Type “Barriers of communication” in the search engines of the internet and you get hundreds of links. A whole lot of them, give you tips to improve your communication. Let me tell you, the biggest barrier is yourself. The same holds good in public speaking, the biggest hurdle, the toughest opponent and the largest of hindrance is yourself.
If you just work on yourself, you can improve your communication skills and public speaking skills.
So how does it work? The easy feedback that a vast majority would give is improve your communication skills, but if you counter them how do you improve? Half of them would look down upon you and the other half would confuse you. Though the tip in itself is correct, not many guide you through the path nor will I; for it’s an individual struggle, a self-driven road map and a sustained effort.
However I would suggest few ways. For one to communicate sound, one has to have confidence, reasonably good voice, a good aura around, your body, good attire and the art of carrying yourself, a good command on the language that is being used and a good connect with the target audience. These won’t come overnight or from the blue sky or the mountains. These needs to be developed, built and honed over a period of time.
Confidence
Comes by repeated practice, acquiring knowledge of all orders, an open mind of learning from mistakes of self as well as the others and with down-to-earth attitude of taking feedbacks and converting them to actions. One has to have eagerness to acquire knowledge on multiple domains, current affairs, and historical knowledge of sorts in as many areas.
Voice
This is gifted to one from birth in which ever the way it is (based on the sins and good of the previous birth). However one can work on it and improve irrespective of the glitches it would have otherwise. The best of singers have practiced their breaths out and emptied their lungs during practice, the best of orators have learnt the art of voice modulation by practice, the best of leaders have had their mock deliveries before the final one, so practice, practice and practice to near perfection.
Good aura around
This comes by rich habits of giving to the world, while we receive. It comes by selfless and not selfish approach. It comes by the good deeds we do. It comes by us, who we are and what we have done over a long period of time. Integrity, name and persona built over a period of time contributes and compliments to the aura of the personality.
Your body
A sound mind and a sound body makes a difference. Have a good control on the metamorphosis of your body. You are identified by your body to start with and then it is your body language that takes over along with your voice and the content. So body is important. Whether you practice yoga, go to gym or just maintain it with good diet; your body plays an important role in communication and public speaking. Good voice, high on confidence and fairly a good aura around but a shabby body can still beat you down. A person who does not have a control on the body can hardly think of having a command on the mind. Body and mind invariably go together, splitting them is a rarity but not impossible though.
Attire, aura and the way you carry it
The way you carry yourself is invariably your personality. One has to dress up for the occasion, even if it’s simple, it better be meaningful for the occasion and ensure you have that respect built over time for the person you are. If people are able to walk over you your persona is defeated; define your intimate zone well and ensure that it is not encroached upon. Do not pseudo jokes, do not get in to sarcastic humor, never injure one’s feelings or beliefs. If someone does do not lose your head over it. Give it a thought and respond if needed, silence is golden but not at the cost of self-respect. Remember each situation is different. Act tactfully. Never burn bridges for trivial reasons.
Carry yourself well that builds an aura around.
Command on the language
Basic simple use of language is good, but it has its share of time, tenor, tone, temperature, space, pitch, pace, and place. One needs to work on the grammar, the tenses, and the right point of stress in terms of pronunciation, enunciation and diction. One has to be careful in translation, transliteration and of course an extra care whilst quoting someone or while phrasing and para-phrasing.
Connect with the target audience
The knowledge or the pulse of the target/target audience and the ability to shift or change based on the target-audience in a subtle or a big way, plays a vital role.
Remember you are the ONLY barrier to yourself be it for communication or to pursue your goals, so work on yourself and you would have made your life meaningful. Be thankful to your parents that they gave you the opportunity of working on yourself.
Ananth HV
Vice President – Education