30 Strategies for Improving Communication Skills 2019

NO. 1 ... INVEST SOME TIME TO LEARN

The first thing you should do to improve your communication skills is to make out
some time to learn. If you can invest some time to focus on the rules of grammar,
speech practice and other aspects of communication, you will get better along the
line.

NO. 2 ... SET A GOAL

Imagine leaving home this morning, kick starting the car and driving on, through
traffic and other road hitches, without having in mind any particular place you are
going?

There are 2 possible places you will definitely end up...

1. ANYWHERE

Or

2. BACK HOME

What if you had a place in mind to go?

You will drive through all the hurdles and eventually end up SOMEWHERE.

This is the scenario that plays out while hoping to learn a new skill.

If you don't set a SPECIFIC GOAL that you want to achieve, you will be
wandering about. After a long time on the learning process, you will realise that
you have either learnt nothing (BACK HOME) or you haven't learnt exactly what
you wish to learn (ANYWHERE).

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So, to improve your communication skills, you need to set specific achievable
goals that will lead you SOMEWHERE (exactly what you intend to learn). The
following questions will guide you on what goal to set:

1. What aspect of communication do I wish to improve? ‘Communication skills’ is

a broad term for different communication abilities. You may be interested in how
to write business documents, how to speak error-free English, how to gain
confidence for public speaking or how to pass a test of English examination. Be
sure of your need area and set your goal around it.

2. What do I need communication skills for? Each person needs a certain level of
communication skills to fulfill a need. A teacher needs to present his lessons with
clarity. A trader needs to persuade a prospect to patronise him. A student needs to
learn the rules of English to write and pass examinations. By the way, every human
needs to communicate with others for survival. So, find your need for
communication and focus on improving that aspect.

3. How will improved communication skills benefit me? Think about your
business or career. Think about everyday interpersonal communication. Think
about that part of your life that will get better if you can communicate better.

Now, take some time to think about it. What specific goal do you hope to achieve
by improving your communication skills?

NO. 3 … INCREASE YOUR FREQUENCY OF USING ENGLISH

The more you use the basic language of communication, the better your
communication skills become.

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Do you know there are four basic language skills? Yes, there are.

1- Listening skill

2- Speaking skill

3- Reading skill

4- Writing skill

You need to increase how often you use English in all of these areas for an overall
improvement in your communication skills. Listen to the news more often. Engage
in more conversations. Read more novels. Try to write more often.

NO. 4 ... THINK BEFORE YOU TALK

One sure way to improve your communication skills is to Think Before You Talk
(TBYT). The TBYT rule means you need to process your thought well enough in
your brain before you open your mouth to talk or pick your pen to write.

This gives you the opportunity to choose the most appropriate words for your
expression. It also allows you to apply all the rules of English that you know.
Above all, thinking before expressing yourself helps you sieve out irrelevant ideas
that may cause communication breakdown.

So, before you talk or write, take a moment; pay close attention to what you are
about to communicate.

NO. 5 ... MAKE A DICTIONARY YOUR COMPANION

I once heard of a student who bought a new dictionary as he resumed school. He

memorised all the words on one page of his dictionary every day, and tore off each

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page he had memorised per day. His goal was to learn the entire words therein by
heart. So, he marked memorising each page by tearing that page away... funny!

Now, this is not how to use a dictionary. If you are looking to improve your
communication skills, you should use a dictionary to:

- learn new words in order to increase your vocabulary level.

- learn the correct spellings of words.

- learn the correct pronunciation of a word that you are not sure about.

- check the meaning of a word you intend to use to be sure it is correct and
appropriate in that context.

- learn the plural of a certain word you are about to use.

- learn how a word can be used in a sentence.

- check for another word you can use instead of a certain word.

-check the translation of a word in another language. For instance, if you use a
Yoruba-to-English dictionary, you can check up the English translation of a
Yoruba word you already know.

You should make a dictionary your companion because it contains all you need to
know about words: spelling, word origin, pronunciation, stress pattern, word class,
meaning, usages, sentence examples, synonyms, antonyms, idioms related to a
word, etc.

It is easy to make a dictionary your companion - something you use every and any
time. You can download a mobile dictionary on Google Play Store or Apple App
Store. I suggest English Dictionary - Offline.

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NO. 6 ... LEARN THE RULES

The cornerstone of communicating in any language is learning the rules of the

language. In English communication, there are some basic rules you need to learn
in order to improve your communication skills. These include:

1. Rules of agreement

2. principles of word order.

3. principles of punctuation.

4. principles of tense and aspect.

5. use of determiners.

6. use of connectors.

You want to learn more about these rules? Check

https://linguapress.com/grammar/fundamental-principles.htm

Get up!

Learn a rule today.

Learn another tomorrow.

Keep up the learning circle!

NO. 7 ... PRACTISE! PRACTISE! PRACTISE!

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."- Vince
Lombardi

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You should practise whatever you learn over and over again until it becomes a part
of you.

"Take advantage of every opportunity to practise your communication skills so that

when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the
clarity and the emotion to affect other people." - Jim Rohn

Take advantage of Google. How do you practise with Google? Whatever topic you
wish to practise, type 'exercise' after it and search. For example, 'verb tense
exercise'.

NO. 8 ... APPS CAN HELP

Improving communication skills can be a daunting task. You will need help along
the line to speed up the process. Apps are a very useful tool to use.

There are a lot of them you can pick from. Your choice of app should depend on
what aspect of communication skills you wish to develop. Be careful in order to
choose the most appropriate app.

There are many apps for free download on Play Store and Apple Store. Download
and start using a communication skills app now. Thank me later.

NO. 9 ... TRY TONGUE TWISTERS

Do you know tongue twisters?

Tongue twisters are strings of words that are difficult to say quickly. This is an
example:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter
Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of
pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
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How easy did you find saying that at first? I guess not so easy. But the more you
practise the easier it becomes.

A word game like tongue twisters can help you coordinate your mouth and tongue
so you can articulate your words perfectly. This helps you speak like a pro.

Practise saying these tongue twisters:

1. Betty Botter bought some butter. But she said the butter’s bitter. If I put it in my
batter, it will make my batter bitter. But a bit of better butter will make my batter
better. So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.

2. The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout
Thursday.

3. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as a
woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

4. I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where
she shines she sits, and where she sits she shines.

5. Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?

NO. 10 ... THINK IN THE LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION

Many people who don't get on well with communication make a great mistake.
They think in one language and hope to communicate well in another language.

Heads up! One right way to improve your communication skills in a particular
language is to think in that same language. If you are looking to improve your
communication in English language, then you must think in English. This means

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you have to imagine the situations and word you are interested in, in English,
rather than in your indigenous language.

Thinking in the language of communication helps your thought process the words
correctly. Try to use English when you are thinking about your day or when you
are planning your next speech. You will soon notice that when you think in
English, it’s easier for you to speak in English.

NO. 11 ... UNDERSTAND BODY LANGUAGE

Body language means communicating by using parts of the body. It is the

unspoken element of communication used to reveal true feelings and emotions.
This involves gestures, facial expressions, posture, etc.

Body language usually expresses the TRUTH about a person's feelings. If you are
speaking with a friend about something you intend to do and your friend keeps
looking away throughout the conversation, your friend, most likely, disagrees with
your opinion. Even if he commends you in words, his looking away is a body
language you should consider as part of your communication and interpret as
disapproval.

If you are able to 'read' these signs correctly, you can use the knowledge to your
advantage. For example, it can help you understand the complete message
someone is trying to pass. It can also enhance your awareness of people's reactions
to what you say and do.

You need to understand body language in order to adjust your own body language
so you can communicate your ideas and feelings better.

Look beyond what the mouth says. Check out what the body says. The body
usually says it all!

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NO. 12 ... BE BRIEF

It is essential to be brief while you are still working on your communication skills.
To be brief is to put all your thoughts in few words. Brevity improves your clarity
and prevents verbosity.

If you are having difficulty expressing your thought, try put it in few words.

NO. 13 ... PRACTISE YOUR COMMON EXPRESSIONS

There are some expressions you will need to use frequently in your
communication, depending on what you do. If you are a trader, for instance, you
may need to persuade buyers, wrangle price, explain how to use a product that you
sell, etc.

Think about some of your common expressions. Practise them over and over again
until you become used to them. Having common expressions at your fingertip
makes communication lot easier.

What are your common expressions?

NO. 14 ... FOCUS MORE ON FLUENCY

How good your communication is largely depends on how fluent you speak.
Speaking and breaking in between suggest that your communication isn't good
enough. The more you speak and stop, the less confident you sound and the less
convincing you become.

To improve your spoken communication, you need to focus on fluency, rather than
grammar. Yes, you heard me!

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You should challenge yourself to speak without stopping or stammering all

through the time. Doing this might mean that your sentences won’t be
grammatically correct. That’s okay! If you focus on speaking fluently instead of
correctly, you will still be understood (this is the essence of communication) and
you will sound better.

As you get better in your speech, you should focus on correct grammar.

NO. 15 ... TELL A STORY

If you will improve your communication skills, you will need a lot of practice. I
will share different strategies you can employ to practise.

Let's start with storytelling. Telling a story is one fun way to practise
communication in a language. If you are trying to improve your communication in
English, choose a story that you know really well and tell it in English (you can
write it too).

Remember to think in English as you are telling your story. You should also focus
your attention on speaking fluently instead of correctly. Doing these will help you
build confidence and master fluency.

NO. 16 ... TALK TO YOURSELF

I grew up with many family members around. That means I had many people to
talk with. Yet, I talked to myself a lot.

Wait! Talking to yourself is not always a sign of madness. Psychologists have

proven that talking to yourself improves memory, enhances clarity and aids
decision making. It was reported that Albert Einstein used to talk to himself. Many

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geniuses do. Babies also learn to speak by mimicking what they hear. They talk to
themselves.

Improving communication skills is all about practice. One strategy for practising is
talking to yourself. If you are already thinking in your language of communication
(say English), you should then try speaking your thoughts out loud. Even if no one
listens, just the act of speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable
expressing yourself.

Talking to myself really paid off for me. It helped me gradually build confidence
for any task I had to do. I would have rehearsed it all by myself so that by the time
I had to carry out the task, I would just be acting out my rehearsal.

Talking to yourself can work for you too.

NO. 17 ... USE A MIRROR

To improve your communication skills, there are different strategies for practising.
I shared how to use telling a story and talking to yourself .

You can also use a mirror for practice. How do you do this?

- Pick a topic that interests you.

- Stand in front of a mirror, preferably one that you can have a full view of
yourself.

- Set a timer to 3 minutes.

- Start talking on your chosen topic. Don’t stop! Talk for the whole 3 minutes. If
you get stuck on a word you don’t know, try expressing your idea in a different
way.

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The essence of this exercise is to watch your mouth, face and body language as
you speak. This will give you an instant feedback on how well you are performing.
It also makes you feel like you are talking to someone, so you can pretend you are
having a conversation with someone you are comfortable with.

NO. 18 ... LISTEN AND REPEAT

The best way to learn a language is to learn it in its natural state. This means to
learn how it is actually used by its users. This is why language learning
programmes use the immersion method.

You can improve your communication skills in a language through some kind of
immersion. You can LISTEN to a native speaker of the language and REPEAT.

Listening and repeating helps you speak the language correctly: correct intonation,
the right stress pattern, appropriate choice of word for each context, etc.

You can practise listening and repeating using TV shows, YouTube videos or
recorded conversations in the language you are interested in. To improve your
fluency, listen to a native speaker and repeat the line. Try to match the tone, speed
and even the accent. If you miss a few words, don't get worried. The important
thing is to keep talking. Try to sound just like the speaker. Do this for as many
lines as possible. Practise as frequently as possible.

If you are working on your fluency in English communication, FluentU is a great

way to practice listening and repeating. FluentU turns real-world videos into
personalised language learning lessons. For every video you watch you will see all
of the spoken words right there on your screen. This will guide you in repeating the
lines.

NO. 19 ... PRACTISE WITH SONGS

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I have shared 4 different strategies you can employ to practise:

- tell a story

- talk to yourself

- use a mirror

- listen and repeat

Another strategy is to practise with songs

You can sing along to songs in the language of communication that you are
learning, to improve your communication skills. This is what children do when
they sing rhymes. Rhymes, like tongue twisters, help to exercise the speech organs
and make them flexible for speaking. So, when children sing: Bla, bla, black
sheep... You know they are doing speech practice.

What's your favourite song in that language of communication? Sing it often and
you will soon discover that you have mastered the pronunciation of all the words
therein and you can also say the lines fluently.

If you are learning communication in English, try rap! Rap songs are great for
practice because the words are spoken like regular sentences. Although the rhythm
may be stronger and the speed faster, if you can keep up with the pace of the song
you are sure to become fluent.

NO. 20 ... LEARN FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE

Improving communication skills works better if you are learning for a specific
purpose.

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You need to be sure of what you need communication for. Are you learning
English to be able to communicate with someone who you do not speak the same
indigenous language? Are you improving your communication to perform better
on your job? Are you preparing for an examination in English?

Focusing on a specific purpose, while learning communication skills, makes

learning faster and more impactful. If you intend to learn communication skills,
learn for specific purpose.

NO. 21 ... STUDY CONTEXT

Context is the setting in which communication occurs. The people, place, time,
topic, interest, etc. all make up the context of a communication activity.

The cultural context - lifestyle of the people, belief system, cultural values and
behavior patterns - influences how people relate and communicate. It also
determines which expression is right or wrong in that language.

For example, a sentence like:

"How was your night?"

is a usual pleasantry to a Nigerian. However, an American may find it offensive

because it evokes the thought of 'one-night stand'.

You need to study and understand the context of communication to engage in

mutually intelligible communication, whether spoken, written or read.

NO. 22 ... LEARN PHRASES, NOT WORDS

While working on your communication skills, it is better to learn word phrases,

rather than single words. There are peculiar ways native speakers say certain
things. Choosing the right words and using correct grammar may not be sufficient
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to make appropriate expressions. So, you should learn a whole phrase, as speakers
of the language use it, instead of single words.

For instance, native speakers may prefer to say 'Happy anniversary' instead of
'Congratulations on your anniversary'. You should learn the common phrases
rather than stringing words together.

Remember context? The cultural context of a communication activity influences

how expressions are made in a language. Using those peculiar expressions is
helpful for sounding natural.

NO. 23 ... LEARN WORD FORMS

Learning word forms together with new words can help improve communication.

Speaking and writing become easier when you know the different forms of all
words learnt. When you learn a new vocabulary, you should also learn the different
ways the word can be used.

For example, when you learn the word 'speak', you should learn 'speaks', 'spoke',
'spoken', 'speak up', etc.

It is important to know the correct way to use a word in different sentences.

NO. 24 ... PAY ATTENTION TO HOW WORDS SOUND

Words, in the language you are learning, may have a different tone from your
language. This means there may be difference in how the words sound.

Some languages are stress-timed, others are syllable-timed. English, for instance,
uses word stress. That means you will need to pronounce a part of a word with
some degree of emphasis or prominence.

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You need to understand word stress patterns because word meanings depend on
stress. See these examples:

A- CHAllenge (NOUN - pronounced with first-syllable stress)

A confrontation; an instigation intended to convince a person to perform an action

they otherwise will not.

B- chaLLENGE (VERB - pronounced with second-syllable stress)

To dare; to make a formal objection.

Listen to how native speakers of English place the emphasis (stress) on words
when they speak. Try to repeat it the same way. If you can't find a native speaker,
use a dictionary with pronunciation feature. A dictionary can help you improve
your communication skills. I shared how in Tip No. 5.

NO. 25 ... RECORD AND REPLAY

One other sure way to improve your spoken communication, in particular, is

through recording and replaying.

To use the record-and-replay method:

1- choose a topic you can speak on for about 3 minutes.

2- practise for a few times what you intend to say on the topic.

3- set your recording device on.

4- speak on your topic for 3 minutes stretch, without stopping. Even when you
make mistakes, don't stop. Just pick up from where you stopped and speak on.

5- put off the recorder at the end of your speech and save the clip.

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6- play back the recorded clip to listen to how you sound. Take note of your choice
of words and how well you sound natural.

7- if you aren't satisfied with your performance, keep repeating the process until
you think you sound flawless.

There you go! Try it!

NO. 26 ... RELAX

It is very important to relax while trying to improve your communication skills. It

is a long process. It can be strenuous too. So, take your time.

Yes, there are a lot to learn: the rules of the language, common expressions, word
forms and all. Take them one at a time. Just be steady.

Yes, you need a lot of practice too. While at it, relax. If you are practising reading,
start with skimming, and then move on to scanning. If you are learning to improve
your writing skill, guide yourself with an outline. While practising speaking, learn
to relax. Go slow enough to think about the next thing to say. If you get stuck
along the way, take a pause then pick up your speech from where you stopped.

Relaxing helps you to be at your best.

NO. 27 ... BE DELIBERATE

"The person who is waiting for something to turn up might start with their shirt
sleeves." - Garth Henrichs

Yes, turn up your shirt sleeves ready to work. Your communication skills will not
improve until you deliberately work at it.

NO. 28 ... GET A STUDY PARTNER

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A study partner can help you focus on your communication goals.

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." (African
Proverb)

You should get someone who you have similar learning goals to practise with.
Working with that person will yield a better result than studying alone.

A study partner can be a friend who you both decide to improve your
communication skills together. He can be another participant in your study group.
You can also get a teacher, mentor or coach to drill you.

NO. 29 ... REGISTER FOR A COURSE

Depending on how seriously you think you need to improve in your

communication, taking a course is important.

Learning is the only known solution to ignorance. It is possible that you know so
much about many things; lack of knowledge in communication is a deficiency.

Read my common quote: "Ask me about a man that doesn't need communication
and I will point you to the grave."

Dear reader, you cannot not communicate! Communication is at the centre of our
personal and career lives. Great communication skills can pave the way for your
career success; the same way poor communication skills can wreck your career.

If great communication skill is so important to you, learn it. You can learn on your
own. You can get a study partner. You can register for a course.

NO. 30 ... GET A MENTOR

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The most result-oriented way to hone your communication skills is to get a mentor.
A mentor will hold your hand towards achieving your communication goal.
Remember that iron sharpens iron. To achieve your goal, it is crucial to work with
someone who is already where you want to be.

It is possible that you already know the challenges you have with attaining the
level of communication you desire, but you may not know how to solve them. A
mentor will help you diagnose your challenges and inspire you to success.

You don't only get a mentor when you do. You get a friend, cheerleader, and fan,
who will not stop until you succeed.

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