The ability to communicate effectively with superiors, colleagues, and staff is essential, no matter what industry you will work in. students as potential workers in the digital age must know how to effectively convey and receive messages in person as well as via phone, email, and social media. Good communication skills will help get hired, land promotions, and be a success throughout your career.
Communication can be done in different forms such as through verbal exchange, written media such as books, visual forms such as the use of graphs, as well as non-verbal forms such as body language and gestures. All these are the different ways communication can take place among individuals. All these different means of communication are essential soft skills that are important for a successful career. Furthermore, communication is crucial because it is how individuals connect with others and how they express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas to the people around them. It is also through communication that individuals come to understand each other.
How students can improve their communication skills
As a student, it is therefore essential for you to ensure that you have communication skills. There are various ways through which you can develop communication skills if you feel you do not have them or even improve on your skills. Here are seven ways through which, as a student, you can improve your communication skills.
Think before you speak
It is crucial for you as a student to organize your thoughts before you speak. This is because organizing your thoughts allows you to get rid of saying anything that is not appropriate. Thinking before you speak also allows you to relay your information more concisely. Writing experts also explain that when it comes to written communication, it is essential for you to organize your thoughts before you write them down.
Communicate in a clear and concise manner
It would be best to express yourself or your ideas clearly and concisely. To communicate clearly and concisely, you should avoid complex and complicated sentences and state your argument in direct and understandable language. As a student, you need to ensure that however you are talking to understands what you are trying to put across.
Active Listening
One of the ways through which, as a student, you can improve your communication skills is through listening. Paying attention and truly listening to what other people say underpins good communication. Even though it is easy to get distracted by your thoughts or what is happening around you, you need to focus on listening. Listening can help your understanding as you will be more focused on grasping what is being said by the other person. Besides, it is essential to ensure you listen without interrupting or talking over people. It would be best if you waited until they were done speaking before responding to them. Active listening is an imperative aspect of your communication skill as it encourages openness.
Ask questions
Asking questions is one of how as a student, you can learn and improve your understanding. Communication is intrinsically linked to better understanding; poor understanding leads to poor communication. To ensure that you communicate effectively with those around you, you must understand what is being discussed. Asking questions can help improve your understanding as you will have more insights into the situation at hand. Furthermore, you can build stronger relationships and manage people more effectively by asking questions.
Be aware of your body language.
Body language is one of the non-verbal communication cues. The cues are used to communicate the feelings of individuals. Some of these non-verbal cues include facial expressions, posture, and gestures. How the body is positioned when we communicate as individuals is a form of communication. Body language sends a message to the other party on whether you are listening or not or whether you are interested in the conversation or not. It is therefore essential for you to be aware of your body language as sometimes this is what signifies the willingness or unwillingness to engage in conversations with other individuals. Through body language, individuals have a better understanding of the overall situation. Body language is the best interpretation of the behavioral psychology of individuals and groups.
Reading
Reading is essential in the development of communication skills. Research shows that any individual who wants to improve communication must develop the habit of reading. This is because having a vast knowledge of vocabulary helps in communication. When you have good vocabulary knowledge, you will also have excellent communication skills. As a student, you need to ensure that you read a lot; whether it is books, journals, or even novels, you must read. As a student, you need to develop the habit of reading as this will go a long way in developing excellent communications skills. Besides, reading enhances your knowledge and gives you wisdom about different aspects of life, thus allowing you to view the world more broadly.
Go out more and be around people.
Communication involves two people or more. Therefore, you as a student must ensure that you go out more and spend time around people. Being around people can help you have a safe experience with communication as you will be able to talk more and listen more. The more you interact with people, the more you can talk and express yourself among different people. Besides, when you spend time around people, you can get into conversations in a more relaxed manner. When you interact with people, you become more confident about yourself, making it easier for you to talk in many situations.
Academic experts point out that well-developed communication skills are crucial to students’ academic success. This is because, at all levels of education, students must be able to communicate effectively. After all, without well-developed communication skills, they are bound to be at risk of falling behind their peers, thus becoming overwhelmed and withdrawn at school. Academic success is intrinsically linked to communication skills as students have to answer questions ranging from simple factual answers to the ones that involve putting thoughts together and having solid arguments.
