Talking To Others: Why It Matters And How To Do It Effectively

Humans are social creatures. And because of this, we love spending time with others. While a few introverts out there would prefer to be alone, the vast majority of people enjoy the company of others. 

Strangely, though, we don’t talk about the benefits of talking all that much. While it can be helpful on an individual level, it can also help our businesses and even maintain the community around us. It’s part and parcel of living in a modern society – or at least it should be. 

Unfortunately, the culture is becoming more atomized as time passes. Prosocial behaviors topped out more than fifty years ago and are now in terminal decline. 

For that reason, it is even more important that we return to our roots as social creatures. Talking to people is great for well-being, business, and our private lives. 

The purpose of this post is to first discuss the benefits of talking to people and why it matters. Then, we move on to how to be a more effective communicator and get your message across.

Why Talking To Others Matters

As you might guess, there are all sorts of reasons why talking to other people matters. It’s indispensable in so many areas of life. 

Promoting Empathy

For example, talking to people from different backgrounds can promote empathy. The more you get to know people, the more diverse perspectives you can understand. 

Talking more helps to break down the barriers between you and other people. Getting closer to them through conversation fosters a sense of inclusivity and togetherness that you don’t get unless you are extremely close. 

Improving Your Health

Talking to others can also improve your health. Having the right conversations at the right time offers numerous cognitive and physical benefits. 

For example, conversations can: 

• Encourage you to pick up healthy lifestyle behaviors that improve your well-being long-term
• Provide you with emotional support to reduce feelings of isolation and unhappiness
• Boost the immune system and reduce recovery time
• Give you a forum to share your anxieties and worries with others
• Encourage you to adopt healthier behaviors overall

Enhancing Problem-Solving And Decision-Making

You can also use conversations as a method to improve problem-solving and decision-making. Talking through issues with others makes it significantly more straightforward to deal with the problems you face and find solutions. Once you have clarity, you are much better able to move forward.

Conversation is essentially a way to tap into the collective wisdom of others. The more you can canvas people for insights and opinions, the greater your personal understanding will become. 

Suppose, for instance, you have a business problem and you don’t know how to solve it. Going to several people who have already dealt with that specific problem can help greatly. You can get a range of opinions and put them together for a winning strategy. 

Building Better Relationships

Talking to others is also an excellent way to build better relationships with people. Having deeper conversations built on trust and intimacy improves your lifestyle and makes life feel more complete. Sometimes, effective communication can also help you find people who support and enrich your life. These individuals are by your side, through it all, no matter what happens. 

Sharing Joy

Conversation is also an excellent vehicle for sharing joy and happiness with others. While it might seem like a scarce commodity, positive emotions are ultimately what everyone wants to achieve. Talking to others and bringing a sense of humor to the mix can create lasting memories and increase overall life satisfaction. 

Giving Back To Society

There’s also a role for communication in giving back to society. The more you can do your bit to help others thrive, the stronger the community will be. 

You can do this at all levels. It could be something simple like talking to your neighbor across the road, or more difficult, like regularly updating local authorities on an issue. 

Whatever it is, the fact that you are doing it is usually valuable. If you can highlight problems or provide support, that can knit the community together and encourage people to get along with each other. It’s also an edifying experience for you personally because you feel as if you are contributing more effectively. 

How To Communicate Effectively

Whether you are talking to a friend or a customer, effective communication is essential. Getting your conversations right can help you become even more successful in the future. 

But what do you need to do, exactly? 

Speak To The Right People

Perhaps the top of the list of priorities for communicating effectively is to speak to the right people. Talking to individuals who make you feel comfortable can help you feel like you have the support you need to thrive. 

You probably already know this from experience. If you go to the wrong person, it doesn’t matter how much you’ve been brushing up on your communication skills. You can be as eloquent as you like, you’re not going to have the level of communication you’d like. 

Pick The Right Time And Place

You also want to pick the right time and place to have conversations with people. Striking up a conversation about the future of Bitcoin might not be a great idea if it’s the middle of the night and you’re trying to comfort someone going through bereavement. 

Customers are particularly sensitive to conversations held at the right time. Spamming their inboxes with annoying messages won’t do you any favors while deploying a marketing message at the opportune time can be a wonderful way to convince them to convert. 

Be Clear And Concise

You also want to be clear and concise when communicating with people. Keeping things short and simple lets you get your message across and reduces the risk of misunderstandings. 

Sometimes it can help to hide your thoughts and feelings from the other person, but not always. It depends on who you are talking to. If you are having a frank conversation, be open about your thoughts and feelings. Don’t be afraid to share them. 

If you are speaking to a customer, focus more on keeping your sentences short and words simple. Most people don’t have a vast vocabulary, and using some rarer words might confuse them. 

Use The Best Channels

When communicating with people, you also want to focus on using the best channels. Prioritizing the outlets that the other person enjoys using the most can improve your dialogue significantly. 

Suppose, for instance, you have a friend who feels nervous about going to bars but loves talking over the phone. Giving them a call can be an excellent way to avoid constantly sending them text messages or forcing them into an environment where they don’t feel comfortable. 

You could also imagine a company wanting to talk to people over the Internet. Having a chatbot for website home pages could help streamline communication for customers who don’t want to phone. The chat app could simply collect their details and forward their messages to an active team member to convert. 

Be Active When Listening

You also want to be active when listening to people. Instead of just sitting there, steely-eyed, you want to come across as warm and compassionate, ready to help. 

Active listening is about more than “oohing” and “ahhing” every time someone says something. It can also help to make the right encouraging facial expressions and make eye contact. The more understood the other person feels, the more engaged they become. 

If you’re not convinced, think back to the last time someone actively listened to you. When you thought that person understood you, you immediately felt a closer connection to them. You will find that adopting this approach will have the same effect on other people. Simply lending a supportive or sympathetic ear is often all it takes, whether it’s a friend or a customer. 

Set Boundaries

At the same time as being open, you also want to set boundaries. Politely refusing unwanted advice can be an excellent way to establish relationship norms and ensure you protect yourself from people who overstep the mark. 

Setting boundaries requires confidence, but it’s essential. The more you can say “no” and stand up for your interests, the more your time and life will reward you.

Respect Different Opinions

Finally, it is worth respecting different opinions. While you might not like someone else’s ideas, getting into a shouting match doesn’t usually improve the situation. 

If someone’s ideas differ from yours, avoid getting defensive. Instead, try to figure out why they have the views they do and where your position might be weak. That way, you can be more sure of your beliefs. 

Wrapping Up

In summary, talking to others matters for numerous reasons, ranging from personal to societal. As a culture, though, we’re not as good at it as we once were. 

Fortunately, we have lots of new tools and communication channels to help us. We can also work on our personal approach to conversations and improve how we go about them. The more we can refine our approach, the better.