Strategies in Communication: Your Guide to Better Connections

Effective communication is key to maintaining healthy work and personal relationships. People communicate in various ways, and understanding how and when to use each type of communication can benefit your ability to interact effectively. 

In addition to strengthening your communication skills, you can also find better connections in your personal and professional life by learning strategies to address common communication barriers that may involve cultural or linguistic differences. 

Discover strategies for more effective communication and explore different communication styles and modes, as well as barriers to communication.

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Improving Communication Skills

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Importance of effective strategies in communication

Good communication helps prevent conflicts that may arise in the ambiguity of miscommunication. Effective communication skills are foundational to any good personal or professional relationship. Learning successful strategies in communication can impact your ability to motivate others, have more engaging conversations, share information, and practise more efficient problem-solving. 

Effective organisational communication strategies can help employees and coworkers understand what managers expect of them, meet goals, and boost motivation. Communication skills are essential if you're in a leadership position or manage a team where you must delegate responsibilities whilst maintaining a respectful relationship. 

7 effective strategies in communication

Building your communication skills takes practice, but it is entirely possible and worth it. Find your weaknesses and consider focusing on one or two strategies at a time. To improve communication skills, notice your current communication style. With time and effort, you’ll convey better ideas, thoughts, actions, and opinions in your personal and professional life. Consider the following strategies to get started.

1. Convey important points clearly and concisely. 

It may be tempting to insert additional information, include popular phrases that relate to the listener, or use filler words that lack true meaning. However, listeners may perceive this as clutter. Therefore, it's important to choose your words wisely and organise your thoughts in a way that's easy to follow. 

You may use the following tips to improve the clarity and conciseness of your communication:

• Use action verbs when possible.

• Offer tangible and concrete terms instead of ambiguous ones. For example, instead of, “Let’s touch base sometime later in the week,” say, “Would Thursday at 3 p.m. work to check in on this project?"

• Leave out filler words and clichés that lack meaning.

• End with a clear call to action if the communication requires the listener to do something.

• In written communication, use bullet points and avoid long streams of text.

• Consider using visual aids to support your points.

2. Use multiple modes of communication.

We often communicate with others using a wide range of different communication styles without even noticing it. For example, in an email to a coworker, you may include a screenshot of a document—a visual and written method of communication. When you speak to someone face-to-face, meanwhile, you likely use nonverbal communication with your body language and verbal communication as you’re speaking. 

Intentionally using multiple modes of communication can add clarity to what you’re trying to convey. Match the modes of communication you choose to the type of communication and listener. Consider the best way to communicate based on the end goal and needs of the listener, and prepare to use multiple modes of communication if sharing with a group. 

3. Be mindful of your tone.

How you say something—and the medium through which you do it—affects how others receive your communication. As a result, the tone of your voice or your written communication should appropriately match what you’re trying to convey.

Think about how the interaction would be perceived if you were on the receiving end. If you’re communicating a policy change to a group of employees, be mindful of potential pain points, anticipate any questions they might have, and address their needs accordingly. This approach fosters a sense of reassurance and calm among employees who may be unsettled by the changes. Most importantly, think through what you’ll say and how you’ll say it to maintain better control over your tone. 

4. Maintain awareness of your body language and nonverbal cues.

Similar to tone, it’s vital that you are aware of what your body language and gestures convey to listeners. It may be challenging to control certain nonverbal cues when experiencing strong emotions towards a conversation. Practise being aware of your body and facial expressions in your daily communication and learn where you can improve. Ask for feedback if appropriate.

Practise these ways to use body language to improve your communication skills: 

• Uncross your arms to maintain a more “open” position. 

• Speak at a steady pace and avoid talking and moving quickly or erratically. 

• Match your eye level with the listener—if they are sitting down, sit with them. 

• Maintain eye contact. 

• Shift your posture and gestures to match that of the listener if needed. 

• Stand facing the person you’re speaking with. 

5. Know your audience.

To know your audience is to understand their thoughts and feelings—it involves perspective and will take time and thoughtfulness. Modulate your tone, gestures, and body language to help your audience perceive your motives and intentions. Before you send an email, approach a coworker, or walk into a meeting, take the time to understand the audience and consider how they may feel or react to what you’re about to communicate to them.

6. Focus on what others say and acknowledge it.

When you can focus on what you are saying and what others say in response, you can tailor your communication style and content appropriately. Referred to as active listening, this technique shows you are listening through nonverbal communication.

You may be more effective in your communication when you can acknowledge others' perceptions and respond appropriately to their feedback, questions, or suggestions. Be open to being a listener. If you’re unsure how to respond, simply tell the other person that you'll come back to them once you've given it greater consideration. Asking for time to provide a thoughtful response is perfectly acceptable. 

7. Request and provide feedback. 

Asking for feedback can be a catalyst for effective communication and help you build useful communication strategies in a leadership role.

Ask a boss or coworker for constructive feedback, or record yourself and watch for any nonverbal communication that could negatively affect your ability to transmit your message successfully. When you ask for feedback, you may also invite the listener to point out the “good” in your communication style and areas that need improvement. 

Overcoming potential barriers to effective communication

Communication barriers can be anything that negatively impacts your ability to communicate appropriately with others. From the tools you use to communicate to your methods of communication, barriers may be physical, emotional, cultural, or linguistic. Fortunately, it is possible to address these barriers and improve your ability to communicate in varying scenarios. 

Emotions 

Sometimes, emotions can cloud your ability to communicate effectively and actively listen. Emotions like anger or disappointment can affect your ability to communicate because your brain struggles to process what is being said, especially if you're experiencing stress or anxiety.

To mitigate the impact of your emotions, wait until you’ve managed them before choosing the best method and environment to speak with a person or group of people. You can also involve a mediator or neutral third party. 

Perception 

How others perceive you and the motives behind your words and actions can help or hinder your communication ability. To avoid negative perception, be sure you clearly state your intention, have open body language, and make time for follow-up questions. 

Culture 

Social differences among cultures can create misunderstandings that impede effective communication.

It’s important, particularly in the workplace, to ask questions about communication standards, norms, and preferences if you suspect a cultural-based communication barrier. Companies can be sensitive and respectful to other cultures by communicating the desire to meet the communication needs of all employees. 

Language 

Language barriers don’t just refer to speaking different languages entirely but also regional and dialectal differences between people and how they each understand the same language. For example, there may be two ways to say the same word,  associations tied to certain words or phrases, or colloquialisms in one part of the world that don’t exist in another, which could lead to misinterpretations or confusion.

To overcome language barriers, avoid jargon, clichés, phrases, or slang that may not translate well without further explanation. In other words, know your audience. Also, some technical terms may be appropriate if you're writing an email to a coworker or supervisor, but not when speaking at a conference for a group of students.

Interpersonal

Interpersonal barriers refer to the relationship between you and the person or people with whom you’re communicating. Interpersonal barriers can be a lack of trust, engagement, or a difference of opinion. You can more clearly communicate in these instances if you can be transparent, open to criticism, and keep strong emotions at bay. Understand that when interpersonal barriers are present, you may need to compromise, offer solutions, and even step away and take time to consider the situation. 

4 types of communication 

The four main types of communication are verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual. Any time you communicate with someone, you use at least one of these types of communication, but you often rely on several types at once.

For example, consider when you walk into a colleague’s office to discuss a project. You're communicating with the words you say but also your tone of voice, body language, and expressions. You may also bring a visual aid like a copy of the project details or send a follow-up email after you chat with them. These means of communication help get your point across. 

To improve your communication strategies, focus on each type of communication and consider ways to build upon your skills in that area. If you have a strength in one area, assess what makes you most effective as you build upon other types of communication. One important note: The type of communication you choose should be appropriate for the situation.

1. Verbal communication

Verbal communication is the actual words you speak and how you say them.

This can mean your pitch, volume, cadence, and more. Improve your verbal communication skills by being clear and concise and avoiding filler words such as “um,” “yeah,” “like,” and “you know.” Read the other person or people you’re communicating with using good active listening skills. Be confident in your speech and know when to listen and when to talk. 

2. Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication refers to the nuisances that you may not even be aware of when speaking with someone or a group of people.

Your gestures, body language, and facial expressions are all means of nonverbal communication. Ironically, watching others is one of the best ways to improve nonverbal communication. Do they make eye contact? Are their arms crossed? Are they talking with their hands a lot? Being aware of others' nonverbal communication can help create awareness of your own, and you may be able to control your body language better when communicating. 

3. Visual communication

Visual communication conveys information that the eyes can see. This can be a visual aid like a presentation, document, image, infographic, and so on.

Visual communication can supplement what you say and give listeners a tangible example. For instance, if you’re writing a group email to your team about the timeline of a project, instead of writing it all out, create a bar graph to show improvement and attach it to the email. This would be a visual way to communicate the needs of the project. 

4. Written communication

Written communication encompasses anything written or typed—from text messages to memos and reports to emails. To improve your written communication, use templates for reference and keep samples of good writing pieces you’ve done in the past. Remember, you can’t always read the tone of written communication, so rely on punctuation and simplicity and avoid jokes or sarcasm to prevent miscommunication.

Common modes of communication 

A mode of communication refers to the medium used by the sender of a message to deliver the communication to the receiver, how we deliver a message, and how they receive it. This could be email, text, or speech. Three standard modes of communication are presentational, interpersonal, and interpretive. 

Presentational and interpretive modes of communication count as one-way communication since they typically involve delivering a message in a way that does not facilitate or encourage interaction or exchange from the receiver. 

Interpretive communication may occur in a classroom where a teacher presents information to students. Students must interpret the content based on the medium and the speaker’s communication cues, such as body language, tone, and other means of communication. Presentational communication may occur in a seminar or more formal setting where the speaker presents rehearsed, scripted content to a group of listeners. 

Interpersonal communication is different. When we engage in interpersonal modes of communication, we interact with the recipient of our message. In this relational-based mode, we use verbal and nonverbal means of communication. Examples of interpersonal communication could be a phone conversation or texting. 

Next steps

Apply these strategies in the real world to improve your communication development in your personal and professional life. Effective communication is a critical life skill that is highly prized in the workplace, and you can benefit from investing in your communication skills to build and maintain healthy relationships and positively impact your career and personal life.

Need resources to get started? Enrol in an online course like the University of Pennsylvania's Improving Communication Skills or the University of Colorado's Teamwork Skills: Communicating Effectively in Groups, both offered on Coursera. These courses can provide professional guidance and helpful resources to help you improve your communication.

course

Improving Communication Skills

Learn how to communicate more effectively at work and achieve your goals. Taught by award-winning Wharton professor and best-selling author Maurice ...

4.7

(2,014 ratings)

161,460 already enrolled

Beginner level

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Average time: 9 hour(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

Communication, Negotiation

course

Teamwork Skills: Communicating Effectively in Groups

Recently revised and updated! Effective teamwork and group communication are essential for your professional and personal success. In this course you will ...

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Collaboration, Communication, Leadership and Management, Entrepreneurship, Conflict Management, Decision Making, Negotiation