Here at Brightleaf, we pride ourselves on being excellent communicators. It’s a critical component in our approach to delivering exceptional customer service. Most importantly, we are mindful of it both when working directly with clients and reviewing or discussing projects internally.

We asked Sajith, an Assistant Project Manager in our Pune, India office, how he and his colleagues learned to communicate so well, and here’s what he shared with us:

Effective communication is the ability to communicate clearly in a manner that is easily understood by the other party. It is one of the most important and powerful tools for both personal and professional success, and it is the best way to develop and deepen connections with others which in turn helps in improving teamwork, greater job satisfaction and more effective decision making.

Here are some crucial principles for effective communication:

• Listen: Communication is a two-way process, therefore listening is equally as important as speaking. One might have a totally different opinion on a given point, but the key here is how to tackle such a situation. A smart communicator would always let the speaker complete his/her speech without any interruption so that all the key points are noted and can be taken up during his/her own turn.

• Empathize: One must respect and see things from another’s points of view. Though emotions should be kept under control in order to avoid confrontation.
  

• Straight to the point: It is always advisable to make notes in pointers before any discussion which can be referred to if needed. This not only helps in restricting the content to the main topic of discussion but also to stay focused, and not missing anything important.
  

• Humor: Adding a bit of humor is like icing on the cake. It is not only helpful in drawing the listener’s attention but relieves stress as well.
  

• Cite an example/Tell a story: Citing an example of telling a story does wonder. It becomes easier for the audience to relate to the situation and helps in a lot of brainstorming, resulting in more participation and interaction.

• Body language: Body language conveys a lot more than what people think. An effective communicator must be calm and relaxed while talking. Eye contact and posture say it all. It is a true indicator of how confident you are as a speaker.
  

• Avoid fillers: We all use fillers like “like”, “you know”, and “um” in our day-to-day life. However, the fact is that such usage indicates that one is not certain and maybe a bit unsure about a particular point. This must be avoided not only for the audience to be convinced but also for the speaker to feel confident.

• Keep in mind the audience: Style of communication must differ keeping in mind the audience. It is a real test for any communicator to adjust how he/she talks based on whom they are speaking to.
  

To conclude, effective communication is well within anyone’s reach. What is essential is to practice listening, patience, clarity, positivity, etc. which will help all of our work in the most efficient manner.