People communicate always and everywhere.But in order for communication to become effective and for you to be able to talk to people easily and confidently, you need to have some knowledge. For example, if you want to succeed in business or you are attracted by the idea of making a brilliant career, then the ability to communicate only at the everyday level will clearly not be enough for you. Here you need to develop the appropriate skills, and you must understand how to learn to communicate with people at a business level. Of course, there are people who have no difficulty finding a topic for conversation with anyone and who can communicate without any difficulties in any situation. Some of them have a natural talent for communication and unique charisma, and this simply captivates others. For such people, no effort is required at all to start a dialogue and immediately arouse sympathy in the interlocutor. But what about the rest, those who also want to succeed in life, but do not have an innate talent for effective communication? Is it difficult for an ordinary person to figure out how to communicate with people correctly in order to win them over? From our point of view, there is nothing difficult about this, and we are ready to reveal to you a few secrets on how to learn to interact effectively and confidently with others.
Seven steps to effective communication
Since you usually have it pretty hardcommunicate with people, do not despair and try to avoid such contacts that are burdensome for you whenever possible. If, by the whim of nature, you are not born with the ability to behave easily and confidently when communicating with strangers or people you barely know, you can develop this skill yourself if you wish. We do not claim that following our advice is completely easy; but if you are persistent and take step by step on the path to acquiring new personal qualities, you will eventually learn to behave confidently and eventually feel how to talk to people correctly. After all, scientists have long proven that, if desired, any person can develop the necessary qualities. So, where should you start? What should you consider in a conversation with your interlocutor in order to arouse his interest in you and so that the conversation goes in the direction you need?
- Confidence
Good people skills start withnamely, the ability to show that you are a reliable partner. To do this, first of all, you need to be self-confident - the ability to act confidently attracts others like a magnet, because the appearance of a determined person convinces others that this interlocutor is worth the time and effort spent. A confident interlocutor will not waste your time "beating around the bush", but will immediately get to the point of the conversation.
- Confidence
To establish trust during a conversationIt is necessary to follow one of the most important rules of effective communication - you need to look into the eyes of your interlocutor. As a rule, no one trusts people who usually look away during a conversation. Attempts to avoid eye contact indicate at least a person's lack of interest, and at most - their dishonesty. But when a person looks into the eyes of his interlocutor, this inspires trust in him and in everything he says. Such a seemingly insignificant nuance in fact greatly helps to establish reliable contact with your interlocutor! Therefore, in a conversation, do not forget to act confidently and under no circumstances look away.
- Name of interlocutor
This is very important!When starting a conversation with a stranger, first find out their name. Repeat the name out loud - this helps to fix it in your memory. Constantly use the name of the interlocutor during the conversation and do not forget to smile.
- Interest in the interlocutor
Many people make the mistake of talking too much aboutyourself. But nothing tires the person you are talking to more than a forced "excursion" through the labyrinths of your life! One of the best ways to learn how to communicate with people is to let them talk about themselves, rather than forcing them to listen to your stories. This will help the other person feel more at ease and will now increase his self-confidence. It is not for nothing that the eastern sages teach: speak once and listen twice!
- Correct questions
When contact is just being established, it is important not toallow awkward pauses in the conversation. One of the fastest ways to awkward silence is asking questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” A very important skill for successful communication is the ability to ask questions that require a detailed answer. This will allow the conversation to start. Just don’t lose your sense of proportion – you can’t “bombard” with questions, this is a surefire way to make a person feel uncomfortable. The conversation should not turn into an interrogation!
- The power of knowledge
Effective communication begins where people arehave a broad outlook. A well-rounded person with diverse interests will be attractive to different people. Communicating with such a person can be easy and interesting. His head is full of many topics for discussion, and he can quickly and confidently adapt to any conversation. Finding a common language with an interlocutor is not difficult for him.
- Risk
A very interesting point, which is closely related toself-confidence and self-esteem. Too often people are afraid to ask and request because they are afraid of rejection. Failure makes a person feel inferior, inadequate. In fact, rejection should not affect your self-esteem in any way. You are still the same, you are as valuable and important as the person you were when you first entered into the conversation. Do not be afraid to ask about something during an important conversation. Always take the chance and try to achieve what you want. It is only a matter of time whether you get what you want. And a matter of your self-confidence. The only way to learn how to learn to talk to people correctly and confidently is through practice, during which you hone your skills. Here, too, it would seem, there is an element of risk - you never know in advance how the conversation will go. But if you are afraid to come out of the shadows and cling to your "safety", then you will never acquire the skill of easily and confidently entering into contact and will remain standing on the path that leads nowhere.
A few more tips
Of course, these are far from all the secrets of successful communication, rather, the most basic ones. There are other aspects that also need to be taken into account:
- You have to be honest. When people are reliable and honest, communication becomes much easier. We do not have to think about what we are going to say, we do not have to worry about the fact that untruth will once open. Such characteristics as "open and honest" and "trustworthy" are really valuable; and especially they are important when it comes to business communication.
- You need to be able to adapt your ideas toperception of others. When we have an interesting idea, we have a perfectly clear image of the idea in our mind; But this image is not always as clear to other people as well. If you really want to be heard, then you need to find a way to open your mind so that it becomes clear to everyone. This means that you need to know your audience well if you really want to communicate effectively with it.
- Hold pause before answering. Usually we try to answer right away, but sometimes just a tiny pause can do wonders. It gives you time to think; and this is important in order to more accurately understand what the interlocutor is talking about, or to clearly articulate your idea, which you want to convey.
- Try to understand what yourthe interlocutor. You need to listen carefully to really understand what is at issue, and not just to wait for your turn to say something in response. Too often, we really only listen to the "edge of the ear," thinking about our answer at this time. For effective communication it is necessary to work on understanding what others say.
- Be patient and open. Sometimes even the shortest communication can be in something not too comfortable for you. Recognize for yourself that this contact does not need to be the way you would like it to be, and continue to behave correctly, showing patience. Always be patient and keep your mind open to understanding new ways of communicating and understanding.
- Try to maintain feedback. When everything is already said and done, the best way to find out how effective it was was to ask your interlocutors about this. Take time to talk with those with whom you communicate most often to find out how you could improve your communication with them. Sometimes it is quite easy to maintain such feedback, and you will get a clear idea of what you still need to work on; and sometimes it's not quite easy to do, but your efforts will still be worth it!
Start small to learn effectivelyCommunicating with people takes time; each person who sets a goal to improve their communication skills will progress at their own pace. Don’t try to master everything at once, start small, getting used to each of the steps we’ve outlined one at a time. Effective communication basically starts with self-confidence – it’s the thread that ties all your other qualities and skills together. Every new encounter helps to increase your self-confidence and adds new dimensions to your experience. If you want to practice, we can suggest a few places: try expanding your social circle in your office, for example, and also try to start communicating with salespeople in a store or at the market – a little more than is necessary just to make a purchase. After you find it easier to communicate in your usual circle, start communicating with representatives of a higher rank. In this way, gradually you will learn to talk to completely different people, and your skills will be strengthened more and more. If the opportunity arises, you may even be able to chat with the CEO of a large company (who knows what kind of situation you might encounter in life?) and make a favorable impression on him. No one would claim that learning to communicate with people can be very easy. But – the road is mastered by the one who walks it! And it is worth walking, because effective communication will become the key to your future success and advancement in almost every aspect of life. We recommend reading:
