5 Ways to Improve Communication

Ever felt your communication style is monotonous? Do you often feel you don't have that charm when it comes to talking to people? And lastly, have you ever felt you just can't do anything about it? Well, worry not! Because you will soon be answering NO to that last question I just asked.

1. Let's start with Sorry. The very reason it's stroke because it's high time you learn to get creative and more meaningful with apologizing. Sometimes, we do things that really aren't too big of a deal and saying "sorry" can seem unnecessary in these situations. Thus, here are some alternatives that can be used to show regret but to a small degree. Said something accidentally wrong to a colleague? "I apologize for my behaviour." Made a silly mistake? "I shouldn't have done that! I will do my best not to repeat that in future." Sometimes, we hurt people in a way that can have a huge impact, especially when it comes to damaged self-esteem, lost opportunity, broken dreams, etc. The worry 'sorry' is not enough. In these situations, you have to let the listener know that you understand how you made them feel and then talk about how, if you were given a chance, you could have avoided or change things for better. Then, if you would like, you can say "sorry" to summarize the pain you have given to them. Bonus tip: say "I am sorry" instead of just "sorry" to ensure the listener can accept who is feeling regret. Another tip is to not say "sorry" for the sake of formality or good manners but out of penitence.
2. Now, it's Thank you 's turn. Expressing gratitude is important. But how can we do it better than just saying two words? Just express how someone's action mean a lot to you. Someone came to your event? "I truly appreciate you coming here." Someone returned your lost wallet? Maybe give a hug and say "Thank you" but a heartfelt one. Gifted you something expensive? "Oh my gosh! I always wanted that! Thank you so much!" If their action had a huge impact on your life, you can definitely do something as well out of gratitude, such as, organizing a family dinner for them, giving them a shout-out at least, or such. But the moral is: don't say Thank You out of formality. Bonus tip: Don't say "thanks". Say "thank you" to ensure it feels like you are conveying your gratitude to the "you" person.
3. When I meet someone after not that long time, I don't like when their first sentence is "Hi, how are you?" I mean, it's nice. It's polite. But it's kind of, I am afraid, boring. Like, if we are meeting after a long time, show some excitement! You should be like-"Oh my gosh! I am seeing you after such long time. It's so nice to see you again." Another way to begin is, "Oh my, no way! Is that really you?" Make the person you are interacting with feel special to be met after a long time. Make them feel like a celebrity so your meeting seem like a rare, special occasion. That would be better. But it shouldn't be like your regular or ordinary meeting.
4. See someone you know but you are in a hurry? What will you say to them? And please don't say, "Hi! Sorry, I have to go. Can't talk." We get it. You are busy. You have to be somewhere at certain time. Others have been in your place. So say something that can make them understand your situation. For example, "Oh hey, hi! I would really stop and chat with you but unfortunately I have to be somewhere." or "Oh hey, nice to see you. I am afraid I can't stop right now but I will chat with you some other time." The moral is, let them know that something urgent needs to be dealt with hence they will be given priority later. Saying, "I have to go. Can't talk", makes it seem like you do not wish to deal with them at all or they just don't know when they will get to talk to you. Hence, adding a "later" part to your "hurry" statement can really help them feel acknowledged.
5. Learn to say dislike instead of hate. Ever hear people expressing their dislike for a dress, for food or even certain animals? It's ok to avoid certain things or beings but you don't have to go to "hate". I see people who use the word "hate" so easily as so easy to mismanage emotions. People who can not use the exact right word to express their degree of emotion sometimes don't realize they may hurt other people's feelings to their expressed degree. If I say, "I hate girls!", you may think it's not something serious and I may be your generic macho male who likes to avoid girls because of their made-up stereotype behaviour. But if I say something like "I hate this show! It's so boring!", I am definitely going to hurt someone's feelings. Instead, I can use my mind and say, "I don't watch this show. It's not of my interest." Thus, I am not generalizing my dislike for something and also, I am providing an understandable reason for my dislike here.

Thus, here are few tips on how you can communicate with style that the listeners can feel comfortable being around you. I genuinely hope that after reading this, you are benefitted a lot. Thank you 🙂