dying.

There are new breakthroughs in the fields of communication every single day, as people discover new and more effective ways to do things. If you refuse to continue to learn, you will be left behind and you will find yourself unable to compete with those who have leaned the new techniques. Check this out you want to learn more and read some great book on effective communication techniques.

There is no skill on this Earth that can replace the ability to effectively communicate. All of these techniques and strategies will take some time to learn, but once you have mastered them, there is nothing you can’t do.

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What is effective communication?

Tips for improving your communication skills.

• Tip 1: Understand the barriers to effective communication

Tip 2: Become an engaged listener

Tip 3: pay attention to nonverbal signals, tip 4: keep stress in check, tip 5: assert yourself, effective communication improving your interpersonal skills.

Want better communication skills? These tips will help you avoid misunderstandings, grasp the real meaning of what’s being communicated, and greatly improve your work and personal relationships.

Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information. It’s about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. As well as being able to clearly convey a message, you need to also listen in a way that gains the full meaning of what’s being said and makes the other person feel heard and understood.

Effective communication sounds like it should be instinctive. But all too often, when we try to communicate with others something goes astray. We say one thing, the other person hears something else, and misunderstandings, frustration, and conflicts ensue. This can cause problems in your home, school, and work relationships.

But by learning effective communication skills, you can deepen your connections to others, build greater trust and respect, and improve teamwork, problem solving, and your overall social and emotional health

Whether you’re trying to improve communication with your romantic partner, kids, boss, or coworkers, learning the following communication skills can help strengthen your interpersonal relationships.

Tip 1: Understand what’s stopping you from communicating well

Common barriers to effective communication include:

Stress and out-of-control emotion.  When you’re stressed or emotionally overwhelmed, you’re more likely to misread other people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of behavior. To avoid conflict and misunderstandings, you can learn how to quickly calm down before continuing a conversation.

Lack of focus.  You can’t communicate effectively when you’re multitasking. If you’re checking your phone , planning what you’re going to say next, or daydreaming, you’re almost certain to miss nonverbal cues in the conversation. To communicate effectively, you need to avoid distractions and stay focused.

Inconsistent body language.  Nonverbal communication should reinforce what is being said, not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will likely feel that you’re being dishonest. For example, you can’t say “yes” while shaking your head no.

[Read: Nonverbal Communication and Body Language]

Negative body language.  If you disagree with or dislike what’s being said, you might use negative body language to rebuff the other person’s message, such as crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, or tapping your feet. You don’t have to agree with, or even like what’s being said, but to communicate effectively and not put the other person on the defensive, it’s important to avoid sending negative signals.

When communicating with others, we often focus on what we should say. However, effective communication is less about talking and more about listening. Listening well means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding the emotions the speaker is trying to convey.

There’s a big difference between engaged listening and simply hearing. When you really listen—when you’re engaged with what’s being said—you’ll hear the subtle intonations in someone’s voice that tell you how that person is feeling and the emotions they’re trying to communicate. When you’re an engaged listener, not only will you better understand the other person, you’ll also make that person feel heard and understood, which can help build a stronger, deeper connection between you.

By communicating in this way, you’ll also experience a process that  lowers stress and supports physical and emotional well-being. If the person you’re talking to is calm, for example, listening in an engaged way will help to calm you, too. Similarly, if the person is agitated, you can help calm them by listening in an attentive way and making the person feel understood.

If your goal is to fully understand and connect with the other person, listening in an engaged way will often come naturally. If it doesn’t, try the following tips. The more you practice them, the more satisfying and rewarding your interactions with others will become.

Tips for becoming an engaged listener

Focus fully on the speaker.  You can’t listen in an engaged way if you’re  constantly checking your phone or thinking about something else. You need to stay focused on the moment-to-moment experience in order to pick up the subtle nuances and important nonverbal cues in a conversation. If you find it hard to concentrate on some speakers, try repeating their words over in your head—it’ll reinforce their message and help you stay focused.

Favor your right ear.  As strange as it sounds, the left side of the brain contains the primary processing centers for both speech comprehension and emotions. Since the left side of the brain is connected to the right side of the body, favoring your right ear can help you better detect the emotional nuances of what someone is saying.

Avoid interrupting or trying to redirect the conversation to your concerns.  By saying something like, “If you think that’s bad, let me tell you what happened to me.” Listening is not the same as waiting for your turn to talk. You can’t concentrate on what someone’s saying if you’re forming what you’re going to say next. Often, the speaker can read your facial expressions and know that your mind’s elsewhere.

Show your interest in what’s being said.  Nod occasionally, smile at the person, and make sure your posture is open and inviting. Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like “yes” or “uh huh.”

Try to set aside judgment.  In order to communicate effectively with someone, you don’t have to like them or agree with their ideas, values, or opinions. However, you do need to set aside your judgment and withhold blame and criticism in order to fully understand them. The most difficult communication, when successfully executed, can often lead to an unlikely connection with someone.

[Read: Improving Emotional Intelligence (EQ)]

Provide feedback. If there seems to be a disconnect, reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is,” or “Sounds like you are saying,” are great ways to reflect back. Don’t simply repeat what the speaker has said verbatim, though—you’ll sound insincere or unintelligent. Instead, express what the speaker’s words mean to you. Ask questions to clarify certain points: “What do you mean when you say…” or “Is this what you mean?”

Hear the emotion behind the words . It’s the higher frequencies of human speech that impart emotion. You can become more attuned to these frequencies—and thus better able to understand what others are really saying—by exercising the tiny muscles of your middle ear (the smallest in the body). You can do this by singing, playing a wind instrument, or listening to certain types of high-frequency music (a Mozart symphony or violin concerto, for example, rather than low-frequency rock, pop, or hip-hop).

The way you look, listen, move, and react to another person tells them more about how you’re feeling than words alone ever can. Nonverbal communication, or body language, includes facial expressions, body movement and gestures, eye contact, posture, the tone of your voice, and even your muscle tension and breathing.

Developing the ability to understand and use nonverbal communication can help you connect with others, express what you really mean, navigate challenging situations, and build better relationships at home and work.

• You can enhance effective communication by using open body language—arms uncrossed, standing with an open stance or sitting on the edge of your seat, and maintaining eye contact with the person you’re talking to.
• You can also use body language to emphasize or enhance your verbal message—patting a friend on the back while complimenting him on his success, for example, or pounding your fists to underline your message.

Improve how you  read nonverbal communication

Be aware of individual differences. People from different countries and cultures tend to use different nonverbal communication gestures, so it’s important to take age, culture, religion, gender, and emotional state into account when reading body language signals. An American teen, a grieving widow, and an Asian businessman, for example, are likely to use nonverbal signals differently.

Look at nonverbal communication signals as a group. Don’t read too much into a single gesture or nonverbal cue. Consider all of the nonverbal signals you receive, from eye contact to tone of voice to body language. Anyone can slip up occasionally and let eye contact go, for example, or briefly cross their arms without meaning to. Consider the signals as a whole to get a better “read” on a person.

Improve how you  deliver nonverbal communication

Use nonverbal signals that match up with your words rather than contradict them. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will feel confused or suspect that you’re being dishonest. For example, sitting with your arms crossed and shaking your head doesn’t match words telling the other person that you agree with what they’re saying.

Adjust your nonverbal signals according to the context. The tone of your voice, for example, should be different when you’re addressing a child than when you’re addressing a group of adults. Similarly, take into account the emotional state and cultural background of the person you’re interacting with.

Avoid negative body language. Instead, use body language to convey positive feelings, even when you’re not actually experiencing them. If you’re nervous about a situation—a job interview, important presentation, or first date, for example—you can use positive body language to signal confidence, even though you’re not feeling it. Instead of tentatively entering a room with your head down, eyes averted, and sliding into a chair, try standing tall with your shoulders back, smiling and maintaining eye contact, and delivering a firm handshake. It will make you feel more self-confident and help to put the other person at ease.

How many times have you felt stressed during a disagreement with your spouse, kids, boss, friends, or coworkers and then said or done something you later regretted? If you can quickly relieve stress and return to a calm state, you’ll not only avoid such regrets, but in many cases you’ll also help to calm the other person as well. It’s only when you’re in a calm, relaxed state that you’ll be able to know whether the situation requires a response, or whether the other person’s signals indicate it would be better to remain silent.

In situations such as a job interview, business presentation, high-pressure meeting, or introduction to a loved one’s family, for example, it’s important to manage your emotions, think on your feet, and effectively communicate under pressure.

Communicate effectively by staying calm under pressure

Use stalling tactics to give yourself time to think. Ask for a question to be repeated or for clarification of a statement before you respond.

Pause to collect your thoughts. Silence isn’t necessarily a bad thing—pausing can make you seem more in control than rushing your response.

Make one point and provide an example or supporting piece of information. If your response is too long or you waffle about a number of points, you risk losing the listener’s interest. Follow one point with an example and then gauge the listener’s reaction to tell if you should make a second point.

Deliver your words clearly. In many cases, how you say something can be as important as what you say. Speak clearly, maintain an even tone, and make eye contact. Keep your body language relaxed and open.

Wrap up with a summary and then stop. Summarize your response and then stop talking, even if it leaves a silence in the room. You don’t have to fill the silence by continuing to talk.

Quick stress relief for effective communication

When a conversation starts to get heated, you need something quick and immediate to bring down the emotional intensity. By learning to quickly reduce stress in the moment, you can safely take stock of any strong emotions you’re experiencing, regulate your feelings, and behave appropriately.

Recognize when you’re becoming stressed. Your body will let you know if you’re stressed as you communicate. Are your muscles or stomach tight? Are your hands clenched? Is your breath shallow? Are you “forgetting” to breathe?

Take a moment to calm down before deciding to continue a conversation or postpone it.

Bring your senses to the rescue. The best way to rapidly and reliably relieve stress is through the senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell—or movement. For example, you could pop a peppermint in your mouth, squeeze a stress ball in your pocket, take a few deep breaths, clench and relax your muscles, or simply recall a soothing, sensory-rich image. Each person responds differently to sensory input, so you need to find a coping mechanism that is soothing to you.

[Read: Quick Stress Relief]

Look for humor in the situation. When used appropriately, humor is a great way to relieve stress when communicating . When you or those around you start taking things too seriously, find a way to lighten the mood by sharing a joke or an amusing story.

Be willing to compromise. Sometimes, if you can both bend a little, you’ll be able to find a happy middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone concerned. If you realize that the other person cares much more about an issue than you do, compromise may be easier for you and a good investment for the future of the relationship.

Agree to disagree, if necessary, and take time away from the situation so everyone can calm down. Go for a stroll outside if possible, or spend a few minutes meditating. Physical movement or finding a quiet place to regain your balance can quickly reduce stress.

Find your space for healing and growth

Regain is an online couples counseling service. Whether you’re facing problems with communication, intimacy, or trust, Regain’s licensed, accredited therapists can help you improve your relationship.

Direct, assertive expression makes for clear communication and can help boost your self-esteem and decision-making skills. Being assertive means expressing your thoughts, feelings, and needs in an open and honest way, while standing up for yourself and respecting others. It does NOT mean being hostile, aggressive, or demanding. Effective communication is always about understanding the other person, not about winning an argument or forcing your opinions on others.

To improve your assertiveness

Value yourself and your options. They are as important as anyone else’s.

Know your needs and wants. Learn to express them without infringing on the rights of others.

Express negative thoughts in a positive way. It’s  okay to be angry , but you must remain respectful as well.

Receive feedback positively. Accept compliments graciously, learn from your mistakes, ask for help when needed.

Learn to say “no.” Know your limits and don’t let others take advantage of you. Look for alternatives so everyone feels good about the outcome.

Developing assertive communication techniques

Empathetic assertion conveys sensitivity to the other person. First, recognize the other person’s situation or feelings, then state your needs or opinion. “I know you’ve been very busy at work, but I want you to make time for us as well.”

Escalating assertion can be employed when your first attempts are not successful. You become increasingly firm as time progresses, which may include outlining consequences if your needs are not met. For example, “If you don’t abide by the contract, I’ll be forced to pursue legal action.”

Practice assertiveness in lower risk situations to help build up your confidence. Or ask friends or family if you can practice assertiveness techniques on them first.

More Information

• Effective Communication: Improving Your Social Skills - Communicate more effectively, improve your conversation skills, and become more assertive. (AnxietyCanada)
• Core Listening Skills - How to be a better listener. (SucceedSocially.com)
• Effective Communication - How to communicate in groups using nonverbal communication and active listening techniques. (University of Maine)
• Some Common Communication Mistakes - And how to avoid them. (SucceedSocially.com)
• 3aPPa3 – When cognitive demand increases, does the right ear have an advantage? – Danielle Sacchinell | Acoustics.org . (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2022, from Link
• How to Behave More Assertively . (n.d.). 10. Weger, H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & Robinson, M. C. (2014). The Relative Effectiveness of Active Listening in Initial Interactions.  International Journal of Listening , 28(1), 13–31. Link

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10 Tips For Effective Communication In The Workplace

Updated: Jun 17, 2024, 12:08pm

Table of Contents

What is effective communication, benefits of effective workplace communication, 10 tips for effective communication in the workplace, frequently asked questions.

Ineffective workplace communication costs U.S. businesses $1.2 trillion annually, according to a report by Grammarly . Not surprisingly then, it is a top concern among businesses–including the most successful businesses. But getting communication right can be a challenge between people with varying backgrounds, vantage points, and cultures. So the experts at Forbes Advisor detail the top tips for effective communication in the workplace to help.

Communication in the workplace is the exchange of ideas and thoughts concerning work, but effective workplace communication is more than that. Effective communication is clear, and the receiver understands its purpose. So, both the sender and receiver of the message are satisfied.

Two-way Communication

Effective communication in the workplace is not just relaying information to a team member, but explaining it in a way they understand. The receiver also focuses on gaining the entire meaning of the conversation and makes the other person feel heard and understood.

Solution-providing Communication

The exchange of ideas and information is done efficiently and effectively, enhancing collaboration on given tasks. So, teams can better come up with the required steps to achieve their goals.

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Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report reveals that out of the 31 million employees interviewed, only 13% of their leaders practiced effective workplace communication. Yet, if you can’t communicate organizational goals and operational changes, convey culture and values to new hires or those crossing teams or share business updates properly, it becomes challenging to achieve set goals.

Effective communication in a workplace will boost employee motivation, engagement and satisfaction, which will reduce workplace conflicts and enhance productivity.

Increased Employee Engagement

One of the benefits of effective communication is that it creates better relationships between management and employees as well as amongst employees, and promotes employee engagement. When the management considers employee needs and motivations and speaks to them correctly, it’s easier to get them to use their skills and talents toward the same goal.

Enhanced Motivation to Work

Nearly 30% of the time , organizations experience low retention because of ineffective communication between management and staff members. But when employees understand their tasks and how their roles affect the team’s overall success, they’re motivated to take necessary steps. Not only will your organization enjoy longer employee retention, which strengthens your company, employees will stay motivated, which makes all the difference.

Improved Productivity

By ensuring that information is communicated in the right manner, employees understand their roles better and perform their functions competently. That will increase productivity throughout your company.

Fewer Workplace Conflicts

Since workplaces have persons of various cultures and beliefs, conflicts will naturally arise. Still, most conflicts are from ineffective communication tactics. Workplaces that embrace open communication and refined communication styles should therefore expect less conflict between managers and employees, and even among employees.

With a solid understanding of how crucial effective communication in the workplace is, let’s look at the top tips for effective communication, including the key communication skills you need to adopt, how to prioritize two-way communication, how to organize communication and more.

1. Communicate the Right Way

For more effective communication, first, ask these questions.

• What is the goal?
• Who needs to hear this?
• How should I pass the message across?

Ineffective communication often occurs when managers talk to the wrong employees or share information in the wrong workplace setting. So, make sure the communication purpose directs you to relevant recipients. Also, choose the most appropriate communication method out of the different communication channels for the employee and situation. For example, an employee may prefer email , while another person likes a physical interaction, where there’s eye contact, and they can read your body language.

Generally, though, you should communicate urgent information or instructions, major news or sensitive news such as a promotion or transfer face-to-face.

2. Prioritize Two-way Communication

Effective communication in the workplace involves speaking, active listening and feedback. Both parties need to understand each other. Now, how can you make that possible?

• Practice active listening: To avoid missing important information, don’t listen to a coworker just so you can reply. Instead, listen to understand them. Maintain eye contact with the speaker, jot down whatever comes to your mind while they’re speaking, and respond with relevant gestures to show you’re listening.
• Embrace feedback: Ask your team members for feedback on your message and communication style, and note their comments and concerns. They can share such information during meetings or drop them anonymously in suggestion boxes. You can also offer feedback, but do it thoughtfully. Just don’t do it harshly or in public.

Also, adopt constructive feedback by first appreciating their work and then pointing out how to improve. Allow them to share their thoughts on your feedback, too.

3. Build Your Communication Skills

Effective workplace communication starts with you developing good communication skills. Here are the vital ones.

• Be clear: To communicate effectively, be clear about your goal, use easy-to-understand words and avoid incomplete sentences. Also, provide context when communicating with your team. For example, when setting expectations, share samples and highlight the groups that should be involved and those that will be affected by the output. Also, encourage employees to ask questions to minimize errors and maximize productivity.
• Remain courteous: To enhance effective communication in the workplace, you need to practice respectful communication and work through differences positively. Even during disagreements, try to stay polite, avoiding offensive words. Also, watch your body language and facial expressions, and use the right tone, so you don’t give off unintentional cues.
• Stay open-minded: Make sure your employees feel comfortable approaching you with ideas or concerns. That means you must keep considering their thoughts and attending to them respectfully, even when busy. And if you have concerns about an employee’s behavior or performance, discuss it with them instead of making assumptions.

4. Embrace the Uniqueness of Each Employee

One of the most important things to improve communication and employee engagement at your workplace is embracing each employee’s unique communication style. That means you need to learn about their preferred communication channels and style. Then, tailor your communication methods to their select style. While the sales team seeks endless data analytics , the analytics team might not want detailed stories about how to land clients.

5. Have One-on-One Interactions

To improve workplace communication , you need to be intentional about relationships. Schedule one-on-one meetings with your team members. These meetings show your employees that you value them and are willing to connect with them more personally. Plus, the timid or reserved ones tend to be more open and share valuable information and feedback in private settings.

6. Schedule Weekly Team Meetings

To foster good communication amongst team members, schedule weekly meetings where employees can speak their minds. Team managers can meet with team members to review each week’s accomplishments, challenges and concerns. They can also set goals and tasks for the following week and even discuss big-picture ideas. You can also take a step further by documenting important conversations and sharing recaps to clarify points and help the team remember recommendations and action points.

7. Make Time for Team Building

Team building activities often create a dynamic working environment, where people feel safe and build their confidence. So, get creative—offer employees an escape from usual activities by promoting casual interactions such as nonwork Slack channels or out-of-office events. Let them socialize and collaborate through activities such as icebreaker games, puzzle-solving games, fitness sessions, team lunches and movie dates. Team members will loosen up and improve communication and team collaboration, promoting employee retention .

8. Show Appreciation

Businesses with engaged and happy workers make 23% more profits than those with miserable employees. To move closer to achieving your goals as an organization, you need to appreciate employees and show you care. Thank them for their brilliant ideas or for completing a task quickly. And that includes zeroing in on exactly what made you happy. It will show that you’re genuine, and they can replicate it, too.

For instance, you can say, “You did great highlighting the customer segmentation steps in your presentation. The examples you gave helped the team understand the process.”

9. Get a Team Communication App

Without good team communication, there will be miscommunications, especially since many organizations are now hybrid or remote. But with team communication platforms, whether UCaaS or CPaaS , employees can communicate, stay up to date and collaborate on projects. They can meet to carry out their tasks, share relevant information and discuss upcoming tasks. Communication apps include project management tools , video conferencing tools and voice-over-internet-protocol services.

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10. Organize Communication Training Sessions

Consider holding regular communication training sessions so that both team leaders and employees can grasp basic communication skills that improve workplace communication. Hold training sessions physically or meet online over Google Meet or Zoom or any other communication platform. You can also use webinar tools for training so that old and new employees can always access them.

Bottom Line

Communication in the workplace should exceed exchanging information. It should include intentional communication exercises that enhance confidence, promote engagement and improve an organization’s overall productivity. So, use the given tips to retain your best employees and nail your goals.

Why is it important to have effective communication in the workplace?

Without effective workplace communication, there’d be confusion and conflicts. But with effective communication in the workplace, you’ll enjoy benefits such as enhanced employee motivation, engagement and productivity.

What are the seven Cs of communication?

The seven Cs of communication are:

• Conciseness
• Concreteness
• Correctness
• Completeness

What are good communication tools in a workplace?

Good communication tools include:

• Project management tools
• Business phone systems
• Video conferencing tools
• Emailing software
• Webinar tools

They’ll help you communicate with team members without issues.

How does communication affect teamwork?

Communication enables team members to know the tasks they need to perform and why and how to do them so they can achieve set goals.

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10 Best Assertive Communication Worksheets and Techniques

They accept that they may have more to learn and, therefore, fear neither challenge nor a difference in opinion.

They consider their own needs as necessary, and while coming across as assured, they are definitely not aggressive. While communicating, such an individual is both respectful to themselves and those with which they share thoughts and opinions.

Being assertive is a crucial aspect of effective communication and requires you to be heard but not aggressive. This article explores this balance and how it can be identified and developed through a series of worksheets and techniques.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others.

This Article Contains:

5 worksheets and workbooks, helpful techniques and tips, 5 activities and exercises, assessment methods: questionnaire, assertiveness in children: 3 games, 3 interesting ted talks, books on the topic, positivepsychology.com tools, a take-home message.

Assertive communication is a powerful tool that helps you to speak up and be heard. It is a way to say, “this is who I am, and this is how I want to be treated” while remaining aware of the feelings and needs of others (Murphy, 2011).

However, it is not about trying to be liked all the time. Nor is it concerned with making everyone else happy or keeping the peace.

The aim of assertiveness is to make sure that you are heard and treated fairly.

Not only does assertiveness enhance communication skills and strengthen decision making, but it also improves your self-esteem .

Becoming more assertive will make you better equipped to face conflict and difficult situations without self-doubt while earning others’ respect.

So how do you or your clients become more assertive?

Building a healthy self-perception

It can be useful to create a set of assertiveness rules by which you can live. They should remind us that we have the right to individual needs and can expect them without guilt or doubt (Smith, 1985).

Have a look at the Rights of Assertiveness worksheet.

Regularly review the assertiveness rules, amending them as needed. They can be especially useful before or after difficult conversations to bolster internal strength and remind you that you deserve respect.

Indeed, while good manners are important, they can lead to a restrictive mindset. We don’t have to say yes to everything, and it is fine to disagree with what is said.

Self-talk for assertiveness

Self-talk can be positive or negative. Indeed, telling ourselves we can’t do something damages our self-belief and can reduce feelings of self-respect.

On the other hand, athletes using positive motivational self-talk can push their limits for longer and even increase their capacity to cope with pain (Meijen, 2019).

Use this Positive Assertiveness Statements worksheet to encourage a robust and healthy degree of self-worth .

Repeating the statements daily and before difficult conversations can change your perception and improve self-confidence . Feel this shift in how you view yourself, strengthening your inner voice and becoming aware of the increased self-empowerment.

Assertive talk

When talking assertively, it is vital to consider what others hear.

If you mumble or don’t speak clearly, you will sound like you lack confidence and passion.

The Talk Assertively worksheet contains four techniques to encourage verbal assertiveness.

It can be useful to play back earlier communications to see how they could have been improved by employing these communication techniques more consistently.

Find opportunities to practice the four approaches and make improvements based on lessons learned.

Planning what you are talking about

Knowing your subject matter and being clear on what you wish to share will help your confidence and make you sound more assertive.

Chris Anderson (2017), creator of the successful TED Talks, writes that every good communication starts with having ”something meaningful to say, and your goal is to re-create your core idea inside your audience’s minds.”

To do this, you must:

• Focus on one key idea
• Find a reason for people to care
• Build the idea out of concepts the audience already understands

After all, successful communication means you have something worth saying.

Try out the Communicating an Idea Effectively worksheet for steps on how to successfully present that idea.

Assertiveness obstacles

We often create our own obstacles to being assertive.

Identifying the challenges and finding ways to overcome them will help us grow and get closer to reaching our goal of being a more assertive person (Banks, 2020).

Try out the Assertiveness Obstacles worksheet.

Ask yourself if any of the left-hand column statements are correct ( I don’t know what I want; My needs don’t matter; etc.). If you think these are valid, consider the right-hand column’s actions and focus your attention on removing the obstacle between you and becoming more assertive.

If you wish to overcome assertiveness obstacles, then we have a few handy tips and techniques you can try out.

Assertiveness and aggression

Aggressive people do not respect the views or the needs of others. They often raise their voices, trample on the opinions of others, and invade their personal space. Their sarcasm and shouting can even lead to violence.

Assertiveness is dignified. Those who are skilled walk the fine line between getting what they want and stepping on others’ needs.

Read our related article on Nonviolent Communication .

Assertiveness and passivity

Being passive can be as unhelpful to communication as aggression (Murphy, 2011).

The difference between the two is, again, one of respect .

After all, passive people lack respect for their own  feelings, needs, and opinions. The desires of others become more important than their own.

Being aggressive will not win you many friends, but neither will passivity. It is ultimately a loss of power, allowing others to make the decisions on our behalf.

How do I stop myself or my client from being a captive of the environment and become assertive?

Visualize success in assertive communication

Use the earlier guidance to help visualize a successful and assertive conversation where everything goes well. The more real you can make it – sights, sounds, smells – the greater the positive impact will be.

Also, consider revisiting previous situations that went well and spend time feeling good about how you performed.

Feel confident in returning to less successful conversations. Where it felt like it went wrong, change how you reacted and how secure you felt.

Picture how strong you can be.

Develop assertive body language

While we have so far focused on internal assertiveness, it is worth considering the impact of our behavior.

In Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges , Harvard professor Amy Cuddy (2018) says we change the impression we make on ourselves (and others) by adopting behaviors that reflect both strength and power.

She describes presence  as confidence without arrogance. According to a large body of research, it can be achieved through “self-nudges, small tweaks in our body language and mindset.”

Try out Cuddy’s “power pose.”

Adopt a confident stance, with hands on hips like Wonder Woman or Superman, and hold for two minutes.

There are other ways to develop strong body language:

• Strong eye contact
• An honest, genuine smile
• Shoulders back but relaxed
• When sitting, be straight and tall
• Gesture with your hands comfortably but not frequently (relax them at your sides when they are not needed)

A video demonstrating the power pose is shared in the TED Talk section below.

Personal relationships

Personal relationships can be challenging for people lacking in assertiveness. If you wish to be respected by friends and partners, you must first respect yourself.

Judy Murphy (2011) offers the following tips for being assertive in a relationship:

• Take back the power. If you are sharing a home, remind yourself that you deserve it to be comfortable.

No one has the right to make me uncomfortable in my own home .

• Determine what you want. Take time to think about what you want from a successful relationship and what changes you would like.

Express your wants and needs calmly yet confidently .

If you don’t communicate your needs, you are not being fair to yourself or your partner.

• Communicate what you want. Make time to talk with your partner. Share your needs and listen to theirs.

Use “I” and “me” when discussing what you are looking for in a relationship .

• Continue to be caring. Being assertive does not mean you should be uncaring.

The fact that you wish to share your feelings and improve your relationship should be a sign that you want to invest more in the bond you have together.

Find time together to share your needs calmly .

It doesn’t have to be a stressful occasion but rather an opportunity to grow the relationship to fulfill you both.

Assertiveness at work

Assertiveness in the work environment is crucial. When successful, you communicate your needs and wishes clearly (what is to be done, by when, and how) without appearing discourteous or rude.

While being assertive does not ensure you always get what you ask for, it does increase the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Respect (for yourself and others) and good relationship communication  skills are crucial to assertiveness, but also:

• Be assertive but not aggressive. You will not gain respect if you behave aggressively at work, which will hinder your ability to communicate effectively.
• Prepare. Visualize, note down, or discuss with someone you trust how you are going to manage a problematic conversation assertively.
• Know your rights. Take time to learn about what you are entitled to and what is acceptable.

For example, what are you entitled to in terms of vacation time and sick leave? Are there any limitations on when it can be taken? If a manager is behaving inappropriately, what are your next steps?

• Know your boundaries. What are your limits when it comes to how many hours you work? While you may accept some late work, at what point does this become unacceptable?
• Recognize how valuable you are. Value yourself as a person and an employee. Consider your strengths at work and what you bring to the organization.

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These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to improve communication skills and enjoy more positive social interactions with others.

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To be more assertive, you or your client may need to form some new habits (Banks, 2020).

While it can be challenging to make many changes at once, it can be more comfortable taking one at a time.

Consider the following:

• Be clear about your vision. What do you want to accomplish? Create a long-term vision.
• Set goals. Create shorter term SMART goals that will help you reach your longer term vision.
• Practice positive thinking and visualization. Consider who you would like to be and how you would like to communicate. Creating a strong positive image can reframe how you see yourself, building both self-confidence and self-respect.
• Challenge yourself. Growth and confidence can be built by meeting and overcoming challenges and obstacles.
• Focus on your strengths. Understand your strengths and use them.

For example, if you view yourself negatively, you will find it difficult to ask (or be asked) a direct question. Sharing your opinion takes confidence.

Evaluating yourself

It’s essential to understand how you see yourself. What beliefs do you hold ?

Answer the questions on the Self-Evaluation for Assertiveness worksheet to gain insight into how your perception of yourself affects how you communicate.

The number of negative answers to questions such as “Are you able to say no?” indicates how assertive you are.

Lacking assertiveness is a problem. Without it, you tend to back down and live your life on other people’s terms rather than your own.

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Teaching children to be assertive can help improve their respect for themselves and others while reducing the likelihood of being bullied or placed in awkward situations by peers.

Communication games and role-playing can be safe and effective ways for children to develop self-confidence and build assertiveness.

Standing up for yourself

Use dolls or soft toys to play out a situation where one child tries to take something from another forcibly.

Talk to the child about how sharing doesn’t mean you have to give away what you are playing with instantly.

Work with them to come up with a list of ways they can stand up for themselves assertively, but not aggressively.

Meeting new people

Using dolls or puppets, role-play with a child (or group of children) about how they might introduce themselves and ask if they can play with others.

Practice being the new child, but also part of an established group of friends.

Making mistakes

Children must learn how to handle situations when they make mistakes. Not only can such problems be stressful, but they can also damage their confidence.

Use toys or dolls to enact and discuss situations when things go wrong. Discuss how to be honest about what happened (a broken vase or being unable to perform a task), and if appropriate, apologize or stop something from happening in the future.

Take a few minutes to listen to these inspiring TED Talks.

1. 10 ways to have a better conversation – Celeste Headlee

Based on many years as a radio host, Celeste Headlee provides 10 powerful rules to have better conversations. Even adopting one or two will hugely improve your ability to become a better communicator.

“ Go out, talk to people, listen to people ,” she says. “ And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed .”

2. How to speak so that people want to listen – Julian Treasure

As a sound consultant, Julian Treasure has listened to his fair share of good and bad communication.

In his fascinating talk, Treasure lists the bad habits that make us tune out, alongside what we can do to draw people in when we speak. Crucially, he offers some valuable tips on improving our voice’s quality and fully engaging with our listeners.

3. Your body language may shape who you are – Amy Cuddy

In 2012, Amy Cuddy rose to fame with her talk – the second most popular ever – on the potential of posture to boost feelings of power.

Cuddy suggested that the “power pose” can transform us into confident and assertive individuals who perform better in interviews and other challenging environments.

While Cuddy and team have since received criticism, they came back with further proof to back up their claims. If you have two minutes before your next big presentation, it’s worth a try.

The best way to learn even more about assertiveness is to immerse yourself in a good book. We share a few suggestions below.

1. Assertiveness: How to Stand Up for Yourself and Still Win the Respect of Others – Judy Murphy

This book covers every aspect of assertiveness from self-evaluation to growth and making it a habit.

It explores the differences between assertiveness, aggression, and passivity and how to define a bill of rights for the former.

The guidance is incredibly insightful for understanding assertiveness in multiple contexts, including parenting, relationships, and the workplace.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges – Amy Cuddy

Following Amy Cuddy’s epic success with her TED Talk about “power poses,” she presents exciting research regarding other body–mind effects.

In her book, she shares several simple techniques to handle high-pressure moments and feel more assertive and confident.

3. Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success – Sylvia Ann Hewlett

Whether you plan to step up into a leadership role or not, Sylvia Ann Hewlett’s book provides fascinating insights into workplace power and influence.

She introduces the results of research across multiple sectors into executive presence  and then explains how to move from working like an executive to feeling like one.

Knowing and using your strengths can be an effective way to improve confidence and become more assertive.

We have many resources at PositivePsychology.com that will help you or your client build your strengths.

• General Strength Cards – Use the cards provided to understand your strengths and celebrate your positive qualities.
• How To Use Your Signature Strengths – Learn how to leverage your strengths in different ways and contexts.
• Exploring Character Strengths – Identify and reflect on your character strengths.

Finally, the Maximizing Strengths Masterclass© is the ultimate tool in helping yourself and others identify and develop their strengths. This coaching package is just what you need to become a strengths-based practitioner and help clients reach their full potential.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others communicate better, this collection contains 17 validated positive communication tools for practitioners. Use them to help others improve their communication skills and form deeper and more positive relationships.

17 Exercises To Develop Positive Communication

17 Positive Communication Exercises [PDFs] to help others develop communication skills for successful social interactions and positive, fulfilling relationships.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Being assertive is not about railroading people into taking on board your views or doing things they don’t want to do – it’s about being heard.

Assertiveness requires confidence – often quiet confidence – that owes as much to respecting yourself as others. You may not want to climb the corporate ladder, but you also don’t want to be ignored when you have something to say.

After all, don’t we all want to be valued?

Think about your mindset, how you speak, what you have to say, and even how you behave to adopt a more assertive style. The change will be apparent in how you feel and how others see you.

Use the tools and techniques yourself, or with clients, to feel a sense of worth and communicate authentically, displaying assurance rather than passivity or aggression.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free .

• Anderson, C. (2017). TED talks . Headline Book Publishing.
• Banks, R. (2020). The keys to being brilliantly confident and more assertive: A vital guide to enhancing your communication skills, getting rid of anxiety, and building assertiveness . Author.
• Cuddy, A. J. (2018). Presence: Bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges . Little, Brown Spark.
• Hewlett, S. A. (2014).  Executive presence: The missing link between merit and success. Harper Business.
• Meijen, C. (2019). Endurance performance in sport: Psychological theory and interventions . Routledge.
• Murphy, J. (2011). Assertiveness: How to stand up for yourself and still win the respect of others . Author.
• Smith, M. (1985). When I say no, I feel guilty . Bantam.

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66 Communication Skills Examples (A to Z List)

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Employers will often ask us to prove our communication skills during an interview. To do this, don’t just tell them about your communication skills – demonstrate them!

Communication skills come in all shapes and sizes. Being a good communicator involves not just what we say, but a range of other aspects like how we speak, our active listening abilities, nonverbal communication cues, and the ability to adjust our message for our audience.

Below are 66 of the best communication skills you can have in an A to Z list. Have a scan to find the communication skills that you want to demonstrate to your future employer.

Communication Skills Examples

1. acknowledgement.

Acknowledging others’ points of view can help diffuse tense situations, build relationships, and show that you’re listening. By showing that you understand where someone is coming from, you can better collaborate with them towards a resolution.

Related Article: 41 Top Examples Of Communication

2. Active Listening

Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to fully engage with the speaker, understand their message, and provide feedback. It helps people know that you respect their points of view while also helping you to take-in information more effectively.

3. Active Voice

Using active voice in your communication can make your writing and speaking more clear, concise, and impactful. Active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs the verb. For example: “I am writing a paper.” This is opposed to passive voice, which would be something like “A paper is being written by me.

4. Asking Questions

Asking questions is a key communication skill because it shows that you’re interested and engaged in the conversation. It also helps you to get more information from someone to help you to understand them more effectively and make better decisipns.

5. Assertiveness

Assertiveness is the ability to express yourself confidently and stand up for your needs and beliefs. It’s a balance between being too passive and too aggressive. Being assertive can help you better manage difficult situations, express yourself more effectively, and build healthier relationships.

See More: List of Examples of Assertiveness

6. Authenticity and Honesty

Authenticity and honesty are important communication skills because they help create trust. When you’re authentic, you’re being true to yourself and your beliefs. And when you’re honest, you’re sharing accurate information that people can rely on.

7. Body Language

Your body language is a nonverbal form of communication that can influence how others perceive you and respond to you. It includes your posture, facial expressions, eye contact, and hand gestures. By changing your body, you can change the message in your communications.

8. Boosting

Boosting is a strategy that involves emphasizing important points. It involves using strong adverbs and adjectives such as strongly and amazing in order to emphasize and draw attention. The opposite of boosting is hedging, which can also be useful in some situations.

Hedging involves softening language. It can be useful when giving feedback or demonstrating thoughtfulness. For example, if you wanted to hedge the term “You’re always late! I should fire you!”, you could say “You’re often late and I need you to try harder.” By changing ‘always’ to ‘often’, you’re likely being more honest but also less aggressive.

10. Brevity

Brevity is the ability to communicate effectively in a concise manner. It’s important to be clear and to the point in your communication, especially when time is limited. As a professor, I find my students appreciate brevity because it shows I respect their time and don’t want to waste it.

11. Calibration

Calibration is the act of adjusting your communication style to match your audience. For example, you might speak more formally to a boss than you would to a friend. By calibrating your communication, you can ensure that your message is better received.

12. Clarification

Clarification involves making sure that you understand someone and that they understand you. It’s important to clarify things when there is potential for misunderstanding. This can be done by asking questions, repeating back what you heard, or providing additional information.

13. Clarity

Clarity is the act of making something clearer or easier to understand. When communicating with others, clarification can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and reduce misunderstandings. Some people are far better at communicating complex ideas in a clear way than others.

14. Conciseness

Conciseness is the quality of being brief and to the point. In communication, conciseness can be achieved by using clear language and avoiding unnecessary details. It’s important to strike a balance between being too brief and providing too much information. Conciseness is that perfect middle ground.

15. Confidence

Confidence is key in communication because it helps you to project authority and credibility. When you’re confident in your abilities, it comes across in your words and actions, making it more likely that others will listen to you and take you seriously.

16. Congruence

Congruence is the alignment of your words, actions, and beliefs. When you’re congruent, people can trust that you’re being honest and authentic. This alignment helps build credibility and rapport. It’s embodied by the phrase “actions speak louder than words.”

17. Conciliation

Conciliation is the act of making peace or restoring harmony. In communication, it can involve strategies like apologizing, seeking ways to move forward, forgiveness, and finding common ground. It’s important to be able to conciliate with others when there is conflict so that you can resolve the issue and move forward.

18. Consensus Building

Consensus building is the process of coming to an agreement with others. It involves active listening, compromise, and respect for differing opinions. When you’re able to build consensus, it shows that you’re able to work well with others and find common ground. This is a valuable skill in any workplace, and in particular, a vital skill for leaders.

19. Consideration

Consideration is the act of thinking about someone and their perspectives. In communication, it involves taking others into account and being mindful of their needs. For example, if you’re considering your audience when giving a presentation, you might choose to use simpler language so that everyone can understand. Similarly, if there are people in your audience with vision impairments, you would make sure you didn’t provide information in an exclusively visual format.

20. Consultation

Consultation is the act of seeking advice or input from others. In communication, it can involve getting feedback on a proposal or idea, or asking for input on how to best proceed. Consultation shows that you value others’ opinions and are willing to consider them before making decisions. This can help build trust and rapport.

21. Cooperation

Cooperation is working together with others to achieve a common goal. In communication, it can involve compromise, collaboration, and respect for differing opinions. When you’re able to cooperate with others, it shows that you’re able to work well with others and find common ground. This is a valuable skill in any workplace, and in particular, a vital skill for leaders.

Go Deeper: Cooperation Examples

22. Creative Writing

Creative writing is the art of using words to create a piece of writing that is original and expressive. It involves using your imagination to come up with new ideas and ways of looking at things. Creative writing can be used in many different ways, such as novels, poems, short stories, or even marketing copy.

23. Debate and Rebuttal

Debate and rebuttal are two important skills for communicating effectively. Debate involves presenting opposing arguments in a respectful way, while rebuttal involves responding to those arguments. Both skills require you to think on your feet and be able to defend your position. Effective communicators will be able to debate in ways that convince their opponents of their positions.

See More: Rebuttal Examples

24. Dress (What you Wear)

Your appearance, including your clothes, can communicate a lot about you. The way you dress sends nonverbal cues about your status, professional identity, and level of authority. When you go for a job interview, it’s important to dress in a way that shows you’re taking the meeting seriously. Similarly, if you’re giving a presentation, you might want to dress in a way that projects confidence and authority.

25. Email Etiquette

The tone in an email conveys a message just as much as what is written. Steps like using an appellation (Dear Name), a professional tone, avoiding abbreviations, and proofreading your email before you send it can help show your communication skills to the person you are emailing.

26. Eye Contact

Eye contact can show interest, attentiveness, and respect. It can also make you appear more credible and trustworthy. People with strong communication skills make eye contact both when speaking and listening as a way to demonstrate that they are fully present in the situation. However, overly staring at someone can be taboo, so this is a communication skill that takes some time to master!

27. Facial Expression

Facial expressions are an important form of nonverbal communication . A soft smile can encourage someone to continue speaking, while a furrowed brow may discourage people. Good communicators often maintain an animated face, with smiles, eye contact, and even subtle nods of the head, to engage in active speaking and listening.

28. Following-Up

Good communicators remember to follow up on a discussion that was previously had. For example, if you had an interview for a new job, following up with an email a few days later thanking them for the opportunity can show interest, engagement, and enthusiasm. Similarly, as a boss, you might follow up on a discussion with a staff member to see if they took action on what you agreed upon. This can help improve results, whether it’s in the workplace or for job applications.

29. Friendliness

Being friendly makes you more approachable, helping you with your overall skills in communication. It can make people more likely to want to listen to you and engage in conversation. If you’re friendly, it shows that you have good social skills and are easy to talk to. This is a valuable skill in any situation where you need to communicate with others, whether it’s at work, school, or even just meeting new people.

30. Gestures

Gestures are a form of nonverbal communication that can reinforce or replace verbal messages . For example, you might use gestures to show agreement, emphasize a point, or express pleasure or displeasure. Good communicators know how and when to use gestures to support and reinforce their message. Some people, such as teachers, will also use gestures without even speaking to subtly direct and manage their students.

31. Giving Examples

Good communicators are specific. They don’t provide vague commentary. Instead, they give very clear and explicit examples. This is especially important with essays, where precision and clarity are often valued. Giving examples can also help to build trust, as it shows that you know what you’re talking about and that you’re not just making things up.

32. Giving Space and Time

Sometimes, the best thing you can do as a communicator is to give someone the space and time they need. This is especially true when someone is upset or angry. If you try to force them to communicate before they’re ready, it will only make the situation worse. Good communicators know how to Respect personal space and boundaries, and they’re patient enough to wait for the right time to engage in discussion.

Humor is a great way to build rapport, make people feel comfortable, and get your point across. It can also be used as a tool to diffuse tense situations. However, not everyone appreciates the same type of humor, so it’s important to use it sparingly and only when you’re sure it will be well-received. It’s also sometimes inappropriate to use humor in some situations, so its use needs to be culturally appropriate.

34. Medium Selection

A medium is the means through which a message is communicated (e.g., spoken words, written words, pictures, etc.). The selection of medium is important because it can affect the clarity, effectiveness, and even the meaning of the message. For example, a text message may be misinterpreted if the receiver doesn’t know the sender’s tone, whereas rich media such as face-to-face conversation can usually avoid such misunderstandings. Good communicators carefully select the most appropriate medium for their message and their audience.

35. Mirroring

Mirroring is a form of nonverbal communication in which you match the body language, tone, and energy level of the person you’re talking to. It’s often used as a way to build rapport and make people feel comfortable. When done correctly, mirroring can make you appear more likable, trustworthy, and competent. However, it’s important to be aware that mirroring can also come across as fake or insincere if it’s not done naturally.

36. Multimodal Communication

Multimodal communication is the use of multiple modes (media) t communicate a message. For example, a multimodal message might include spoken words along with visual presentations. Multimodal communication is often more effective than uni-modal communication because it can provide more information to the receiver to understand the message. If you need to prove your communication skills, consider demonstrating them by using multiple modes of address at once.

37. Naming (Saying People’s Names)

One of the simplest but most effective ways to build rapport is to say people’s names. This is a strategy that is taught in the famous book How to win Friends and Influence People . It makes the interlocutor feel seen and valued, and it helps you to remember them better. When you’re talking to someone, make an effort to catch and use their name often.

38. Open Door Policy

An open-door policy is a way of communicating that encourages openness and transparency . It’s often used in business settings, but it can also be applied to personal relationships. The basic idea is that people should always feel free to come to you with any concerns or questions they have, no matter what or when! This can help to build trust and improve communication. If you want to adopt an open-door policy, make sure that you’re approachable and that people feel comfortable coming to you with their concerns.

39. Open-Ended Questioning

Open-ended questions are questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They require the respondent to elaborate on their answer. For example, instead of asking “are you feeling okay?”, you can say “what’s on your mind?” These types of questions are useful for getting people to open up and share more information than they would if you just asked closed-ended questions.

40. Closed-Ended Questioning

Closed-ended questioning is usually discouraged, but it has some value in some contexts. For example, if you need quick and simple responses that won’t slow your down, you can ask for a simple yes or no answer to a quick check-in question. This is common, for example, in the restaurant industry. Your server doesn’t say “What do you like about the meal?” Rather, they say “Is the meal okay?” so you can give a quick nod and the server can get on with their job.

41. Paralinguistics

Paralinguistics is the study of nonverbal communication that accompanies speech. This includes things like tone, volume, pitch, and rate of speech. Paralanguage can give extra meaning to the words that are spoken, and it can be used to build rapport or convey emotions. For example, saying someone’s name with a warm tone can make them feel appreciated, while saying it with a cold tone can make them feel unwelcome.

42. Personal Space (Proxemics)

Personal space is the distance that people like to keep between themselves and others. It varies from culture to culture, but in general, people like to have more personal space when they’re talking to someone they don’t know well. Respecting personal space can make people feel more comfortable and help you to build rapport.

43. Posture

Your posture can communicate a lot about how you’re feeling. For example, slouching often conveys boredom or disinterest, while standing up straight often conveys confidence. If you want to appear more open and approachable, try to avoid crossing your arms or legs, which can make you seem closed off.

44. Prompting

Prompting is a way of giving someone a cue to continue speaking. It can be verbal, like saying “yes” or “go on,” or nonverbal, like nodding your head. Prompting shows that you’re interested in what the other person is saying and that you want to hear more. It’s commonly used in teaching, where the educator uses a prompting signal to try to get students to provide more information and further demonstrate their knowledge.

45. Providing Examples

Examples can be exceptionally useful for helping get across a point. Providing examples is a way of clarifying your point by illustrating it with a real-life example. This can be helpful if you’re trying to explain a concept that’s difficult to understand, or if you want to make sure that everyone is on the same page. When providing an example, try to choose one that’s relatable and easy to understand.

46. Providing Handouts

Handouts can supplement an oral message, helping people to further understand what you are communicating. They can be useful for giving people something to refer back to after a meeting or presentation as well as a way to help people follow along with what you’re saying. Handouts can also be used as a way of providing more detailed information about a topic than you could include in a presentation.

47. Public Speaking

Not everyone is a skilled public speaker. So, people with the ability to get in front of a crowd and confidently entertain them have a communication skill that many other people don’t have! Good public speakers can command an audience’s attention, project confidence, keep people engaged, and think quickly on their feet. Examples of excellent public speakers include Barack Obama and Tony Robins.

48. Questioning

Questioning is a fundamental communication skill. It involves asking questions to gather information, clarify understanding, or encourage someone to continue talking. There are different types of questions that can be used for different purposes. For example, open-ended questions are often used to encourage someone to keep talking, while closed-ended questions are often used to gather specific information.

49. Rapport

Rapport is a feeling of harmony or understanding between people. We could describe it as a “connection” between people, and it’s an important part of effective communication. Building rapport can make people feel more comfortable talking to you, and it can make it easier to resolve conflicts and disagreements. Excellent communicators can get up in front of a group of people, or have one-to-one conversations, and leave the situation having built a warm relationship with the people across from them.

50. Reading Body Language

Reading body language is the ability to understand the nonverbal cues that people use to communicate. This can include things like facial expressions, eye contact, and body position. Being able to read body language can help you to better understand what someone is really saying, even if they’re not using words. As a result, it helps you to more effectively craft your response so it’s catered to the needs and, importantly, emotions of the person you’re taking to.

51. Responsiveness

Responsiveness is the ability to quickly and accurately respond to the communication of others. As a general rule, I try to respond to all emails within 24 hours. This is an essential communication skill for me as a professor because it helps my students to learn more effectively, helps to quickly clarify confusion among my students, and lets them know I am there for them.

52. Role Playing

Role playing is a technique that can be used to help people understand a concept or scenario. It involves acting out a situation in order to explore different possible outcomes. This can be helpful for exploring what might happen in a difficult conversation, or for understanding how to respond to someone in a difficult situation. This communication strategy is most regularly used in business and therapy settings.

53. Scanning (with eyes)

Scanning is a strategy used in public speaking to improve your rapport with your audience. It involves using our eyes to ‘scan the room’ and make eye contact with the people you are talking to. Scanning can help us to better understand our audience’s reactions and identify whether we have said something that has confused or distracted our listeners. It’s also a strategy commonly used by teachers who scan their students to ensure they’re keeping up with the lesson.

54. Sharing

Sometimes, the best way to make yourself come across as relatable and to get people to open up is to share our own experiences. This makes people more comfortable with reciprocally sharing. When we share, we should aim to be vulnerable so that others feel comfortable being open with us. However, it’s also important to be aware of the boundaries of what is appropriate to share and what isn’t. We don’t want to overshare or make people feel uncomfortable.

55. Silence

Silence can be a powerful communication tool. It can be used to show that we’re listening, to give people time to think, or to emphasize a point. When used effectively, silence can make us appear more confident and in control (often called a ‘strategic pause’). However, it’s important to be aware of the different types of silence and when they are appropriate. For example, too much silence in a conversation can make us appear disinterested, bored, or even rude.

56. Simplifying

Simplifying our message can be an effective way to communicate, especially when we’re talking to people who are not experts in the same field as us. When we simplify, we break down complex concepts into smaller, more manageable pieces that are easier for others to understand. This can be done by using analogies, metaphors, or other figurative language. This is essential when teaching people new and complex ideas.

57. Small Talk

Small talk is the kind of conversation we have when we’re just getting to know someone or when we’re trying to fill an awkward silence. Some people are great at small talk, but for introverts like me, it’s not easy. Samll talk is generally light and superficial, but it can be an important part of building rapport with someone. Small talk can also help us to learn more about the other person, find common ground, and make friends and professional contacts (i.e. a network).

58. Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate. When we tell stories, we can engage our listener’s emotions and help them to understand complex concepts. We can also use stories to share our values, experiences, and beliefs. Stories can be used to entertain, teach, or inspire others. When done well, storytelling is an art form that can be used to create lasting memories. For example, great orators like Barack Obama know that stories help them to connect to audiences more than hard facts and data.

59. Summarizing

Summarizing is a skill that involves taking a complex message and distilling it down to its essentials. It’s a really important skill to have if you’re a project leader or educator. It’s particulary helpful when we need to share a lot of information in a limited amount of time, or when we’re trying to make sure our listener has understood what we’ve said. Summarizing can also help us to remember information more effectively. When we summarize, we should focus on the main points and omit any unnecessary details.

60. Supporting Evidence

Providing supporting evidence is a way to add credibility to our claims and arguments. When we make statements, we should back them up with facts, data, examples, or testimony from experts. This helps our listener to understand why we believe what we do and makes it more likely that they will be convinced by our argument. It can build credibility and help people to leave the conversation feeling confident in you and your knowledge.

60. Teaching

Teachers are, generally, excellent communicators. They have to spend most of their days thinking about the best ways to communicate new knowledge to people! When we’re teaching, it’s important to be clear, patient, and adaptable. We need to make sure that our students understand what we’re saying and that they are able to apply the new concepts. If someone asks you if you have good communication skills, you can provide your teaching skills as an example and explain how you teach people new ideas.

Related: A to Z List of Teaching Skills

Tone is the way that we express our emotions and attitudes through our words and actions. It can be difficult to control our tone, especially when we’re feeling emotional. But it’s important to be aware of how our tone might be coming across to others. For example, if we’re angry, our tone might be aggressive or confrontational. If we’re happy, our tone might be cheerful or enthusiastic. If we’re sad, our tone might be sorrowful or regretful. Our tone can influence the way that our message is received, so it’s important to be conscious of it.

62. Touch (Haptics)

Touch is an important nonverbal communication tool. It can be used to express affection, show support, or build rapport with others. When we touch someone, it sends a physical and emotional message. For example, a hug can communicate comfort or love. A handshake can communicate respect or appreciation. A pat on the back can communicate encouragement or congratulations. However, keep in mind that touch can also be seen as inappropriate, depending on the context and relationship. So it’s important to be aware of the cultural norms around touch before using this communication method.

63. Using Props

Props can be a helpful way to communicate, especially when we’re trying to illustrate a concept or make a point. Props can be anything from physical objects to visual aids. For example, if you’re giving a presentation on the solar system, you might use a model of the sun and planets to help your audience understand the concept.

64. Voice Intonation

Voice intonation is the pitch, volume, and rhythm of our voice. It’s an important part of communication because it can influence the way that our message is received. For example, if we speak in a monotone voice, our listener might tune out or become bored. But if we vary the pitch and volume of our voice, we can keep our listener’s attention and make our message more interesting. Voice intonation can also be used to convey emotions. For example, if we speak in a high-pitched voice, we might sound scared or nervous.

65. Voice Projection

Voice projection is the act of speaking loudly enough to be heard by our listener. It’s an important skill to have, especially in noisy environments or when we’re trying to reach a large audience. When we project our voice, we should make sure that we’re not shouting. Instead, we should focus on breathing from our diaphragm and using our resonant cavities to amplify our voice.

66. Volume Control

While voice projection can be a good thing, sometimes it’s equally important to know when to keep our volume down. This is especially true when we’re trying to be respectful or sensitive to others. For example, if we’re in a library or a place of worship, we should make sure to keep our voices down so as not to disturb others. Similarly, if we’re talking to someone who is hard of hearing, we should make sure to speak up so that they can understand us.

Communication is a vital part of our everyday lives. It’s how we interact with others, share information, and express ourselves. By understanding and using these skills, we can become better communicators and make sure that our message is received the way that we intend.

When an employer asks you to demonstrate your communication skills, they’re looking to see if you have the ability to effectively share information and express yourself. There are many different ways to do this, but some common skills include active listening, nonverbal communication, and using props or visual aids. Show-off your communication skills to the future employer so you’re not just telling them you’re good at communicating: you’re also showing them!

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

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12 tips for effective communication in the workplace

Effective communication transcends simple information exchanges. Understanding the emotions and motives behind the given information is essential. In addition to successfully conveying messages, it's important to actively listen and fully understand the conversation, making the speaker feel heard and understood.

Today, we’re in almost constant contact with our coworkers. You might not put a lot of thought into saying “hi” to your coworker, grabbing virtual coffee with a remote team member, or sending a gif of a cat wearing pajamas to your team—and that’s ok. Even though you’re communicating at work, there’s a difference between these types of messages and communication in the workplace.

Communication in the workplace refers to the communication you do at work about work. Knowing when and how to effectively communicate at work can help you reduce miscommunication, increase team happiness, bolster collaboration, and foster trust. Teams that know how to communicate effectively about work are better prepared for difficult situations. But building good communication habits takes time and effort—and that’s where we come in. Here are 12 ways to take your workplace communication skills to the next level.

What is effective communication?

Effective communication is the exchange of ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and information so that the message is received and comprehended clearly and purposefully. When we communicate effectively, all stakeholders are fulfilled.

Developing effective communication skills requires a delicate balance of active listening, verbal communication, nonverbal cues, body language, and emotional intelligence to ensure messages are clearly transmitted and understood.

It's about more than just talking; effective communication involves listening skills and a deep understanding of interpersonal dynamics. Individuals can use these communication skills to bridge gaps, make informed decisions, and strengthen relationships. 

What does “workplace communication” mean?

Communication in the workplace can happen face-to-face, in writing, over a video conferencing platform, on social media, or in a group meeting. It can also happen in real time or asynchronously , which happens when you’re communicating about work over email, with recorded video, or on a platform like a project management tool . Some examples of workplace communication include:

Team meetings

1:1 feedback sessions

Receiving information

Communicating about project status or progress

Collaboration on cross-functional tasks

Nonverbal communication

Collaboration Report: How the most effective teams in the world collaborate

Explore key traits that have made the most effective teams in the world successful: their strategies, techniques, and tips for working well together.

What makes communication effective?

Now that you know what type of communication can be included in workplace communication, how do you start getting better at it? There are a few key tenets of effective communication that you can use, no matter what type of communication it is. In particular, good communication:

Aims for clarity. Whether you’re sending a Slack message, drafting an email, or giving an off-the-cuff reply, aim to be clear and concise with your communication.

Seeks to solve conflicts, not create them. In the workplace, we're often involved in problem solving and collaborating on projects or tasks. Good communication in the workplace can involve bringing up blockers or providing feedback—but make sure the goal is to get to a better place than where you are now.

Goes both ways. Every instance of effective communication in the workplace represents an exchange of information—even when the information is communicated solely through nonverbal cues.

Benefits of effective communication in the workplace

Clear, effective workplace communication can:

Boost employee engagement and belonging

Improve interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence

Encourage team buy-in

Increase productivity

Build a healthy workplace and organizational culture

Reduce conflict

Increase retention

7 tips for more effective communication in the workplace

Effective communication in the workplace is all about where, how, and when you’re communicating. Try these seven tips to develop better communication skills.

1. Know where to communicate—and about what

Communication happens in many different forms—face-to-face, over email, via instant messages, and in work management platforms. To be most effective, make sure you’re following communication guidelines and messaging about the right things in the right places.

Sometimes, knowing where to communicate is half the battle. Your company may have different communication tools , which makes knowing which tool to use all the more important. Which tool is appropriate for your question or comment? Do you need to communicate in real time, or is it ok to send an asynchronous message? If you’re not sure, ask a team member or manager where you should be sending different types of messages. It is important for everyone to be on the same page. For example, at Asana, we use:

2. Build collaboration skills

Collaboration is the bedrock of effective teamwork. In order to build strong team collaboration skills , you need to practice open and honest communication. This doesn’t necessarily mean always agreeing on things—knowing how to disagree and work through those differences is a key part of collaboration, too.

Collaboration and communication skills are kind of a “chicken and egg” scenario. You can build good collaboration by communicating effectively, but knowing how to collaborate is a key component of strong communication. Essentially, this just means you’ll have to practice improving both collaboration and communication skills over time. As you improve team collaboration, you’ll get better at conveying information and opinions in a work environment—and as a result, that honest communication will make collaboration feel more effortless.

3. Talk face-to-face when you can

Perhaps the most tried-and-true way to avoid miscommunication is to talk face-to-face. If your team is virtual, speaking via video conferencing also works. Eye contact is particularly important if you know a conversation is going to be hard. Tone can be difficult to communicate through writing so ideally, you want your team member to be able to see your facial expressions and body language.

If your team is remote or distributed, communicating via a phone call instead of a video conference could work as well. Video conferencing fatigue is real, and it can make collaboration and communication particularly difficult for remote teams. Communicating over the phone reduces some of the visual strain, while still giving you the ability to hear your team member’s voice and tone.

4. Watch your body language and tone of voice

Communication isn’t just about what you say—it’s also about how you say it. Make sure you aren’t crossing your arms or coming off as curt. Oftentimes, your body language may have nothing to do with the current situation—maybe you’re tired or stressed about something in your personal life. But your team members, who might not have that context, could see your actions and assume you’re angry or upset about something. Particularly for hard conversations, try to relax your body language and facial expressions to avoid giving off any unintentional cues.

5. Prioritize two-way communication

Listening skills are just as important to communication in the workplace as talking. Part of being a collaborative team member is listening to other people’s ideas instead of just trying to put your own ideas out there.

There are two common types of listening : listening to reply and listening to understand. When you listen to reply, you’re focusing on what you’re going to say next, rather than what the other person is saying. With this type of listening, you risk missing key information or even repeating what the other person just said.

Instead, try active listening—that is, listen to what the other person has to say without thinking about how you’re going to reply. If you do think of something you want to say, jot it down so you can go back to listening to understand , instead of trying to remember the thing you want to say next.

6. Stick to facts, not stories

“Facts vs. stories” is a technique recommended by the co-founder of the Conscious Leadership Group, Diana Chapman. In this case, “facts” are things that have actually happened—things that everyone in the room would easily agree on. A “story,” on the other hand, is your interpretation of the situation.

For example, say your manager gives you live feedback during a small team meeting. That is a fact. You weren’t expecting the feedback, and you feel like your manager shared the feedback—instead of saving it for your 1:1—because they’re dissatisfied with your work. This is a “story” because you have no way of knowing if it is true or not.

Stories are inevitable—we all create stories from facts. But try to separate stories from facts, and avoid acting on stories until you’re able to validate them. For example, in this case, you might want to talk to your manager during your next 1:1 and ask why they shared feedback in a team meeting.

7. Make sure you’re speaking to the right person

Effective workplace communication is as much about who you’re talking to as it is about what you’re saying. Poor communication often occurs when you’re talking to the wrong people or trying to share information in the wrong setting.

To avoid this, make sure the right people are in the room or receiving the message. If you aren’t sure who that would be, go through an exercise to identify any important project stakeholders who might be missing.

5 tips to build effective communication skills in the workplace

If you’re a leader, you have the power to set and establish communication conventions on your team. Effective communication skills can build healthy company culture , foster trust among your employees, and break down silos between cross-functional teams. Here’s how:

1. Address any underlying changes

Before you start improving your team’s communication skills, ensure there are no underlying issues that keep everyone from communicating honestly. Does everyone feel comfortable talking openly? Is there anything that might make a team member feel like they can’t be their full selves?

One of the most valuable things you can do as a leader is to make sure your employees feel comfortable showing up to work as their whole selves (or as much of themselves as they want to bring). Whether that means voicing disagreements, talking about their passions outside of work, or being honest about what type of communication works best for them, make sure to understand each team member’s needs and ensure they’re being met in the team environment.

One theme that kept coming up in our employee engagement surveys was that we could improve information sharing and communication across the organization, so we looked for a way to do that.”

2. Frequently ask for feedback

If you don’t ask for feedback on your communication style, you may never get it. Even though communication in the workplace impacts every other interaction, team members might not immediately think of it as something to provide feedback on. By asking your employees for feedback on your communication style, you can continue to improve and develop clear communication strategies for your team.

3. Understand team communication styles

Another effective way to communicate with your team is to ask them how they want to communicate. Communication preferences shouldn’t be a secret—or a guessing game—and knowing off the bat if your team members prefer video conferences or phone calls, early morning meetings, or afternoon jam sessions can help you create an environment where they can thrive.

Important questions to ask include:

Are they an early bird or a night owl?

Do they like structured meetings or prefer free-flow brainstorming sessions?

Do they do their best thinking out loud, on the spot, or on paper?

What personality type do they identify with: introvert, extrovert, or ambivert?

Do they feel like they know their team members, or would they prefer more team bonding activities?

What types of meetings or tasks are most energizing for them?

4. Make time for team building or icebreakers

Getting to know your team is critical to developing good communication skills. It’s particularly important to make time to get to know your team outside of a workplace setting. Icebreaker questions can help bring an element of personality and fun to every meeting, so consider starting with a light chat before diving into your meeting agenda.

5. Set the tone

Remember: the way you communicate and collaborate will impact your entire team. It’s up to you to set the standard for open and clear communication in the workplace. Once you establish this standard, your team will follow suit.

Every few months, make a note to follow up with how everyone is feeling about team communication. Are there any habits that have cropped up in the last few months that you want to cull or encourage? Regularly thinking about how your team communicates—instead of “setting and forgetting” your team practices—can help you be more intentional about your communication methods.

As an organization grows, communication starts to bottleneck. At Hope for Haiti, we’ve seen those inefficiencies hurt us: when we can’t run like a well-oiled machine, we’re not serving as many people as we could be—and it’s our responsibility to improve upon that.”

More types of workplace communication

Most discussions about communication in the workplace assume the “workplace” is in person. But there are various forms of communication across different locations—from global offices to remote teams. Most effective communication best practices still apply to any type of team, but there are a few additional considerations and best practices you can use to help team members truly connect.

Distributed teams

Distributed teams work across multiple national or global offices. These teams might span different time zones and languages, and each office will have its own culture and habits. Don’t expect each distributed team to communicate in the same way—in fact, one of the advantages of distributed teams is the variety of thought you’re exposed to by working with teammates from all over the world.

If you work on a distributed team, it’s critical to over-communicate so that team members in different time zones and offices stay in the loop. Make sure to document everything in a central source of truth that team members can access when they’re online, and look for a tool that updates in real-time so no one has to slow down due to information lag.

Keep in mind that time zones might affect how people come to a conversation. Try to schedule meetings when everyone is available, or offer recordings and notes if team members can’t make it. It’s also critical to double check that the right people are in the loop, and that they aren’t just being left out because they’re in a different office than the majority of your team.

Online coworkers

If you’re working with a virtual team, it’s critical to establish where you’re going to communicate and how frequently. Knowing exactly what each communication tool should be used for can help team members feel connected—even while they’re remote.

While working remotely, we’ve had to re-learn how to communicate in many ways. Slack, Asana, and integrations between these tools has replaced or supplemented a lot of in-person ways we used to communicate.”

Remote team members can feel isolated and disconnected from one another, so consider doing an exercise with your entire team about preferred business communication habits. Some team members might love cold calls, while others might prefer scheduled meetings with concise agendas. Because team members have fewer chances to interact in person, it’s critical to establish these forms of communication as a team so you can keep the communication channels open.

Finally, make sure to bring team members in for regular team bonding events. Whether you’re doing icebreaker activities at the beginning of every meeting or scheduling some time to just chat at the end of each week, dedicated team time can help team members connect, no matter where they’re dialing in from.

The cherry on top of effective workplace communication

The last component of great communication is having a central source of truth for all of your communication and work information. Using a centralized system like a work management tool can help you coordinate work across all levels of your team. Learn more about how work management makes project coordination and communication easier in our introduction to work management article .

FAQ: Effective communication in the workplace

What are the best ways of communicating with your work colleagues.

The best ways of communicating with your work colleagues involve concise, respectful, and timely exchanges. This can be achieved through various channels, such as emails, instant messaging, face-to-face meetings, and video calls. Selecting the right medium based on the context of your communication (e.g., using emails for formal requests or Slack for quick queries) and ensuring you're concise and to the point can enhance the effectiveness of your communication.

Why is effective communication important?

Effective communication ensures that information is accurately conveyed and understood, resulting in improved efficiency, fewer misunderstandings, and better working relationships. It promotes teamwork, decision-making, and problem solving, which makes effective communication a cornerstone of successful operations and a positive work environment.

What constitutes effective communication?

Effective communication is characterized by clarity, conciseness, coherence, and considerateness, also known as the 5 Cs of communication. It means the message is delivered in a clear and understandable manner, is direct and to the point, logically organized, and sensitive to the receiver's needs and perspectives. It also involves active listening, openness to feedback, and the ability to adjust or paraphrase the message according to the audience and context.

How can you become an effective communicator?

To become an effective communicator, focus on clarity and brevity in your messages, actively listen to others, and provide constructive feedback. Pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues, such as body language and tone, to ensure your message is received as intended. Practice empathy by considering the receiver's perspective, and be open to feedback to continuously improve your public speaking skills.

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634 Communication Essay Topics & Examples

If you’re searching for communication essay topics or examples, you’ve stumbled on the right page!

40 Communication Assignment Topics

Table of Contents

What Are Communication Strategies Assignments?

Top 40 communication assignment topic ideas, tips for writing communication assignment, how to succeed with your communication research.

When your college professor mentions communication assignment writing, it stands for a task that should either explore or reflect on communication strategies in a certain area. It can be anything from nursing assignments that research linguistic barriers or social events to tasks that explore physical presence vs virtual communication specifics. Since there are numerous ideas that can be explored, the majority of college students seek communication strategies assignment topics that will work. The trick is to choose your topic correctly and come up with a clear methodology to provide your readers with enough supporting evidence. The most important is to choose something that inspires and motivates you to research as you focus on your main thesis and communication methods. Ask AssignmentBro to do your assignment if you don’t habe enough time to write it.

• Business Communication. 

When you are dealing with business communication assignment writing , the most important is to define what kind of strategy or leadership method is being used. It means that your topic must reflect your approach to getting the message across.

• The role of mediation in corporate communications.
• HR hiring methods and the use of AI-based materials.
• Interpersonal conflict resolution methods during virtual conferences.
• The challenges of medical data delivery in modern corporations.
• Transnational communication methods vs outsourcing.
• Social conflicts in the workplace.
• Real estate ethics and persuasive communication.
• Strategic thinking peculiarities among Asian partners of the United States.
• Business privacy during Zoom conferences and data management challenges.
• The linguistic challenges during virtual meetings: communication barriers.
• Public Relation Topics. 

Unlike assignment topics for business communication, public relation writing involves dealing with less commercial matters. Some examples would include school education or college initiatives among other things.

• The role of authoritarian communication methods during public gatherings.
• Labor unions in the United States: pros and cons of current management methods.
• The psychological effect of the teacher’s authority in private US schools.
• Should college learners be allowed to shape their learning curriculum?
• The use of special education communication methods in college studies.
• Should marketing teams appeal to public surveys?
• Plagiarism cases in public speeches and strategic plans.
• Multilingual employees in the public relation sector: the cultural benefits.
• The use of preventive dialogue and surveillance in the United States.
•  How does gender affect public negotiations during social protests?
• Analytical Communication Assignment Topics. 

The majority of communication research topics will require additional analysis as one explores the variety of methods that have been implemented for a positive outcome. As you choose an analytical subject, try to narrow it down for the best results.

• The role of analysis in the perception of religious beliefs and social restrictions in Japan.
• Should the refugees in the United States learn the local culture to adjust their lives?
• Analysis of gender relations in the modern IT sector.
• Communication barriers caused by the Covid-19 situation.
• Teaching culture vs practical learning among engineering students.
• Analysis of credibility of the modern environmental research press.
• The communication gap between the younger and the older populations.
• The use of “fake” information stirs a social communication conflict.
• TV Advertisement methods and the perception analysis.
• The role of the cultural background for communicative leadership methods.
• Social Media & Journalism Communication Assignment Ideas. 

Speaking of communication skills topics for assignment, one should focus on social media as it requires specific knowledge and an adjustment of current communication methods that have been used during physical meetings or even before the Covid-19 pandemic.

• The lack of emotional belonging during virtual meetings.
• The negative role of social media language and emoticons.
• Virtual relationships: how have our communication strategies changed?
• Instagram vs Facebook: what communication skills are required?
• Youth culture online two decades ago: what changes can be spotted?
• The role of linguistic skills during online video gaming.
• Online journalism vs newspapers in print.
• Should bloggers receive professional journalist education?
• How does paraphrasing affect the final message that’s communicated?
• Social media influencers: marketing or hype?

When you know an approximate topic that you would like to explore, make sure that you follow these tips:

• Research your topic to understand what challenges are most apparent and what sub-areas require additional coverage.
• Study your grading rubric to determine what kind of communication assignment type is required. It can be compare-and-contrast, argumentative, reflective, explanatory, and many other essay types.
• Choose your communication research method: analytical, comparative, critical, etc.
• Introduce your target audience to explain what communicative issues you are facing.
• Implement surveys, personal interviews, and seek primary sources to make your communication assignment credible.
• Provide information from both sides of the issue, meaning that a counter-arguments paragraph may be necessary.

Follow your instructions and ask questions when something is unclear. The purpose is to explore communication methods by explaining your academic objectives and the methodologies that you implement.

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As you are seeking assignment help online or just browsing topics, the most important is to narrow your topic down and choose a methodology that will fit your subject (social science, interpretive, analytical approaches). It means that your purpose is to be argumentative or persuasive, analytical or reflective as you discuss relevant communication strategies. Research both pros and cons, voice opinions, use an analytical writing tone, and remember to provide a source for anything that is not your author’s voice. Following these simple rules will help you to save time and come up with an excellent communication research assignment that will stand out from the rest!

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