Communication is an essence of interpersonal relations and people need great rhetorical skills to run through everyday life smoothly. This can help you in all types of situations with your coworkers, friends, or family members. If you hone your communication skills, you can use it to gain a lot of benefits throughout life.
For instance, a simple but polite conversation with your colleague can be an excellent icebreaker to help you ask for a small favor. Situations like this one are very common and you should dedicate some time and efforts to exercise your conversation capabilities.
Best ways to improve your rhetoric
Many professionals use the rhetorical tricks successfully in everyday communication. Jack Simmons, who works as a manager at BestDissertation, recently stated: โAs it is known, a personโs name is to that person the most important sound. I always use a personโs name whenever it is appropriate, especially when meeting those I donโt see very often. This is a great method to build good relationships with your colleagues.โ But there are many more tricks to learn in that regard, so letโs check them out:
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Think twice
You should think twice before opening your mouth to speak. Avoid talking just to take part in the conversation. Have a clear idea of what it is that you want to tell your friends or colleagues and make sure to tell it clearly and precisely.
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Pay attention to body language
The recent analysis determined that more than 90% of communication is non-verbal. As much as it is important to speak logically, it is even more important to express yourself through the convincing body language. Since this element of communication is so quintessential, we will briefly go through its basic features:
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Eye contact: If you really want to make people believe you, you need to maintain direct eye contact. It proves that you are not hiding your thoughts or lying to someone. This feature is crucial for establishing a trustworthy conversation.
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Arm positioning: The way you hold your arms tells a lot about your attitude. If you keep your arms crossed and shoulders bent forward, it will give you the look of a hostile character. You should avoid it by keeping your arms down and relaxed.
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Moves: You should not move around a lot while speaking because it will convince people around you that you are not confident and that you donโt believe your own words. Try to stay steadily in one position with your upper body positioned straight and firmly.
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Look for the signals
Follow the signals that participants in the conversation are sending you. If they look around and yawn, you should change the subject immediately. But if you see that they are leaning forward with their eyes open wide, rest assured that they want to hear more from you.
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Show interest
Communication is a two-way process, which means that it is necessary to express your thoughts but also to hear what other people have to say. Donโt be so rude to act like the conversation is over once you say everything you wanted to.
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Reach consensus
Psychologists proved that itโs much easier to strengthen someoneโs attitude than to change it. Keep this in mind while discussing issues with your colleagues or friends. Try to reach a consensus that will satisfy both sides. Make it a win-win situation instead of the verbal war.
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Be honest
The best orators based their speeches on great erudition, broad vocabulary, and honesty. When you really speak your mind, it is easy to stay self-confident and relaxed, which reduces the chance that youโll get confused and mess up your speech.
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Practice
People are not born with outstanding conversation skills. They actually exercise a lot and practice all of the elements that we mentioned here. There are many ways to train, develop, and improve rhetorical capabilities so donโt be too lazy to get engaged and exercise.
The donโts of rhetoric
Besides all those things that you should do if you want to master communication and impress people with your speech, there are also some things that you need to avoid. Take a look at some of the most important donโts in this regard:
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Donโt interrupt: This is one of the biggest sins you can do. By interrupting, you offend people and eliminate the possibility to reach consensus.
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Donโt text while someone is speaking: If you write an SMS message in the middle of the conversation, it will prove that you neglect people and donโt care about their opinions.
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Donโt gossip: Gossiping is one of the things you should avoid at work or among your acquaintances because it undermines your credibility.
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Donโt act as if you know it all: Nobodyโs perfect and you should never pretend to know everything. Listen to what other people want to say with due respect, donโt show off.
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Donโt address only one person: If you talk to the group of people, donโt just look at one of them constantly. Pay attention to all members of the group and establish eye contact with everybody.
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Donโt talk about tricky business: Avoid politics, gender issues, or questions about personal finances. Save these topics for your closest friends but donโt talk about it with your colleagues or acquaintances if not necessary.
Conclusion
Individuals who develop strong communication skills usually build successful careers and overcome everyday obstacles easily. If you want to follow their example, learn our suggestions and try to put them into practice. It takes some time to accept them all but it will definitely pay off soon. Let us know what you think about it in comments and share with us if you face a situation in which those skills prove to be helpful.
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