Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all the skills you’ll need on a daily basis. Indeed, it’s what enables you to convey information to other people and at the same time understand what is being said to you. You only have to look at a baby who listens attentively to his mother and tries to repeat the sounds she makes to know how fundamental the need for dialogue is.

However, the way you express yourself has an enormous influence on the response and reaction you are likely to receive. Even when you transmit unwanted information, the impact can actually be mitigated by using positive communication. So, whether you want to communicate better in your social life or simply get your ideas across easily, here are some essential tips.

Positive and negative communication

When we need to interact with another person, it makes sense to think in advance about what we want to say. It’s important to do this even if time is short and the pressure is on. And with good reason: once the words have been said, there’s no going back. So don’t let impulsiveness or impatience unnecessarily damage your relationship, and keep a positive frame of mind at all times. Likewise, be clear about what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. Always get into the habit of pausing to collect your thoughts. You don’t need to break your head either, but simply learn to be aware and in control of your words.

On the other hand, communication generally becomes negative when we don’t have the right attitude. This can take the form of :

Inability to express our feelings;
indifference to our interlocutor’s feelings;
Confusion when it comes to deciphering non-verbal language.

On the other hand, positive communication is more likely when we show ourselves to be considerate of others. This means:

Being able to put our emotions and thoughts into words;
Taking the other person’s feelings into account;
Learning to listen;
Behaving respectfully.

This isn’t exactly rocket science, but it’s always easy to forget and rush the process of positive communication. So a little patience here and there can go a long way to helping you communicate better and avoid problems.

Positive communication: what’s the point?

Positive communication is an important ally, because this approach is not only effective, it’s also powerful. This type of communication goes beyond weekly family meetings or e-mail correspondence. Indeed, striving to create an environment conducive to getting along with one another creates a positive state of mind. Similarly, adopting positive communication limits the risk of verbal violence. If you don’t learn to control what you say, you leave the door open to all kinds of abuse, including psychological belittling and bullying. It is therefore unacceptable to use humiliating or degrading language that is likely to inflict emotional pain on another person. At the same time, you’ll be better able to settle disputes.

Likewise, learning to listen helps build reliable social bonds. Positive communication builds strong relationships with those around us. When everyone masters the basics of assertive communication, trust is easily established. This considerably reduces friction and tension. Instead of unnecessary competition, we can work together in harmony. This cooperation then leads to responsibility, integrity and cohesion. What’s more, effective, quality interaction helps to promote diversity and understanding. It eliminates the barriers created by individual beliefs and cultural differences. As a result, positive communication not only avoids communication problems and confusion, it also reduces misinterpretation.

Learning the art of positive communication

By simple definition, positive communication means the successful transfer of thoughts, information, emotions and ideas from one person to another. To achieve this, the process must include voice, gesture, symbol, sign or expression. To communicate effectively, the sender, receiver and channel (medium) must be in constant coherence. That’s why it’s vital to develop your ability to communicate positively. So get used to :

Refrain from using negative phrases;
Maintain a positive frame of mind;
Suggest alternatives and solutions;
Avoid force and coercion;
Etc…

A few interpersonal skills are also important.

EXCELLENT LISTENING SKILLS
Many people mistakenly think that positive communication is all about expressing yourself. But that’s only half the job. Learning to listen is just as important. By doing so, you’ll be able to better understand other people’s points of view. You’ll also be more likely to have constructive conversations.

A HEALTHY DOSE OF EMPATHY
Empathy is the power to share and understand the emotions of others. It’s a multi-component construct, each associated with its own brain network. There are three ways of looking at empathy. First, there’s affective empathy (the ability to share the emotions of others); cognitive empathy (the ability to understand the feelings of others); and finally, there’s benevolence.

BETTER ADAPTABILITY
One of the greatest challenges we face in our daily lives is being different. Each individual has his or her own way of perceiving the world. And the fact is, every human being feels more at ease when they believe they are understood. Life, however, would be very boring if we were all the same. And while we may find it easier at first, the novelty of sameness always wears off soon enough. So accepting and celebrating the fact that we’re all different is a great place to start. What’s more, the coping strategy helps us to tolerate, minimize and cope with life’s stressful situations.