Now, let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. We have a point, we want to get it across, but the thoughts in our heads are not coming across the way we want them to. Chances are, one of these 3 bad habits are causing a wall to build up between you and the person you want to communicate with. Read on to find out what these are and how you can fix them.
Number 1: Making “No!” your default response
In a two-way conversation, when the other person is speaking, take the effort to listen. Even if you come up with a counter-argument within the first few seconds of the other person speaking, hear them out. Listen to their statement in its entirety, before jumping immediately to “No, that’s wrong.”
The best way to fix this bad habit is by simply taking a minute to consider the other person’s point before jumping to your own. Like Sean Covey said, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Number 2: Making up for a lack of a strong argument with volume
Or rather, THINKING you are making up for a lack of a strong argument by increasing your volume. This explanation is rather simple. Why should I not do this? 3 words:
It. doesn’t. work.
You may believe that when you speak louder, it will help people listen. The truth, however, is that this actually can make the other person stop listening, as they feel like they are not being hard. It can also make it more difficult for the other person to keep listening to you if you are just talking really loudly, or if it comes across as you yelling at them.
Number 3: Unnecessarily lengthening your statement to make it seem stronger
Sometimes when we don’t have enough evidence to back up a claim, we will lengthen a statement instead of delivering a clearer and more concise one. For example:
I think that the new proposal for increased investment in the marketing department might not work, because in my opinion, this may enforce considerable and enormous cuts in other departments that need the money. I also believe that the proposal lacks information and instruction on how we as a company are going to go about distributing the funds with accuracy and precision to the remaining departments that were not outlined in the plan.
Citation: A random paragraph that the author of this wrote
Now, that was long. And chances are, when being delivered as a speech, it can come across as a little overwhelming. Let’s condense it a bit, so that the statement is more to-the-point.
Increased investment in the marketing department may enforce cuts in other departments, and the proposal lacks information on how to effectively distribute the funds.
Citation: A random paragraph that the author of this wrote
Now, we have plenty of white space where we can insert valuable examples and information. The point can now be delivered with clarity.
Conclusion
Communication is a crucial skill, and it can be improved by getting rid of these three bad habits. Feel free to leave any comments or feedback below, and thank you for reading!
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