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The Best TED Talks To Level Up Your Communication Skill
People who communicate better get what they want
A top life skill of the twenty-first century is effective communication.
Being able to convey your ideas and thoughts, both in person and over other channels like phone, email, social media, etc., will make you more successful.
When you know what to say and how to say it, you can unlock minds, open closed doors, and negotiate a better life for yourself.
That’s why constantly working on your communication skills is never a wasted effort.
I’ve listened to some of the most thought-provoking TED Talks by some of the best experts in communication.
I share five in this article that can change the way you communicate.
10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation by Celeste Headlee
The ability to sustain a coherent and confident conversation is a superpower. It makes you a human magnet.
But talking alone isn’t what the best communicators do. They’re great at listening as well.
In this insightful talk, Headlee draws upon decades of interviewing experience as a radio host to lay down powerful rules for having conversations that build connection and trust.
She said the best conversations have one thing in common — you’ll often walk away from feeling heard, engaged, inspired, and perfectly understood.
Here’s her 10 rules to achieve this type of conversations:
- Be present — be in that moment. Don’t have one leg in a conversation and the other leg out of it.
- Don’t pontificate. Assume that you have something to learn. Then, set aside your personal opinion. This forces the speaker to open up to the inner recesses of their mind.
- Use open-ended questions
- Go with the flow
- If you don't know say you don't know
- Try not to repeat yourself
- Stay out of the weeds
- Listen
- Be brief
