Introduction
According to a recent survey, communication skills mistakes are the number one reason couples divorce. That is shocking, considering that most of the couples who were interviewed had a love marriage.
However, communication gaps affect not only relationships but also the root of conflicts in everyday life. That is why it is essential to know how to communicate effectively. However, it is also necessary to understand what mistakes and communication activities to avoid.
Sometimes, you fail to understand what others are trying to tell you. In some cases, you also tend to misinterpret their words. This causes unwanted conflicts, both at home and in the workplace.
This is when you stand to benefit if you know what communication skills mistakes to avoid.
10 Common Communication Skills Mistakes
In this post, we will discuss some of the top 10 common communication skills mistakes that you may want to avoid.
1) Not paying attention when somebody is speaking
This is perhaps the main communication mistake that many people make. It can cause conflicts at home or in your workplace. When somebody is speaking, you may want to make it a point to listen to them intently.
When you do that, you understand clearly what they are trying to tell you. However, when they are speaking, and you look at your smartphone, fiddle around with your TV remote, or look at something else, you are not paying attention.
If you do that, you miss out on the important points that they are trying to tell you about something. So, develop your communication abilities by giving the speaker 100% of your attention.
- Assuming things before spoken to
Whether you want to admit it, you assume things before being spoken to. You may have done it with your best friend, spouse, or colleague. Before they can complete what they were trying to say, you make up your mind and tend to assume a few things.
This causes immense misunderstanding. You are not only missing out on what they wanted to say but not giving them a chance to talk. This is when you may want to develop your interpersonal communication skills and allow the person to speak first and then answer next.
- Interrupting often
When somebody is speaking, you may have interrupted them several times, knowingly or unknowingly. Maybe you got so excited to tell them something that you forgot to excuse yourself and interrupted them.
It is alright if you do it once or twice, but making it a habit is a clear no. It is highly rude, impolite, and unprofessional. When your elders at home or seniors at the office are speaking to you or to a group, you may want to listen without interrupting them.
This is effective communication. Interrupting anyone makes them feel invalidated, not to mention it is a black spot on your personality. You may want to respect the other person and let them finish their message before you want to answer.
- Allowing emotions to take control
Communication is all about emotions. However, knowing how to control your emotions is one thing. Sometimes, you may have let your feelings improve and said something you shouldn’t have to tell your friends or colleagues.
Part of effective communication strategies is not allowing your emotions to take control. When angry or upset, don’t react to anybody wanting to talk to you. It is better to remain quiet than say something unintentionally.
- Not having an open mind
While some of you are open-minded and agree with others’ points of view, most are not. If you belong to the second category, then you may want to be flexible about others’ opinions. This is part of having effective communication skills.
Perhaps your friend, parent, or colleague has a different opinion. It could be anything: politics, sports, technology, etc. Respect the opinions of others. However, if they don’t agree with your thoughts, then let go of them.
- Not accounting for the cultural differences
Communicating with someone from a different culture can be challenging at first. Sometimes, the words can be misinterpreted, and this may happen due to nonverbal communication as well. So, when you are communicating with somebody who is from a different cultural background, please take into consideration the cultural differences.
You don’t have to be too hard on yourself for that. However, part of improving communication skills mistakes is accepting different cultural differences and values. When you don’t, you may accidentally offend someone else.
- Not reading the message properly.
Many times, you fail to understand the message being conveyed because you don’t give proper attention to what is being said. When you communicate with somebody through technology, such as emails, messages, chats, etc., things can become complicated.
There is no voice or emotion, and the chances of misunderstanding rise immensely. If you have misunderstood somebody, clarify with them first and then respond. This is how you can improve your communication abilities.
- Not being direct with the other person
At times, you may not be transparent in your communication with another person. This may be due to various reasons, like poor listening skills. When you want the listener to understand you well, be direct with them and avoid beating around the bush.
While others can’t read your mind, you can work on your reflective listening. Listening well helps you understand more about that person and enables you to answer or communicate with them effectively.
If you think you are not that extrovert to communicate easily with others, check out our article about 4 Types Of Extroverts and If You Are One Of Them.
- Not using respectful language
Understandably, when angry with somebody, you tend to say unwanted things like you are a fool. Later, when you are calm, you feel about it and want to apologize to the person.
The best way to enhance interpersonal skills would be to avoid using this kind of language.
- Not taking part in complex conversations
Most of you don’t want to take part in having difficult conversations. The reason for that is quite obvious. You tend to prolong the talk as much as possible until confronted. You feel the other person may not want to know about or hear it.
Conveying bad news to someone is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, the best way to increase communication skills is to have a conversation. When you withhold information from somebody, they can perceive it as something else.
The individual will most likely get the information through a third person. Effective communication is about being honest and not prolonging difficult conversations.
Check out our blog on Personality Development here.
Conclusion
In conclusion, communication plays an important role in your world. To move smoothly in life, you can learn to communicate efficiently by avoiding common communication skills mistakes.
While making simple communication mistakes occasionally is okay, try to avoid making them often. Some include interrupting when somebody else is speaking, not listening to the other person when they are saying, and so on.
Likewise, it can be rude to reply using unprofessional language and allowing emotions to get the upper hand at work. Remember, communication is a two-way road. Listen to what others have to say, and be prepared to ask questions as well.
Avoiding these common mistakes can immensely refine your communication and personal relationships and remove unwanted office conflicts.