Tips for Effective Communication in the Office

As children, the scene where we are rushed to the room when we have visitors is familiar. Because of this, a lot of us grew up timid and afraid to talk to strangers. Hence, we find it hard to express ourselves when it comes to public speaking. This may be one of those classes in college or high school that you just wanted to get over and done with. Though at times it might be fulfilling to know that you just passed this course, your next boardroom conference with the CEOs might get back at you for that. Don’t worry! It’s never too late to master the basics of public speaking, especially if applied to the office environment. Here are some pointers you’d want to consider:

Basic public speaking lessons would tell you that confidence is the core of effective communication. Well, this is true and false. While it is true that you need this boost in order to speak properly, you also risk not being able to relay your message properly. It may be that because of too much confidence you place on yourself, you forget your audience along the way. The moral of the lesson is to be never too arrogant in speaking. You should have empathy with respect to your audience, especially if they’re the people you need to impress for a bonus of promotion. Strike a balance between these two always.

Furthermore, mastery of the topic will always save you from humiliation. Although most of the time, you’d be asked to report on something you do, along the way, you might encounter unfamiliar areas. This might be because of the work of a colleague who passed the last minute and you just copied his work unto the final presentation. Don’t run away scared! You can manage this by reading his part of the report thoroughly before you place it on to the presentation. If that doesn’t work, ask him to explain it in your behalf. As a last resort, just be honest and say you’ll get back to that once your data’s good to go.

Lastly, never present yourself in a boring manner. Always use hand gestures and keen eye contact on the people you need to do the report on. There are observable patterns in the crowd’s facial reaction that’ll indicate whether or not they follow you. It’s not as easy as observing your friends, but you’ll get there with more exposure. Being able to effectively communicate needs a lot of practice, so there’s no instant pill you can take. When you do get the hang of it, you can only get better at it with time.