Business Communication Techniques to Increase Your Effectiveness

Communication Effectiveness

Think about the leaders you admire most. What is it that makes them stand out from the crowd? Is it the way they motivate others? Their ability to get things done? Their authenticity or their vision? All too often, people attribute these characteristics to charisma – you either have it or you don’t – but that’s not actually the case. In fact, these are simply examples of the results you can achieve when you learn to leverage effective business communication techniques.

According to Brian Tracy, nearly 85% of what you’ll accomplish in your career and personal life will be determined by your communication acumen. The good news is that effective communication is a learned skill.

Understanding the 3 Elements of Direct Communication

When you’re having a face-to-face conversation, it’s common to focus your energy on the carefully crafted words you’ve chosen to convey your message. But – what if we told you that those words are only doing about 7% of the talking?

According to Albert Mehrabian, a world-renown communication expert, there are basically three elements to consider in any direct communication: Words, Tone of Voice and Body Language.

  1. Verbal: Your Words – Mehrabian suggests that, on average, the words we choose only account for 7% of any direct communication. That means that if there’s any incongruency between your words and your tone or nonverbal behaviours, the person you’re engaging is unlikely to trust those words.
  2. Vocal: Your Tone – Your emphasis and tone, on the other hand, accounts for 38% of the message. As an example, consider how you convey sarcasm. It’s all about the tone you use. If you’ve ever been surprised by having someone get offended because of something you said (despite using non-offensive words and speaking about a non-offensive topic), then you’ve experienced the danger of misaligned words and tone.
  3. Visual: Your Body Language – As the most important element of any direct communication, your body language communicate up to 55% of the message you’re conveying. In fact, simple nonverbal business communication techniques, such as shifting your weight forward onto the balls of your feet and giving direct eye contact, can help to nearly double the impact of what you’re saying.

Improving your communication skills begins with developing awareness about your communication patterns, including your verbal, nonverbal and listening skills. At FocalPoint Canada, we help professionals across the country develop customized business communication techniques through leadership development and entrepreneurial development coaching and consulting.

To read more about practical business communication techniques you can begin implementing today, read our post: 5 Leadership Tips to Improve Internal Communications.

Take the Next Step with Customized Business Communication Techniques from FocalPoint Canada

At FocalPoint Canada, we guide our clients in overcoming challenges and leveraging opportunities with proven processes and methodologies that have been used by thousands of successful businesses over the past two decades. Our FocalPoint business coaches use their expertise to teach our time-tested methods through individual coaching, group sessions, or trainings and workshops.

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