Three Communication Skills You Need in 2024
Happy 2024 to you đ
Itâs been a while since Iâve published something, so Iâll keep this one punchy and practical. Enjoy!
If you want to elevate your communication skills this year, focus on these three things:
1/ Prioritize your point
Before you speak, ask yourself: âIn a single sentence, what am I trying to say?â
If you canât answer that question, youâre not ready to talk.
If you can answer that question, lead with that point (and follow with an explanation if necessary).
2/ Go last
The more you know, the more effective your communication will be.
Before contributing to a conversation, try gathering as much information as possible from the other person/people.
Ask questions: âWhat was that like?â âWhat else can you tell me?â âHow do you think we should handle this?â
Clarify what you hear: âIt sounds like youâre saying ________. Am I understanding?â
Probe: âWill you tell me more aboutâŚ?â
3/ Open and close with command
I like to say, âHow you open sets the tone, and how you close sets the narrative.â
How you start and end your communication directly impacts how youâre perceived, how much people engage and participate, how much they remember, and the story they tell themselves about how the interaction went once itâs over.
The opening of most of your professional communications should include:
Clarifying the topic - Make sure everyone knows what youâll be talking about
Defining the purpose of that communication - What will they know, do, or think differently about by the end?
Preview of what will be discussed - This will help the person/people youâre communicating with stay engaged because they know youâve prepared and they know whatâs coming
Guidance on participation - Tell the person/people youâre communicating with when and how you want them to contribute
The close of most of your professional communications should include:
Recap of key points - Of everything that was said/discussed, what were the 1-3 most important things?
Alignment on outstanding items - What didnât get discussed, answered, or resolved?
Agreement on next steps - Who? Needs to do what? By when?
Please keep in mindâŚ
These arenât rules, but more like gentle guidelines. They should be adjusted to the formality of your communication.
Which one will you be working on first? Share with me in the comments đ
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Until next time!
Jenny