Effective communication is essential to understand another person/situation, resolve conflict, and create an environment of trust, ideation and good relationships. Here are ways to help you improve your communication skills and connect better with co-workers.

Know the audience: Observe and understand your co-workers’ communication style to be able to communicate with them better. For example, a business-like, to-the-point communication style might work with co-worker A, but the same might be considered rude and brusque by co-worker B who prefers a little conversation before getting down to business. We are not saying that you change in order to be like those you work with, but a broader understanding of those you work with will greatly help you connect and relate with them.

Be clear in communication: The information you want to convey to a co-worker must be complete, accurate and clear. The purpose of communication between colleagues is to allow work to progress smoothly. Clarity is important, whether it is written or spoken; the message you need to convey must be specific and not leave any ambiguity.

Choose the correct medium: While an email would be sufficient when delivering a short, quick message, subjects that require detailed discussion should be conducted in form of a meeting or telephonic conversation. Further, crucial communication points like terms and agreement of a contract or action points for a project must always be followed by written communication, lest there is any loss of information.

Lend your ears, but watch what you do: Pay attention to non-verbal cues you may be sending out. Making eye contact when speaking or listening, nodding occasionally to acknowledge what is being said, maintaining steady body posture to not cause distraction from the conversation shows respect and attentiveness towards the person with whom you are speaking.

Re-read emails before hitting the ‘send’ button to ensure you haven’t missed out anything or included goof ups in recipient, subject or text. Avoid multitasking when on phone; though the person on the other end cannot see you, your distracted state can be misinterpreted as being disrespectful.

Yours is not the ONLY point of view – listen: To be able to truly have a good communication channel requires active listening skills. If you are only thinking about what/how to respond next before you have even heard what is being said, you are limiting the discussion to your zone. You might have a great idea, but it may not be the right one for the situation at hand. Keeping an open mind will allow you to grasp things better, and you wouldn’t come across as a person who is never interested in what others have to say. Listen, observe and catch the pulse of how a discussion evolves.

Communicate frequently: It’s easy to lose perspective when working on large-scale or multiple projects that aren’t due for completion until months later. Schedule daily, weekly, or monthly summaries of work in progress in order to keep superiors, co-workers, and subordinates up to date and aware of changes that may affect them.

Practice these steps to convey your points better to others as well as understand more clearly what others have to say. It might take you out of your comfort zone, but with some effort, you’ll see positive results in how you interact with others at work.