5 Communications Mistakes You Need To Stop Making

By Ruoro Kairu

You are known by how well you communicate. If you communicate your ideas in a clear way, you will have your ideas taken up seriously. If you do not communicate well, your ideas will either be misunderstood or not taken up because of unclear communication.

At work, you need to communicate well with your coworkers, superiors, and clients. If your communication is ineffective, it can spell trouble for your work or business and interfere with any attempts to build better, healthier relationships at your workplace and life in general.

There are plenty of great communication practices that have been covered. I’d like to shift the attention to the practices you’re probably still harboring and need to get rid of.

Here are communications mistakes you need to stop making.

1. Being unclear or vague

Clarity is one of the factors that makes communication effective. When your words or sentences are vague or unclear, the value of your communication will be watered down.

Think carefully about the words you want to use in any conversation before you can actually utter them. Try and use specific words that describe what you’re trying to communicate. If the communication is through writing, ensure you proofread your work and substitute the vague words with more clear ones.

2. Being politically vocal

You’re free to subscribe to any political line of thought. The problem is when you start to voice your views. Elections and the political state of Kenya are a passionate topic for many, however, you need to abstain from voicing any radical ideas as it could lead others to distance themselves from you.

It is alright, however, to engage in a meaningful discussion around political topics with your colleagues.

3. Babbling

Mostly, you’ll find yourself babbling when you get excited about a particular subject or when you’re nervous. When you blabber, you end up communicating incoherently, making your words ineffective.

Moreover, blabbing can be seen as a way of dominating communication. Unless you’re intending to have a monologue, you should cut down on blabbing.

Quick Read>>> Why Attending Practical Public Speaking Classes Will Change Your Life For Good

4. Interrupting

Effective communication needs to be balanced. A give and take of sorts. If you keep interrupting your colleague or boss as they’re trying to communicate, you’ll be viewed as a poor communicator as well as being rude.

Always give time for the other party to communicate their thoughts and opinions. If you feel the other subject is shy or having a hard time communicating, you can try and make the environment more easy.

You can also try and pose a question in order to get a response.

Quick Read>>> 5 Tips For Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

5. Making inappropriate jokes and comments

Depending on the nature of your communication, jokes can be welcomed or shunned. Nonetheless, you need to observe any jokes that you make during a conversation. Make sure that the jokes are not targeted towards any person or group. The same goes for comments, there are times when comments are welcomed, and there are other times when they aren’t. It is important to understand the distinction.

Myriad factors go into considering when you want to strengthen your communication skills. Public speaking skills are a key component of effective communication.

If you would like to improve on your public speaking skills, you can enroll in our seven-week class that will teach you how to speak with confidence and have your ideas taken in good weight.