Ten Ways to Become a Better Communicator

It's no secret that solid communication skills are the winning card to what's next in digital media and in life. It's back to the future, isn't it?

If you've ever wondered what the "ABC" stands for in my signature, it means Accredited Business Communicator, a global accreditation offered by the International Association of Business Communicator, of which I have been a long time member, and now a Board Member at Large for the Philadelphia chapter. 

I take communication seriously, in two languages.

Great communicators have always been much in demand -- we need people who can translate, synthesize, and carry meaning across. Because when the desire and ability to connect originate with crisp communication, you have signal -- and action.

Both are a vital component -- the defragmentation -- of an individual's and a brand's digital presence. They're the new pull or attraction to re-engage and energize people, communities, and relationships.

If you need more convincing, permission has crisp communication at its source, word of mouth marketing something worth talking about, leadership and communication go hand in hand, and businesses are more focused when core values become walking the talk.

Here are ten ways to become a better communicator:

(1.) listen and ask questions

(2.) set expectations on what you're going to say, and restate what you said in closing

(3.) know when it's time to listen and when to talk

(4.) state your intention, or what you mean to accomplish

(5.) communicate often with your team and acknowledge progress on projects

(6.) observe the communication style of others and adapt yours to connect with them

(7.) learn to tell stories

(8.) develop the analytical side of you

(9.) be consistent and transparent

(10.) get out of your office and talk to people outside meetings

Improving communication is like learning to use a new language effectively -- all of a sudden you're getting to St. Peter's Square because you were able to articulate what you actually wanted to do.

© 2010 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Elizabeth Sosnow]

Hi Valeria:

This is the kind of post that I immediately want to send around to all the folks in our company. As I read it, I kept thinking about how your "ways" apply to good old business meetings.

In that context, I particularly liked your point about adapting in #6, but I'd marry it to #4.

Your intentions should be clear, but you often have to work hard early in a meeting to identify the intentions of others/clients. Once that's done, you still need to do some "heavy lifting" to make sure both of your objectives can be accomplished. And because we're all human beings, you can count on the fact that those objectives (and personal agendas)are never quite alike!

Maybe that's why so many of us over-use email - because meetings are tough?

Happy weekend!

Elizabeth Sosnow

[Joey Strawn]

Valeria,

Great post. It's amazing to me how even though we have all these new ways of communicating, things always seem to come back down to the basics. It's important that we don't forget HOW to communicate just because we CAN communicate so easily.

I would add an addendum to #2: Make sure YOU understand what your expectations are before you present them. You have to full y grasp what you are planning to say before you can even begin to effectively communicate it.

I would also add #11: Listen Again.

Thanks again for the post.

Joey Strawn

[Davina K. Brewer]

Valeria, Great post as always. To #3 there's the old caveat: you have to actually listen to what someone else is saying, not just wait for your turn to talk.

Think my #11 would be to clear your mind from time to time. Learn when NOT to talk, or listen, when to end the conversation and move on. FWIW.

[Adrian Swinscoe]

Hi Valeria,
Great post and some great pointers.

If I may, I would add: Check understanding.

I find that, sometimes, while we may be speaking the same language we don't always say and mean the same things with the words that we use.

Thanks,

Adrian

[Carolyn Ann]

I had to laugh - I'd just wondered how I could communicate when I don't know the language. :-) Literally!

I have to wonder if your list is too complex? (Sorry.)

Carolyn Ann

[Carolyn Ann]

(How can I edit a typo in a comment?)

Carolyn Ann

[Daniel Decker]

Great list! Thank you!

[Ben Wise]

Great post - can't emphasize the importance of story telling (#7) enough. It is amazing what this will do to engage your audience and make your presentation more memorable.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Elizabeth - me, too :) The worst reason to have a meeting is to advertise how awesome you are. I've been in meetings where I wanted to Tivo people and get to the working part. Many overuse email for many reasons, which gives me an idea for a post. Good visiting with you and your ideas/experiences.

@Joey - great point. Unless you know where you want to go, you're not going to get there. Such a complex technology nature has given us: two ears!

@Davina - learning to keep your mouth shut and pause are two of the most undervalued techniques. It takes a lot of skill to engage them on purpose. Thank you for reminding us.

@Adrian - that's where context comes in. Having learned a couple of foreign languages from scratch, I can tell you that more than half the battle is understanding what applies when.

@Carolyn - funny enough, I was thinking the list was quite simple while writing it. Do I take too much for granted? Typo edited. Italians are big talkers... in my biased mind, we are also good listeners. Maybe that helps?

@Daniel - thank you for stopping by.

@Ben - narrative is a brain's shortcut to remember things, so yes, it is quite powerful in holding attention and gaining interest.

[Tim Sanchez]

I agree with Ben on the importance of storytelling. I think it's a huge factor in the perception of the message and thus the resulting influence.

Question for you Valeria, do you have any advice or recommended resources to improve our approach to storytelling?

[Online Marketing Blog]

great list, i think a lot of one man agencies tend to suffer form client phobia so following your approach above will definitely help.

[Scott Crow]

Another great post! I agree with @Tim - I'd be curious about ways to improve my storytelling - especially when the word count is tight.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Tim - best resource is Bob McKee's book "Story" which I have read and re-read often. He also has a seminar, which those who have attended raved about http://www.mckeestory.com/. Depending on storytelling for what, there are other excellent resources out there.

@Tahire (online mktg) - didn't get your comment within the context of the post. What am I missing?

@Scott - hang out of great editors for the word count. I do :)

[Ricardo Bueno]

Valeria: Love this list!

One of my goals is to constantly increase/improve our customer service. And this means constantly striving to improve the way we communicate (within our own team and with our clients). This is at the forefront of our goals because it's a key differentiator (in my opinion).