It’s never a bad time to improve your communication skills, why not set some goals for the new year? We communicate daily at our jobs, going to the store, and with our families and friends at gatherings. When it comes to customer service, it’s best to know how to handle conversations and know which direction they’re going. 

Your Communication Goals

It can be frustrating to not know how to continue a conversation, and in the business world, it can be devastating not to have communication skills. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to better understand conversations, the following tips will be some good goals to set.

1) Keep in Touch

To feel like you’re making a connection during a conversation, make sure to follow up with the person you’re speaking to. In terms of customer service, it’s good practice for businesses to follow up with their customers and build a relationship with them. Keeping in touch after conversing with someone shows them that their time spent speaking to you was meaningful.

2) Listen with Intent

During conversations, people tend to spend a lot of time talking about themselves. Make sure you’re paying attention to what’s being said to you so that you can respond accordingly without missing important details. If you’re a good listener, you’ll be a better communicator as well.

Pro Tip: If an issue is addressed, assess the situation with reason and offer a solution. An important part of communication is talking through problems and resolving them together. 

3) Be Confident

No one wants to ask a question and be left with “I don’t know”. You want people to know that you know what you’re talking about in the conversation. Be confident about what you tell people, as long as you’re being honest. If you don’t know the answer to a question, see how you can assist otherwise or let them know you’re sure you can get an answer. Practicing being confident in your conversations will greatly help you with job interviews. 

4) Ask Open-Ended Questions

When you ask open-ended questions that lead to more detail, you’re letting the other person know that you’re interested in what they have to say and knowing more about it. This is an important rule to practice in customer service scenarios when you need to know exactly what the customer’s needs are. 

A New Year With New Goals

Practice makes perfect, even with your communication skills! Take some time this new year to set self-improvement goals for yourself and your career. 

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