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Effective communication involves conveying your ideas to other people clearly and precisely, as well as understanding exactly what other people are saying. ‘Communication is never a matter of handing over a bundle of information; it is a matter of creating meaning out of that information, and then sharing that meaning. If the other person can't understand what we mean, then our attempts to communicate have failed,’ (Barker, A 2006, p. 7).

The communication process is, in reality, prone to errors, resulting in confusion, lack of efficiency, and waste of time and effort, especially in a professional environment. Hence, business organizations place a very high importance on communication skills of their employees. You can improve communication with vocabulary knowledge.

You can use several simple techniques to improve your verbal communication skills. You must speak distinctly and clearly, and your voice should have the right volume and tone. You must make eye contact with your listeners, and be able to analyze their reaction. You must choose the most appropriate words and expressions to convey your message. And you must enunciate the words and sentences precisely without mispronunciation. Many of these methods apply to written communication as well.

You can improve communication by improving your vocabulary. You must have a good command and knowledge of words to be able to use the right words and expressions in the right places. The more words you have in your repertoire, the more choices you have in their use in any situation, and through constant practice you will learn to use words and phrases with maximum impact. You must also know the exact meaning, usage, spelling, pronunciation, and other details of the words you employ, or else their use may produce the opposite effect of what you intended, and make you look less intelligent and educated.

The ability to communicate effectively is of great advantage in your professional as well as personal life. It can help you create a good rapport with people, and enable you to play important roles in situations. You need to possess good communication skills for different purposes, and need a wide and deep vocabulary for that, no matter what the situation. ‘Your communications to other people can be broken down into four categories: observations, thoughts, feelings, and needs. Each category requires a different style of expression and often a very different vocabulary,’ (McKay, M, Davis M, & Fanning, P 2009, p. 36).

A good knowledge of words helps you to use exactly the right words in the right places, allowing you to improve communication, and thereby gain the respect of other people; improves your confidence; and increases chances of success.

REFERENCES

Barker, A 2006, Improve your Communication Skills, 2nd ed., Kogan Page, Pentonville Road, London.

McKay, M, Davis, M, & Fanning, P 2009, Messages: The Communication Skills Book, 3rd ed., New Harbinger Publications Inc., Oakland, CA.