Latest News

How To Communicate Better and Improve Your Market Value

Did you know that better communication within an organisation is associated with a 29.5% increase in market value? Those were the findings of a 2004 study into the link between communicating and business success. That's not all though – the study also found that the organisations with the best levels of communication had significantly lower rates of employee turnover.

Communication is the key to unlocking the best business relationships, the highest levels of customer satisfaction and increasing overall employee loyalty. But while most of us spend a large proportion of our time interacting, effective communication takes practise and skill. Common pitfalls include trust issues, lack of confidence and being too vague.

The following top 3 tips are designed to help avoid these problems. They're all taken from Star Training's range of Presentation Skills courses, which are a great way to turn novices, or those with intermediate skills, into expert communicators.

Steepling

"Why should I listen to you?"

How many times has that thought crossed your mind when someone starts to give their opinion or offer you advice? One of the issues with communicating is a lack of trust on the part of the listener. If only you could convince them that you know what you’re talking about.

Try this: put your fingertips together with your hands open and relaxed, forming “steeples” in a ridge. This gesture indicates that you’re knowledgeable, making anything you say worth listening to.

Stance

Confidence is important when you’re communicating. Not only do you need your audience to think you’re sure of yourself, you also need to keep calm in order to convey your message effectively. The trouble is most of us don’t like speaking in front of other people. We get nervous and we start to mince our words.

Try this: stand with your feet shoulder width apart – not too wide and not too narrow. This demonstrates your confidence to the audience, but more importantly it gives you a feeling of stability, which in turn feeds back to your brain, making you feel more like you’re in control!

State Your Point

It’s important to make sure your audience knows that you’re communicating something worth knowing. Have a clear direction and don't waste anyone's time with information that has no bearing on their current situation.

Try this: state your headline point, or points, up front and then follow up with detail - as if you're reading the news. People will be far more likely to listen to you if they know that what you’re saying is important, and you’ll feel more confident as you notice an increase in their attention.

So next time you need to communicate something important, remember these 3 top tips and feel the difference that a few small changes can make. And if you’re interested in learning more, or know a colleague who would be, take a look at Star Training’s Presentation Skills courses.