In a world where human beings are a step ahead of the rest of the planet’s species only due to their advanced communication skills, it is essential to ace the communication game to carve a niche for yourself in the business arena.
With an impressive amount of experience in entrepreneurship, Nebo Bandovic is one person who knows just how essential it is to have top-of-the-line communication skills to tackle the many challenges of the business world.
Here, Nebo Bandovic charts out an effective strategy that will help you take your communication to the next level, driving you confidently toward your business goals.
What is effective communication?
“Effective communication is your ability to convey any kind of information you have to another person or persons in a way that the intended emotion and information is passed on accurately,” says Nebo Bandovic. Indeed, this seems like a perfect way to describe what good communication is all about.
Types of communication
As human beings, we depend on 5 major types of communication to interact with others:
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
Written communication
Active listening
Visual communication
“Although verbal communication often hogs the limelight, it is indeed important to know that all these forms of communication play an equal role. They all add up to create an impactful interaction,” states Nebo Bandovic.
Why effective communication is essential in every business setting
“A work environment is set up to perform optimally. Effective communication is the tool that sets every other operation in motion at the workplace,” says Nebo Bandovic.
“Get your communication across in an optimal manner, and every other business process will have the opportunity to fall in line accordingly. Get it wrong, and the entire process will go haywire, no matter how efficient your process blueprint may be.”
Effective communication is a crucial component of every interaction, no matter what the situation may be. Nebo Bandovic reiterates that it is even more critical to communicate effectively in a business setting.
Taking it to the next level: 3 solutions for each type of communication
“Early in my career, when working with a team of newbies, I realized that despite being smarter at what they did, some of them were soon left behind in the race only because they did not possess impressive communication skills,” says Nebo Bandovic. “That’s when I decided to work on my own skills even further and help others get better too.”
Here is a comprehensive solution by Nebo Bandovic in the form of some precise, practical tips.
Verbal communication
Nebo Bandovic’s top 3 tips to improve your verbal communication skills are:
Speak to as many new people as you can in your day; the more you do this, the more you will learn how to communicate well with different people.
Pick any book or newspaper and read it out loud for 5 minutes a day. This will help you gain a firm voice and will also improve your pronunciations.
Practice speech therapy exercises. These will help you speak clearly by putting your tongue and mouth through different speech motions.
Non-verbal communication
Be emotive: At times, your emotions and expressions can say a lot more than words. Certainly, emotions come into play at the workplace too.
Humor wins audiences but never overdo it to the point where it takes the audience away from the point you are making.
Maintain a great posture: The wrong posture - whether it is too stiff or too slouchy - passes the wrong message about your attitude at the workplace.
Written communication
Read more: Your writing skills are simply an extension of your reading experience. The more you read, the better you will be able to write.
Use tools such as Grammarly to correct errors and improve your copy. We are all humans. We all make mistakes. We all need help.
Write or type at least one page each day, preferably summing up your business day. This will also help you learn new ways to write out even the mundane.
Active listening as a form of communication
Active listening is a skill that very few of us add to the list of good communication; yet, it is an essential one. When you begin realizing this, you will pay special attention to this skill as well.
Learn to listen attentively to what others say. You can also add the attributes of reading a communication from others or paying due attention to audio aids to this list.
The act of listening involves paying attention to what others have to say. When you begin ‘listening’ with care and empathy, you will provide solutions that truly work.
Visual communication
In today’s business environment, visual aids form an essential part of communication. The entrepreneurs and employees of today have to adapt accordingly.
From social media posts that influence a business to training videos that teach you how to influence a workplace, visual communication is essential for today’s work processes.
Visual communication works both ways, so polishing your understanding of visual information is as essential as knowing how to create these information bytes.
“The most important aspect for improving your communication skills is to keep working on them. One way to do this is to communicate often and with as many people as you can. Leave no opportunity to put your skills to use, even if you still doubt them. The more you communicate, the better you’ll get at them,” says Nebo Bandovic, wrapping up his list of tips.
Go ahead and step up your communications game with confidence
“Investing time and resources in improving your communication skills will give you returns throughout your life. People often come up to me and say they regret not having communication skills as good as mine. I’ll tell you what I tell them — it’s never too late, you can begin working on your skills today!” concludes Nebo Bandovic.
These detailed tips from Nebo Bandovic are indeed among the most comprehensive essentials out there. Put them to work, and you will be surprised to see how quickly your communication skills get way better than they are already.
This article was written in cooperation with Digital Nod