Even professional writers find business communication challenging sometimes. Here are four tips to help improve your business communication skills.
1. Have a break
Leaving the office may not be possible for you. However as the saying goes, ‘a change is as good as a holiday’. Small changes can make a difference.
What can you do to have a break?
You could simply go for a walk or work on another task. The benefits include:
- You can consider your options for the communication task
- You can analyse the task and break it into simpler components
- You’re more likely to view your communication task from a new perspective
Having a break is not about avoiding the business communication situation and hoping it will go away. It’s about giving yourself permission to focus on something else for a short period of time. Rest assured, your brain will still be working on the task in the background.
2. Try something new
It’s very easy to go into autopilot. Whether you realise it or not your previous experiences with clients will affect how you respond to them in the future – whether it’s face-to-face or written communication.
Have you ever travelled to a location that you go to on a regular basis a different way to your normal route? When you do, you become more alert to your surroundings. You may even find a more efficient way to travel to that place.
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The same goes for communicating with others. Be willing to try new ways to communicate effectively.
Take up professional development opportunities for new ideas. This could lead to viewing a situation in your workplace with a new perspective.
3. Do one task at a time
Many of us multi-task in an attempt to be efficient and to simply ‘get everything done’. Is more productivity achieved?
Studies have found that people perform better when they focus on one task at a time.
How do you become more productive by doing one task at a time, especially if you’re used to multi-tasking? It’s about prioritising and setting boundaries. By focusing on a particular task you’re ensuring that you’re not going to be distracted by other tasks or people. This can include not checking emails or even diverting your phone to voicemail for a specific time period.
Communicating with clients either on the phone or in a meeting can often be accompanied by distractions that many of us take as the norm. Be in the moment in each communication that you have with others and you’ll probably find your communication exchanges become more informative and productive.
4. Be kind to yourself
As soloists, it’s important to look after yourself. You are your business. How often are you kind to yourself?
Being kind to yourself helps you to stay energised and focused on your business goals.
Benefits
These four tips will help you to maintain the energy to focus and effectively deal with communication issues and increase your productivity. In addition, you’ll find yourself better enjoying your role in your business, and even becoming a good role model to others.
When it comes to business communication skills, what works for you?
