We live in a world of constant communication where everyone is in a hurry to speak their minds and we forget to actually communicate with the people in front of us. We do not bother to listen to what others are saying or try to receive the information they are trying to share with us.

How you communicate can be a strong indicator of the type of person you are, how you view yourselves and the skills you have as a leader. It is important to communicate effectively with our busy schedule, and the key is to listen. If we take examples of some of the greatest leaders, we will realize how great communicators they were by charming people and making people feel they were being heard.

A great communicator is different from a good speaker. A good speaker focuses on presence, enunciation, vocabulary, delivery and grammar, which means he/she is centered on him/herself and what s/he wants to say. But a great communicator tries to understand other people’s concerns and adds value by meeting common requirements.

You should be aware of your communication style. Try to see the way you interact, the words you choose, your tone, your facial expressions and your emotions. Are you able to actually listen to what others say while you communicate, or are you focused on how to ‘win’ the conversation?

So, how do you communicate in a better way? First, you have to understand that you want to change your communication style. And you surely will improve your communication approach and make your conversations more effective giving you more power.

Here are some great strategies to communicate in a better way…

Be a Good Listener: Everybody wants to be heard. So, listen to what the other person is saying and ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings before forming your response. Remember, at that moment, the person talking to you is the most important one for you. It is also important to have one conversation at a time. So, if you are talking to someone on the phone, do not respond to an e-mail, or send a text at the same time.

Body Language: It is very important when meeting someone for face to face and video-conferencing to appear accessible and have an open body language. So, do not keep your arms crossed and do make eye contact so that the other person knows he/she has your attention.

Write Down: You should take notes while you are talking to someone or when you are at a meeting, instead of trying to recall from memory later. Try sending a follow-up e-mail to ensure you understood what was discussed during the conversation.

Speaking Spontaneously: Good leaders or politicians, while presenting their views to the people, speak extemporaneously. They write down the topics they wish to discuss, but never memorize what they want to say. This communicating mode allows them to cover all the significant points and also change the communication style based on audience reaction. It takes a lot of practice to master this, but it allows natural communication and also helps them to engage well with the audience.

Know Your Audience: To communicate effectively, you should know your audience first. Each audience is different, and has different preferences which should be kept in mind while communicating.

Make the Right Gestures: Remember to pay attention to your hand gestures during your speech. Do not overuse it because it will lose the purpose of stressing a point. You may also make the members of the audience feel uncomfortable.

Be Brief and to the Point: For verbal, as well as written, communication, be brief and specific so that you provide enough information for the other person to understand your message. But, if you are replying to an e-mail, make sure to read the entire message before responding. Over time, you will learn not to move away from the topic, or give too much information.

Pause before Speaking: Remember to pause before saying the first thing that comes to your mind. Pause for a moment and pay attention to what to say and how to say it. This will help you avoid embarrassments.

Equal Treatment for All: Treat your audience as your equal. Try treating everyone with equal respect instead of talking down to others.

Positive Attitude: Even when speaking on the phone, smile because your positive attitude will shine through and the other person will know it. When you smile and show a positive attitude, people also respond positively to you.

Check Message before Sending: Spelling and grammar checks can save a lot of issues, but they are not perfect. So, always check what you have written to make sure your words are carrying the right meaning.