Communicating well isn’t just a desirable skill for job postings or in companies. It’s an urgent need in all areas of life. But communicating shouldn’t just be another soft skill developed to check off a list of achievements. We need to learn to communicate at home, at work, on social media, on the street… we communicate something all the time, even when we think we’re not.
Have you stopped to think about what you’re communicating with the color combination and clothing you chose today? How do you project yourself professionally when you give an in-person or virtual presentation at work? Do you manage to get people to take away the key messages, or do you get lost in data, “hard numbers,” and context? And most importantly, do you manage to connect with others?
Improving the way we connect with others
The word “communicator”—which gives this space its name—is often associated with those who study communication as a discipline. But in this column, I want to invite you to consider that we are all potential communicators. Because all of us, without exception, have the ability to improve the way we connect with others.
Being a communicator isn’t just about knowing how to speak beautifully. It’s about knowing how to listen attentively, how to pick up on nonverbal cues, how to prepare for a difficult meeting at work without it turning into an emotional battle, how to choose the right words in a negotiation, how to manage emotions, anxiety, and stress when speaking in public, and yes, even how to understand what our clothing communicates.
Understanding others
Being a communicator means understanding that communication isn’t just about what we say, but also what the other person understands. Communication is one of those skills we take for granted. We think it’s easy because we’ve been doing it since we were kids, we’ve always done it. We think we’re all “communication experts,” until something happens and we discover that communicating isn’t as easy as we think and say.
Great communicators are built on the little details. Throughout my professional career, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with hundreds of people: from university students to managers and board members. No matter who they are or where they come from, there’s always one thing in common: we’re all human. We all fear the public, what they’ll say, how they’ll take our message, what we fail to communicate.
In this column, we’ll explore together how to become better communicators. Not from academic theory, but from everyday practice, from the stories of the people I’ve worked with and their experiences. Because, although my grandfather said that “no one experiments on someone else’s head,” my grandmother countered that “the wise learn from the mistakes of others.” I believe they were both right.
In Communicologists, we’ll talk about effective presentations, objection management, ethical persuasion, emotional communication, nonverbal language, reputation, personal branding, and much more. Because communicating well isn’t just for leaders, spokespersons, or journalists. It’s for parents, friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, couples, families… it’s for everyone.
Passionate about the transformative power of communication, we firmly believe that communicating well is not a luxury, but an essential tool for building authentic relationships, resolving conflicts, and leading with purpose.
Contact: mavendano2011@gmail.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-avendaño-arce-37849b45
