Effective verbal or spoken communication depends on a large number of factors that cannot be isolated from other significant interpersonal skills like listening skills, non-verbal communication, and clarification. To remain calm and focused, being polite and following some other basic rules of etiquettes to improvef verbal communication. Let us talk about different parts of the verbal communication briefly one by one:
- Opening Communication
- Reinforcement
- Effective Listening
- Questioning
- Clarifying and Reflecting
- Closing Communication
Opening Communication
Everyone has own set of norms and expectations related to how initial meetings should proceed and how people should tend to behave according to the earlier mentioned expectations. In case these expectations are mismatched then the communication will not run smoothly and will not be effective and if relations are to be continued in future then negotiations will be required. Appropriate greetings and formalities are expected in the beginning of the meeting like a handshake, your introduction, and eye contact etc.
Reinforcement
To make use of the encouraging words alongside the non-verbal gestures such as a warm facial expression, head nods, and maintaining the eye contact are likely to reinforce the openness in others. Positive reinforcement can be:
- Encourage others to participate in discussion
- Show interest in what others are saying
- To come up with ways to maintain as well as develop the relationship
- Show openness and warmth
- Reduce nervousness and shyness in ourselves as well as others
Effective Listening
Effective or active listening is an important skill and even then people spend most of their energy focusing on what they will be saying rather than listening to what other people have to or try to say. The underlined things are essentials for active and effective listening:
- Be ready to listen
- Ensure a comfortable environment that is conducive for the communication purposes
- Keep your mind open and concentrate on the direction of the speaker
- Distractions should be avoided
- Do not judge until and unless you listen to the other person completely
- Be objective
- Don’t think about your next question when the other person is giving information
Questioning
Effective questioning is a significant skill. It can be used to:
- Get the required information
- Initiate a conversation
- Inquire the understanding
- Show interest in whatever the other person is saying
- Support or agree to whatever is being said
Clarifying and Reflecting
It is the process of giving feedback about whatever a person has said. It usually involves the paraphrasing the message that has been communicated by the person in your own words without losing the essence of the facts explained or talked about.
Closing Communication
In order to end an interaction people make use of the range of subtle, or at times not so subtle signals are used. For instance, if a person is avoiding eye contact, turning the body away, or behaving like looking at the watch or closing the books etc; all these are clear signs of the fact that the person is more than willing to end the conversation. Closing any interaction abruptly does not allow the other person to round off what has been said and hence it is suggested to always have time to wind up. Last but not the least is the fact that these closing remarks will be accompanied by the parting gestures that are socially acceptable.
