The importance of effective communication cannot be overstated, whether one is a worker or a manager. Like any other skill in life, good communication does not come naturally to many people, making them develop the skill through constant practice. People who have gained a reputation for being outstanding communicators share several characteristics. These characteristics, in turn, aim to achieve a single primary goal: to ensure that all people involved in a discussion feel equally heard, respected, and understood. In this essay, I will highlight three characteristics such as openness, friendliness, and expressiveness, and argue that they are critical for people to achieve effective communication and interpersonal success.
First and foremost, open-mindedness constitutes an essential component of effective communication. Since it demonstrates to the people around that the person is open to receiving dialogue from them and is willing to discuss whatever they wish. People are often drawn to talk with the person when they are more open and accepting in the communication process, subconsciously recognizing that the person does not judge them—which makes them feel good about the interaction (Lewis, 2020). It all comes from recognizing that the person one is talking to has suggestions and ideas to share and discuss – and that every person in the world has value. Consequently, people must be open-minded enough to participate and be prevalent in the conversation. Therefore, people with characteristics like openness and open-mindedness are more successful in building effective communication and dealing with others for the best outcome.
Next, friendliness is a crucial communication skill because it allows others to receive the person’s message more quickly. Along with customized messages, like wishing somebody a lovely afternoon, when communicating is an instance of implementing friendliness in the workplace (Eppler-Hattab et al., 2020). Having friendliness in one’s behavior is critical for making one’s personality more acceptable, trustworthy, and approachable. People make optimistic assumptions about those with a friendly nature/appearance/tone most of the time. Friendship is not limited to a single person. One can even form a friendly relationship with a stranger they encountered two days ago. A friendly person will not be hostile or make offensive remarks. Therefore, being compassionate and trying to maintain control in difficult situations is critical. Whether introverted or extroverted, if people are friendly, or at least try to be, they can still become successful in interpersonal relationships.
Finally, an effective relationship is built on honesty, and trust is required for an interaction to function and succeed. When one is always truthful with people, they know they can believe that person and what he or she says. It convinces them that they can rely on her commitments and assurances (Chaudhry & Wald, 2022). Honesty in communication means straightforwardly expressing the truth in writing, speech, and other nonverbal communication. Obtaining accurate and correct facts from a person is essential in the course of communication when deciding whether to continue interacting with that person. If what the person is saying is not credible or accurate, it will discourage other participants in the conversation from communicating.
To sum up, while a number of characteristics can encourage effective communication and achieve interpersonal success in dealing with people, the three qualities discussed above might be particularly critical. Even though some people are naturally born with such characteristics, they can be learned and developed. Hence, if one wants to sharpen their communication skills and gain more confidence in interactions with others, they have to focus on these skills in the first place.
References
Chaudhry, S. J., & Wald, K. (2022). Overcoming listener skepticism: Costly signaling in communication increases perceived honesty. Current Opinion in Psychology, 101442.
Eppler-Hattab, R., Meshoulam, I., & Doron, I. (2020). Conceptualizing age-friendliness in workplaces: Proposing a new multidimensional model. The Gerontologist, 60(1), 12-21.
Lewis Jr, N. A. (2020). Open communication science: A primer on why and some recommendations for how. Communication Methods and Measures, 14(2), 71-82.