In a world full of texts, emails, and social media posts, communicating can sometimes be difficult. It’s easy to misunderstand someone or not fully express your thoughts because of the many ways we use to keep in touch. It also becomes challenging in certain types of relationships and environments that we must work through.
The problem is that our patterns of communication have become the norm. When we communicate automatically or digitally, there are fewer opportunities to connect with a person’s gaze, tone of voice, or body language.
But what if you could change all that? What if you had more confidence in your ability to communicate with others? What if you could better understand the communications you received from others?
This blog post will help you learn how by providing 30 affirmations for improving your communication skills.
They will help to remove any anxiety you may have about communicating with others, strengthen your ability to listen and understand people better, and help you be more confident in the kinds of communications you send.
30 Communication Affirmations
1. I am a good communicator.
2. I feel heard by others.
3. I communicate my needs clearly.
4. I know when it’s right to say no.
5. I am a confident communicator.
6. I practice my communication skills every day.
7. I listen well to others and strive to understand them.
8. I enjoy having conversations with the people in my life.
9. Communication is important, so I prioritize it.
10. I have skills that help me communicate confidently.
11. I am fully engaged in all conversations.
12. People are naturally drawn to my confidence.
13. People find me interesting and engaging.
14. I listen fully, deeply, and actively to others.
15. I have good ideas to contribute to conversations.
16. I strive to learn something new from others in each interaction.
17. It feels good to be heard and respected.
18. I am always in deep and honest conversations with myself.
19. I am naturally creative and expressive.
20. I can lead with my thoughts and words.
21. I allow myself to take a break when I’m feeling overwhelmed by a conversation.
22. People naturally respect my opinions, ideas, suggestions, and decisions.
23. I am a social person and thrive on interaction with others.
24. I can communicate with different types of people.
25. I am capable of having a great conversation with anyone.
26. I express myself in ways that people can easily understand and appreciate.
27. I am clear and straightforward in my communication.
28. I am a compassionate communicator.
29. My words and opinions are respected by others.
30. I feel calm and focused during conversations.
How Can I Improve My Communication Skills?
Listen To Others
When most people think of communication issues, they are focused on how they struggle with expressing themselves. They may also think they aren’t being listened to, and wonder how to better engage others with what they’re saying.
What often gets overlooked is that listening is a major component of communication as well.
In fact, listening comes first. Listening can help us think of how to present our own thoughts and feelings for the specific person we are communicating with. Without it, we risk saying something confusing, tone-deaf, or rude.
When you take the time to listen closely to what someone is saying, they feel like their opinions are valued. This makes them more likely to want to communicate with you again in the future.
You can improve your listening skills by taking time to let the other person fully express themselves. Be careful not to respond immediately and try to repeat what the person said in your head first to make sure you understand what they’re conveying.
Active listening is another great way to deepen your understanding of the other person. This is when you show that you’re listening by repeating back what they’ve said or asking them to clarify anything that’s confusing to you.
You can also actively listen by nodding, smiling, or making small gestures to show that you’re engaged in the conversation.
Clarify Your Message
Clarity is the key to understanding. When we are used to thinking about our thoughts in our head, we need to do some work to translate them for other people to understand.
The best way to reach the diverse communities you interact with is by speaking as simply, plainly, and clearly as possible
Some ways you can speak more clearly include using short sentences that are easy to follow, and avoiding going off on tangents or long stories. When you find clarity, your communication will massively improve.
You can eliminate more complicated words from your sentences. It’s also helpful to take very subjective or personal language out of the conversation if you’re speaking to someone you don’t know very well. Don’t assume that others will always understand hidden meanings or implications in your speech.
Think About How You Speak
Try to picture yourself as if you’re the other person in a conversation. Better yet, sit in front of a mirror and see for yourself. How do you talk to this person? Do you make negative or passive-aggressive comments? Do you avoid eye contact? Do you use a certain tone of voice?
All of these things can affect how the other person responds, as well as your likeliness to be understood.
Catch yourself in small moments that seem disconnected, cold, or off-putting. Take a deep breath and think about how you’re coming across to the person. Is this how you want to be perceived?
This is a great exercise in empathy, which can help you understand how to change your behavior in a way that considers others.
Proofread if Communicating Through Emails Text or Chat
If you’re communicating with someone digitally, it’s important to be as clear and precise as you would in a conversation.
It may seem like a lot of extra time, but taking a second to review what you’ve written before hitting send can save you a lot of time and spare you many headaches in the long run.
One of the best things to do when double-checking a message is to look and see if anything can be removed. Do you explain the same thing twice? Do you use long wordy sentences? Are you beating around the bush?
Be brave and cut the extra out!
If you’re unsure of what to do, try running your message through a readability test like the Flesch-Kincaid. This will immediately show you if there are any big problems with how clearly and concisely you’ve written something.
Pay Attention to Your Underlying Beliefs
Sometimes communication is strained because the underlying belief system of the person you’re talking to doesn’t line up with your own.
For example, if you’re having a political conversation with someone who supports a different political party than you, it will be hard to communicate because you’re coming from different values and beliefs.
The best way to get past this is by trying really hard not to take the conversation personally and seeing it as an opportunity for growth instead.
Learn how to listen to and understand things you don’t agree with. You might be surprised by what you hear and learn something new!
Final Thoughts
Communication can be a complex puzzle, and we humans are up for the task. We are creative beings who are designed to manifest the world around us with our words.
If you have low self-esteem around your communication skills, take a moment to honor how far they have gotten you so far. You have the tools to succeed, you just need to use them.