Communication Techniques: Except You Do Not Have To Actually Talk!

While the key to a successful relationship lies in the ability to communicate well, there can be times when talking about something can become more difficult than anticipated. If you ever feel that your mind has gone ‘blank’, you are unable to think clearly, or you are struggling to find the right words, then you have come to the right place, because here I will offer multiple communication techniques advised by professionals themselves – after all, the key in communication does not lie entirely on your speech.

Nonverbal communication is an important form of creating and evolving relationships, it involves the way you listen, look, move, and react; these are used to show others whether you are actively listening and taking part in the conversation or not. Using these nonverbal signals to match your speech can increase trust, clarity and understanding, but when they do not match, it can instead create tension, mistrust and confusion.

According to ‘The Importance of Effective Communication’ by Edward G. Wertheim, there are five roles that nonverbal communication plays, which are:

“Repetition: It repeats and often strengthens the message you’re making verbally.

Contradiction: It can contradict the message you’re trying to convey, thus indicating to your listener that you may not be telling the truth.

Substitution: It can substitute for a verbal message. For example, your facial expression often conveys a far more vivid message than words ever can.

Complementing: It may add to or complement your verbal message. As a boss, if you pat an employee on the back in addition to giving praise, it can increase the impact of your message.

Accenting: It may accent or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for example, can underline the importance of your message.”

Nonverbal aside, if you are struggling to find the right words while attempting to communicate, then there may be reasons for this feeling, so in order to find ways to overcome this sort of dilemma, here are the best techniques you could use rather than sticking to one method, which is speech:

• Do not fight the issue of feeling like your mind is ‘blank’ – accept it first and say it out loud if it helps, “I’m not finding the words right now,” or, “My mind is completely blank right now.” Then take a break from talking, as that can help you in finding new perspectives and thinking about how you may or may not be feeling.
• Use colours to express your moods and feelings – for example, using red to show anger or irritation, blue for sadness or emptiness, and green for happy, etc. You do not always have to say it verbally, sometimes using your imagination can do wonders!
• Write something down, do some poetry or creative writing, and demonstrate what you want to say onto paper.
• Alternatively, draw something to illustrate how you are feeling or what you are thinking.
• Meditate and explore the sensations in your body, as this can sometimes help find clarity in what you want to say and how to say it as clearly as possible.

With these newly equipped techniques you are sure to find yourself in a position where communication is not as hard as it may previously have been; however, if you feel these are not helpful enough, then expand from these ideas and be as creative as you want to be! Use what you are good at to express your thoughts and feelings, then you are sure to learn even more and better tailored communication techniques that best suit you and your interests.