Breaking Your Bad Communication Habits

Posted on April 18, 2013

It is strange how one can find another persons habit irritating without realizing that you sometimes do exactly the same irritating thing yourself. My husband and I recently shared some of these habits with each other. I shared that he overuses the word right. This is very annoying to me as it seems like every other word is right. He shared with me that after nearly every sentence I say, you know what I mean? Sometimes I dont even finish my thought, but instead say, you know? Now anytime we talk and he says right or I say you know we just laugh.

So what irritating communication habits do you have? While its easy to say None!, Ive compiled a few tips that might help sharpen your communication skills and make you aware of a communication habit others may find less than effective!

Expand your vocabulary try to be aware of what you say and avoid overusing words or phrases. When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s). Also, there are many websites that provide a word of the day like this one: http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/
Avoid interrupting interrupting conversation is a bad habit that can lead to poor communication, fractured relationships, and missed opportunities. Some people interrupt because they dont want to forget their idea, theyre excited about an idea, or they want to finish the other persons sentence to imply theyre in agreement. You may not intend for your interruption to cause any harm but unfortunately this could appear to others as lack of respect, impatience, or poor listening skills. In an effort to avoid interrupting, try taking notes or wait at least two seconds after the other person finishes speaking before you begin speaking.
Control the tone of your voice some people tend to raise their voice when they get worked up, excited, or nervous. However, by raising your voice you could be causing the other person to become upset, defensive, or uncomfortable.
Use I messages rather than saying things like, You really messed up here, begin statements with I and make them about yourself and your feelings. I feel frustrated when this happens, is less accusatory, sparks less defensiveness, and helps the other person understand your point of view rather than feeling attacked.
Look for compromise remember the goal of effective communication skills should be mutual understanding and finding a solution that pleases both parties, not winning the argument or being right.

We all have communication flaws that we can work on. Have you identified yours?

This entry was posted in Central, Communication and tagged communication, compromise, habit, interrupting, tone of voice, vocabulary.

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Breaking Your Bad Communication Habits