Improving your communication: The keys to your success
Do you know how many results the word “communication” generates on Google? Over 3.82 billion. This shows just how crucial communication is in the professional world.
💎 Enhancing your communication skills is now an essential competency for any executive looking to strengthen their impact within their company.
💎 Effective communication is much more than just exchanging information, it’s a key to building strong relationships, persuading others and achieving your goals.
But what makes this skill so vital and how can you perfect it?
How to improve your communication to seize opportunities and boost effectiveness?
The power of communication in the professional world
Communication holds immense power, measurable in billions of euros, both in terms of investment and expected outcomes.
Every entity, person, company and institution communicates. The good news is, this power is also in your hands!
Communication is defined as the act of transmitting a message, whether written, verbal or non-verbal.
It involves not only sending information but also receiving it. You adapt your message, observe, adjust, again and again. It seems obvious, yet it’s often overlooked!
Effective communication: a key to professional success
Communication creates opportunities. Good communication can open doors to your next career move.
You earn the trust of your clients or teams daily.
You win new contracts.
You defend your ideas with conviction.
You demonstrate your years of experience and the hard work you’ve invested in projects close to your heart.
You step onto the stage with confidence.
You respond kindly to requests.
You also know when and how to say no.
In short, you rise to new challenges and meet your ambitions!
The 5 dimensions of non-verbal communication you have to know
Did you know that, according to Albert Mehrabian’s research, only 7% of communication relies on the meaning of the words chosen – the verbal part -, 38% comes from the voice – intonation, accent, rhythm, inflection, tone and speed – and 55% is non-verbal – this includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture and even your choice of clothing – ?
You know my area of expertise: non-verbal communication.
While words are important, your determination to convince plays a far more decisive role.
Your speech content is essential, but the way you present it is what captures attention.
Let’s focus on non-verbal communication, I invite you to reflect on how you use these five dimensions.
The 5 dimensions of non-verbal communication
1. The periverbal dimension
This involves understanding the physical space between two people. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall, specialist in intercultural relations, identified communication zones. Depending on the message you wish to convey, you should adapt this distance:
➔ Intimate zone: less than 40 cm from your interlocutor, reserved for close relationships like spouses, parents and children.
➔ Personal zone: 40-120 cm, appropriate for friends and professional relationships.
➔ Social zone: 120-360 cm, suitable for meetings and small conferences.
➔ Public zone: more than 360 cm, typical for larger audiences with less personal connection.
2. The paraverbal dimension
This includes the strength of your voice, its inflection, tone, accent and the modulation according to your emotions, intentions or the audience at hand.
Rhythm and speed, often affected by stress, also fall within this linguistic field.
3. The supraverbal dimension
This refers to all conscious signs, such as your choice of attire, colors, accessories, like jewellery, pens or bags, and even clubs or organizations you choose to belong to.
4. The infraverbal dimension
This focuses on unconscious signs like shapes, smells and “by chance elements.”
Your perfume can send either a pleasant or oppressive message, carrying your folder under your arm to a meeting will be appreciated and see as a sign of preparation, while a cold or clammy handshake will be received negatively.
Welcoming guests with hard chairs signals a tougher start, known as the priming effect, and so on…
5. The holoverbal dimension
This analyzes body language as a whole, from the Greek “holos,” meaning entire.
The importance of non-verbal signals in decision-making and the first impression
While decisions may be rational, they are often based on an unconscious analysis of communicated signals.
Although we may not like speaking about judgement, it is essential to every decision-making process.
It requires action and, in turn, prompts a reaction.
To form this opinion, or first impression, factors such as the space you occupy, your movements, the energy you project, and the alignment between your body language and spoken message influence your interlocutor’s decision – what we commonly call judgment.
How can we explain why it takes just a few seconds to form an impression of someone?
How do we account for the power of intuition?
Your body’s signals are interpreted through each person’s own lens and frame of reference.
Daily, you not only send messages but also receive and analyze information, understanding it to respond appropriately to your interlocutor, client, employee or partner.
Perhaps you’ve experienced a discussion that ended in refusal or failure, despite all your preparation?
You gathered information about the person, understood their expectations and approached the conversation with openness and honesty.
Yet, the door was closed.
Could you have foreseen this outcome?
What factors came into play?
I will share my key tools to help you navigate such situations.
Stay tuned for the next article in our “Improving communication” series, coming in November on my blog.
Whether you’re someone who pounds the table to make a point or someone who quietly advances your ideas, your communication style is unique.
Knowing and mastering it is crucial to identifying areas for improvement, avoiding pitfalls with difficult interlocutors, and delivering your message clearly and effectively.
Enhancing your communication skills strengthens your ability to persuade and adapt to all professional situations.
Looking to take it further? Is your team’s communication a priority?
Communication lies at the core of your relationships, team dynamics and the visibility of your work.
It is the key driver behind the success and reach of your projects.
To foster effective, authentic and cohesive communication, it’s essential to build your future actions on a solid foundation – both as individuals and as a team.
Wherever you are, I’ll meet you there.
Let’s work together to master your communication style and make a lasting impact – whether speaking in public or within your organization.
