Your Personal Communication Style

Your personal style is what makes you special, unique and
interesting. And that is why you need to use your best
attributes as the basis for how you deal with others.

Here are six super tips for improving your personal
communication style:

1. Knowing how to improve communication skills will come
easier once you become aware of your own communication
style.

Each person has a unique way of communicating. Listen to
your own speech. What sorts of words do you use? Which sort
of body language and what tone of voice are you using?

Now, think of someone who, in your opinion, is a good
communicator. Compare your style to theirs. You’ve just
taken an important first step in how to improve
communication skills.

2. Now that you are aware of your own style, study the
style of those around you. How do the most important people
in your life converse? How do they say things? Look for
approaches you can model and make your own.

3. Adjust to the other styles of communication. Don’t think
it is too late to change your way of conversing because
it’s been years. You had to learn to communicate in the
first place and you can unlearn certain behaviors or change
them. Sometimes we get stuck in a communication rut.

A father once was having a hard time with his teenaged
daughter. She was growing and he thought she didn’t tell
him what was going on in her life. They were in a heated
discussion when he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her answer was that she had, but he was too busy lecturing
her to hear her. He learned that adjusting his style to his
daughter would involve listening first before jumping right
into solving the problem.

4. To build rapport, during a conversation try and match
the other person’s movements, posture and verbal style.
Don’t do everything they do, but mirror one or two things.
For example, if the person gives mostly short answers to
questions, you follow suit.

Or, maybe they talk at a slower pace than you usually
do-slow your speaking speed to match theirs. This may sound
simplistic but it is a very potent way to make someone feel
very relaxed and comfortable in your presence.

5. The way you communicate at home may not be the same as
in a different environment. Make sure you change your style
to suit the different setting. Some comments you might want
to tell your best friend, in private.

Other things can be shared in a group setting. Learn how to
improve communication skills by altering your style for the
appropriate setting. Many of us know someone who offers far
too much information in a group setting.

6. Don’t criticize others for communicating differently. If
we all communicated in the same way, we’d soon be bored
with each other.

Getting a good grasp of your communication style and
finding ways to accommodate other peoples’ styles, is a
good way to improve your communication skills.

If you want to improve your professional and social
standing, learn to communicate efficiently and in a
positive manner. You will notice a dramatic difference in
the way other people perceive you if you demonstrate
self-confidence and project a friendly, informed image.

For a great e-book on developing a charasmatic
prescence check out Magic Bullets