First Steps in Communication

Communication is a skill that helps in all aspects of our lives. The ability to effectively express what we want to say can even improve our confidence and mental health.

Before we try to communicate with the people around us, it is important to know for ourselves what it is we want to express. The first step is having that clear idea of our intended message. If our thoughts are not clear or complete in our head, then our communication will also be unclear and incomplete. Even if it means taking a moment to think, it is better to finish the thought before trying to express it.

When applied to any sort of meeting or planned conversation, we can sort a lot of this information and figure out these thoughts in advance. We can list the information we might want to communicate with our team and then organize it in terms of importance. What type of information is urgent? What type of information isn’t? What is and isn’t high priority (without relation to urgency)? By thinking these through in advance, we can have a better filter to clear out the clutter in our communications.

Once we have a clear idea of what we want to express, the next step is understanding who we are trying to express it to. Are we expressing it to one person? Two? What language is easier for that person or people to understand or receive? By having an empathetic approach to understanding our target audience, we can tailor our language to be better understood. These adjustments make conversations easier and more effective.

This can include identifying which person we’re talking to and adjusting our tone to be one they tend to be more responsive to even if another person would not be. We might use different phrases to express urgency or emphasize certain pieces of information differently. Each change we make can actively improve our recipient’s ability to understand.
By having a clear list of priorities, knowing when we want to express them, and understanding how to express them well to our friends, colleagues, and teammates, we can take the first steps in improving our communication.