How to Improve your Communication Skills, with Key Resources

Updated October 22, 2021 - Sophie Thompson

"Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success." - Paul J. Meyer.

Is the ability to communicate successfully something that is a natural part of human personality or something you can learn? Many believe it is a mixture of both.

Some of the greatest communications in history do seem to have been "born" speakers, and their tone, delivery and words leave an indelible stamp. Take for instance Martin Luther King Jr. His messages and phrases are still used today, in a multitude of ways. Especially "I have a dream" and his belief that people should "not be judged on the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character." He certainly had a charismatic character!

However, there are many business leaders, entertainers, politicians and well know orators who describe themselves as naturally shy. So, there's plenty of evidence that you can develop effective, confident and successful speaking and writing abilities. Especially if you're truly invested in what you want to say.

Everyone needs to communicate well to establish healthy relationships with loved ones, bosses, interview panels, colleagues and business contacts, to name but a few 'audiences'.

Whatever your job, you will need to deliver information, with clarity and confidence. According to global professional development company Dale Carnegie – in the organisation's video about improving communications skills – your wages depend on it!

The firm says that 85% of your financial success in life comes from your personality, and your skills in communication, negotiation and leadership. Leaving only 15% of your career achievements rooted in technical knowledge.

Effective communication skills are important to many aspects of your life and career, including:

  • Being hired for a new job
  • Working with clients and customers
  • Working with teams, both internal and external
  • Leading people
  • Establishing relationships
  • Securing new business at networking events

This is why this article brings together various methods and ideas for how to improve your communications skills.

Understand the fundamentals of communication

"Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding a bicycle or typing. If you're willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life." - Brian Tracy.

A great place to start in developing communications skills is to constantly consider, 'What am I trying to achieve?' before writing anything, or preparing for presentations, interviews and meetings.

All communication has a purpose. It could be to educate, inform, warn, entertain, influence or persuade for example. Sometimes more than one purpose is involved.

Focusing on the result you want to achieve can help you to frame and deliver what you say more effectively. You can also evaluate the outcome against your initial aim, to find ways to develop better communications skills.

Learn to listen to verbal and non-verbal communications

Developing a better ability to listen is not simply learning to stay quiet when someone speaks or reading documentation more thoroughly!

Active listening needs to be practised and improved. It involves engaging with a speaker, in an emotionally intelligent way.

For instance, being aware of your own responses and reactions, so you can stay calmer and more focused in situations of conflict or debate. Also, consider what's behind the words you're hearing. This can mean studying the speaker's body language and giving thought to their views, motives, interests and preferences.

Good listening also involves encouraging people to supply you with more information or clarity, by using open-ended questions and prompts for instance.

Why is active listening so important?

William Ury, an author and one of the world's best-known and respected experts on negotiation skills, argues that "listening is the essential, and often overlooked, half of communication."

His TED talk video called 'The power of listening' develops this view.

Primarily, the advantages of improving listening skills include:

  1. A better understanding of the speaker. As William Ury says: "How can you possibly change someone else's mind if you don't know where their mind is?"
  2. Creates connection – including rapport and a level of trust.
  3. Makes it more likely the speaker will be more receptive to what you have to say.
  4. It costs nothing and you could learn a lot!

Add structure, context and non-verbal cues to your communication

Of course, it's hard to actively listen when you come across a waffler, rambler or tech-speak geek. This is why the best communicators keep their purpose sharply in mind and deliver their 'messages' in as few words as possible.

As well as being succinct, there are other ways to enhance the success of your communication, including strategic use of visual aids. However, don't let the visual material speak for you, as the impact of your words could get diluted if your audience gets too distracted.

One of the most commonly used ways to frame a presentation (or even a short speech) has been handed down from ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle. It involves three steps:

  • Tell them what you are going to talk about.
  • Say it.
  • Explain what you just said.

Also, keep in mind that even the most polished and well-presented speech needs to include a degree of flexibility, leaving space to respond to your audience, and invite discussion, questions and feedback.

You can also improve your communication by remembering that words – and even visual aids – can all be underpinned by your body language. Good non-verbal techniques to connect with your audience and hold their attention include natural smiles, plenty of eye contact and an open posture.

This is true of whether it's one potential customer, an interview panel or a room full of your peers. Equally universal is the need to personalise what you say as much as possible.

For example, frequently (but seamlessly) addressing people by name in written or verbal communication and using 'you' 'we' and 'I' for example.

Use contemporary methods for improvement

"Although we live in an information technology age, we often find ourselves in failure to communicate situations." - Johnny Tan.

Technology provides important communication improvement tools – more on this later.

However, it's a double-edged sword according to world-renown communications expert Antoni Lacinai in his TED Talk video called '6 communication truths that everyone should know.'

Antoni Lacinai has spent over 25 years studying human communication and psychology, and his mission is to reclaim and enhance 'analogue' skills in an ever more digital world. He argues this takes time, effort and willpower.

Especially as digital communications have added to our impatience, and we lose concentration quickly (particularly younger audiences). According to Antoni Lacinai average attention spans have dropped from 20 to 3.5 minutes in a matter of a few years!

This makes it even more important to constantly fine-tune and refresh the way you communicate. Including, (ironically) making the best use of technology, such as growing your familiarity with software and web-based platforms that support information sharing.

Much depends on the nature of your job. So, for instance, if you are an entrepreneur, this could include getting a firmer handle on the different demographics and values of separate social media platforms.

Also, you could grow your ability to use options such as Slack and Zoom to continuously improve communication efficiency. They offer a way to record discussions, so you can evaluate if you could have done things better, clearer and in a more engaging way.

These are also digital communications tools you can learn to adapt to tailor information to specific audiences, and managers can use them to measure speaker success and viewer engagement.

This sort of communication improvement is vital as workforces are now highly dispersed. Research shows that if you use communications properly, to connected office-bound and remote staff, your productivity will increase by 20-25%. Also, 97% of employees feel their daily tasks depend on effective communications.

Use traditional methods for improvement

Beyond technology, you can also improve the success of your communication using more traditional methods, including participating in training courses in public speaking and writing for business.

Even something as readily accessible as reading more – and watching more news and documentary programmes - can help. This will expand your vocabulary, appreciation of language, and awareness of other people's motivations and behaviours.

Also, use observational research. Focus on the communications activities of others, and study how they engage with their audience and achieve their purpose. You could also get a coach or mentor, to help you hone your skills.

Another free way to improve as a communicator is to use online resources to study the biggest mistakes people make, such as this article by a public speaking consultancy.

There is an important rider to this. It is natural to be nervous and to make mistakes, especially when presenting to multiple people. Accept that as something that happens to even the most experienced communicators and don't let it derail you from your purpose.

However, if you want to see some really cringy public speaking mistakes, this series of videos includes some toe-curling examples!

Invest in understanding your audience properly

"The best speakers in the world are the best storytellers. They have a gift to not only tell a great story but also share a lot of the details that many others wouldn't." - Larry Hagner.

To meet any of the purposes of communication, you must quickly establish a strong connection with your audience. Engaging them both intellectually but also at an emotional level. This is the basis of the much-used phrased that you need to win 'hearts and minds'.

That is why traits of the best communicators are empathy, respect and warmth, alongside displaying competence. These attributes enable you to talk to people – not at them. Staying constantly alert to their responses.

For example, if it is a meeting and their eyes start to glaze and drift off, you can pause, or ask them a friendly question, then move on to something you feel is more engaging and relevant. In written communication, it could be choosing words, phrases and additional information to explain things in a way your audience will better understand and appreciate.

You can also use 'storytelling' techniques to frame when you say or write; making it personal, relatable and inclusive of good illustrations to drive points home.

The series of videos in this article show storytelling in action among successful TED talk speakers.

Showing empathy, respect and warmth makes people feel important and engages them more thoroughly. It is only possible if you consider the nature of your audience.

That means taking note of what their expectations, interests, motivations and behaviours may be. Also, what level of ability and understanding does your audience have?

If you invest time in considering all this, you are more likely to communicate at a sufficiently technical level, at a pace that matches your audience and using content most likely to achieve the result you want.

"When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective." - Stephen R. Covey.

Work on timing, appropriateness and versatility

Great comedians, like all great communicators, understand timing. They also gain a sense of their audience as quickly as possible, to dictate their content and the pace of their delivery.

Whether you are speaking in a project meeting, job interview or room with hundreds of people, the pace and fluidity of your communications matters. As it does in exchanges of written information.

The basis of this is gaining a good understanding of your audience (see above) but also not being too prescriptive and rigid. Leave room for responses, questions and feedback.

Being versatile as a communicator involves adapting to real-time responses. Such as, repeating things when you sense confusion, or emphasising points if you find something that enlivens and fully engages your audience.

You may even find a particularly relaxed and responsive audience makes humour appropriate. Though this must be measured and tasteful of course! You're trying to win their hearts and minds, but if you can get a few laughs too, it's a bonus that helps you build your audience connection.

Focusing on appropriateness and timing also revolves around the system you use to deliver information.

Did you know that over 205.6 billion emails are sent worldwide, every day? Of, those, only a third are opened.

It's the perfect example of why you should decide the most effective way to communicate, to match your audience's needs and expectations, and your purpose.

Such as, using the telephone or an in-person discussion to communicate, and then following it up with an email, to achieve a better result.

The best communicators are life-long learners

To come full circle then, personality is important, but you can certainly develop successful communications skills. In fact, even if it comes naturally, you must invest time in understanding your audience and purpose, and in choosing your words with care. This is why becoming a successful communicator is a journey, not a destination.

"Communication works for those who work at it." - John Powell

Key resources to improve your communication skills

1. Online courses

  • Improving Communication Skills - You'll learn how to develop trust, the best method of communication for negotiation, when to cooperate and when to compete, how to create persuasive messages, and more.
  • Essential Public Speaking – Learn all the fundamentals of public speaking, from building rapport to asking the right questions. You can then practice these techniques with interactive practice exercises.
  • Business Communications - Sharpen your writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills to help you succeed in the business world. You will learn strategies for honing your communication style, improving clarity, conciseness and impact.
  • Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work - Improve your communication skills at work and learn how to navigate positive collaboration in the modern workplace.
  • Communication Styles for Stronger Social Skills - How to adapt your communication styles to improve your relationship and influence with the people around you.

2. YouTube tutorials

3. Books

  • TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking - this book explains how powerful public speaking is achieved and equips you to give it your best shot. There is no set formula; no two talks should be the same. The goal is for you to give the talk that only you can give.
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People – a classic book on how to make people like you, change people to your way of thinking, negotiate without causing resentment and more topics are covered.
  • The Art of Public Speaking – this book covers classical and contemporary speaking theory, including practical applications relating to public speaking.

4. Blogs about communication

  • MindTools – learn about a wide range of communication skills, from giving feedback to negotiating with a customer, in detailed, well thought out articles.
  • VirtualSpeech – in-depth articles on how to improve communication skills and how virtual reality and be used to practice these skills.
  • SkillsYouNeed – detailed articles with plenty of examples and exercises to ensure you are learning actively.

5. Quiz - what is your communication style?

Improve communication skills

With plenty of practice, you'll notice significant improvements in how you speak and communicate with others:

  • Your confidence around other people will grow
  • People will pay more attention to what you're saying
  • You'll be able to explain complex ideas and processes more clearly
  • You'll find it easier to communicate with people around the world in different cultures and with different ethnic backgrounds