Whether you’re a manager, business owner, or hourly employee, communication is a skill you need to achieve workplace success. Some are naturally superior to others at expressing themselves, yet everyone can benefit from upping their abilities. Here are some tips on improving how you transmit ideas.

Keep It Simple

All too often, our thought processes become needlessly complex. When we feel anxiety or stress, this happens more often, and these emotions are common in high-pressure offices. Take a breather ahead of making any grand statements. Before communicating, carefully analyze your thoughts. Write them down, and then look them over. Does everything make sense? Would deleting extraneous language or unnecessary asides boost clarity? Reading aloud what you’ve composed can help identify which passages aren’t working. 

Refine Emails

These days, digital communications are vital to running any business. Emails often create lasting first impressions on potential customers and partners. Likewise, the words we use in digital missives to employees can have a significant impact. Ambiguity leads to misunderstandings that sometimes wind up being devastating. When constructing digital transmissions, invest the same level of attention to your writing as you would if you were writing a term paper. Use proper syntax, and avoid run-on sentences. Grammar is more important than many realize; you may find it helpful to brush up on the basics. If you remain unsure of how you’re doing, have a third party look it over and confirm your message is getting across.

Speak Slowly

Writing is only one aspect of good communication. The other is using our voices. When we have better diction, we improve our ability to reach listeners. There’s a tendency for people to speak faster than they realize. Make a habit of consciously slowing down. If you’re doing it right, it’s bound to feel slightly awkward. With practice, you’ll become accustomed to the sensation. It’s vital that you enunciate when leaving messages on answering machines. Rushing through phone numbers is a frustrating habit that can ruin business opportunities.

Stay Positive

People naturally dislike negativity. When delivering bad news or criticisms, make your points as evenhanded and reassuring as possible. Finesse unhappy ideas to make them nonthreatening. Emphasize that you’ll continue to perform the role of a partner in overcoming whatever obstacles are ahead. Reiterate that you’re only delivering this information by way of improving everyone.

Communication is a talent that’s vital for everyone. Since there’s no such thing as perfection, don’t be hard on yourself when missteps occur. Just keep trying, and your proficiency will grow.