Being a junior college student, how can I improve my communication skills?
3 ways to get you started
Disclaimer: The suggestions below are purely practical and can change your life upside-down if implemented with confidence and courage.
You can:
Start talking to random people.
I know, even the idea of doing this scares the shit out of you. I have been doing this for some time now and it still makes me shiver whenever I get up to talk to a random person.
For me, I have always preferred talking to girls because I am scared to talk to them. That is why I only talk to girls but that is not easy. I remember the first time I talked to a random girl, I was shivering all over and I couldn’t even speak. I am fortunate enough that she was a nice and polite girl that she understood my predicament and responded positively. But, I learned something that day, which was courage. I still take shit from people but not as much as I used to. These days, I know how important it is to stand up for yourself and I do whenever I have to.
Start small if you have to. Talk to a security guard or a shopkeeper. I do not mean the talk about buying your things. No, I mean actually talking to them and asking about their day. Smiling at them and wishing them a good day.
Then, move on to the big guns. Go to a girl and introduce yourself. But, not with a pick-up line. Be honest and most importantly be yourself. Do not make up any story for talking to her. Instead, tell the truth. Tell her that you like her and would like to talk to her. You do not expect anything in return and if she wants she can very well reject your offer.
That is how you make friends and improve communication.
Talk to yourself
It doesn’t matter where. You can talk in front of a mirror or a camera. This is one of the most efficient ways to improve your skills in communicating if you are too shy to ask someone to help you or if you cannot directly start with talking to people.
Anyway, you can still do it, whether you talk to random people or not. This can always be your holy grail whenever you need to practice and there aren’t people around to help you.
Grab a camera and stand in front of it as if you are talking to a real person. Either get a topic beforehand or start ad-hoc. It is your wish. This will help you in two ways — improve your communication and also make you more comfortable talking in front of a camera. Eureka!
Or, go to your bathroom and stand in front of the mirror. Here, you will get the feel of a real person because there is a real persona staring back at you. In fact, you can even look at what you are doing and your body language as well. You can give yourself live feedback. You can work on that feedback on spot. How cool is that?
The possibilities are endless.
Go for a debate or a speech
Do not tell me there aren’t any activities in your college that do not inculcate public speaking at some level. Be it a debate or giving a speech from a stage, there is always an opportunity to show off your communication skills.
Take advantage of that. Whatever you do, your grades are not going to help you with anything. You might as well become a spectacular communicator and climb the ladder of success with your communication skills. While you are eloquent to get your message across the room, your peers will be struggling to even get started. That is the power of effective communication.
I mean, come on, even if you have the knowledge of the world if you don’t know how to make your point, you are a worthless sack of crap.
You can even give presentations in your classroom. That is a small start. You know your classmates and they know you. So, even if you fuck up, it is going to be okay. I know that statement is kind of contradictory because your classmates will see you daily while those random strangers may never cross paths with you again. But, in reality, this statement is contradictory. Your classmates know you and they have studied with you. They know you better than any stranger. They can give you feedback and help you get better. Voila!
From where you are, you can get started with these. And when you are done with these, you will find your own way. Trust me.
After that, you will be here helping others with the same problems because that is who we are. We help each other and thus create a sustainable and productive environment.
