No matter your age, background, or experience, effective communication is a skill you can learn. The greatest leaders of all time are also fantastic communicators and orators. In fact, communications is one of the most popular college degrees today; people recognize the value of a truly efficient communicator. With a little self-confidence and knowledge of the basics, you'll be able to get your point across in no time.
Choose the right time. As the cliché states, there is a time and a place for everything, and communicating is no different.
Facilitate an open, intimate conversation. Choose the right place, one that provides freedom for the communication to open, flower, and come to maturity. If you need to tell someone something that isn't going to sit well (such as news of a death or a breakup), don't do it in public, around colleagues, or near other people. Be respectful and mindful of the person by communicating to them in a private place. This will also provide space to open the dialog into a wider and a more involved mutual understanding and ensure that the two-way process is functioning properly.
Remove distractions. Turn off all electronics that could interrupt the conversation. If the phone rings, laugh it off the first time, then turn it off immediately and continue talking. Do not allow external distractions to act as crutches that sidetrack your concentration. They will distract both you and your listener, and will effectively kill the communication.
Communication qualities:
Be articulate
Set the listener at ease
Enunciate clearly
Be attentive when listening and ensure that your facial expressions reflect your interest
Be vocally interesting
Recognise people
Be clear and unambiguous with your body language
Communicate eye to eye
Use breathing and pauses to your advantage
Consider how your gestures come across
Keep a check on your other body signals
Listen to the other person