Looking them in the eye - This is kind of straight forward but people often forget it, no matter what you are doing, eye contact is incredibly important. it lets the person know that you are paying attention to them and you care about what they have to say, maintaining eye contact is paramount when communicating with someone.
Engaging them - engaging someone often goes hand in hand with maintaining eye contact but it can often goes above and beyond. engaging someone can mean guiding their pace when they are walking, prompting them about a situation, or just generally reacting to the state that they are in.
Asking Questions - this one may be a little controversial but i believe that one of the most important parts of being a good listener and communicator is being active, specifically asking questions. if you ask someone a question about what they are saying then it reinforces their belief that you care and are actively listening, not mentioning the added benefit in clarity that it gives to you.
Reacting - reacting often is parallel to asking question since asking questions is one of the easiest ways to react. some other ways are to outwardly display your reactions as facial expressions, and to generally allow the person to see your human reaction to their story.
Being open - this is key, in order to be on the receiving end of a good communication you must be open to being the good communicator, this often means being able to share personal and intimate details about yourself and your life with the person you are communicating with. even if you dont get the opportunity to share details, being prepared to do so creates a bond with the person you re interacting with.
These are my best tips at being a great communicator but they are by no means conclusive, these are just a few ways at bettering yourself in the important art of communication.
Totally agree on asking questions and being engaged. The best type of communication is conversation, which includes questions and eye contact. Being open is also a good concept.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all of your techniques. I also listed looking people in the eye. Great minds think alike! It is such a vital way to really connect with a person. I like what you said about being open because that is they way to gain new perspectives.
ReplyDeleteEngaging is absolutely important! If we didn't engage in any of our conversations or interactions, sooner or later we'd run out of people with whom to communicate because they'd think that we're being inconsiderate or don't care what they have to say.
ReplyDeleteLooking a person in the eyes is a very important aspect of carrying a conversation. Nice job adding that in there! I really want to add that to my list as well.
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