Communication Skills: Definition, Examples, & Activities

By Justine Saavedra, M.S.
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Discover communication skills for relationships, the workplace, and more. Explore tips and activities to improve communication skills.
*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.
We are constantly communicating information when interacting with other people through verbal, written, and body language. How you communicate with others has a large impact on how you move through life. Effective communication can make your life easier while ineffective communication might leave you feeling frustrated. Do you feel that you communicate with other people easily or do you struggle to accurately convey your ideas and thoughts? 
Learning and practicing communication skills can help you have more efficient and productive conversations in all areas of your life including work, relationships, and more.

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What Are Communication Skills? (A Definition)

Communication is the exchange of information between two or more people. There are many different ways that people exchange information including verbal, written, and/or non-verbal (body) language. Communication skills give you the ability to effectively and efficiently convey your thoughts and ideas.  Some people are naturally good at communication skills while others may find them more difficult. In either case, everyone can benefit from learning to communicate more clearly and productively.

Why Communication Skills Are Important

Communication skills are an essential part of life because we interact with other people every day. If you struggle to communicate with others you may feel frustrated or discouraged. When others understand you and you understand them, it minimizes misunderstandings and conflicts. Clearly conveying your thoughts can be beneficial in most areas of your life. 

​Relationship Satisfaction
A 2006 study found that people with better communication skills had greater relationship satisfaction, even after controlling for other variables such as attachment style and problem-solving skills (Eğeci & Gençöz, 2006). Unsurprisingly, negative communication has been shown to decrease a couple’s ability to handle conflicts which leads to less satisfaction with the relationship (Kiecolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001).

Workplace Benefits
Being able to effectively convey your message and accurately understand others is a valuable skill in the workplace. Oral communication skills were listed as one of the top 10 skills that executives evaluate when making promotion decisions (Reinsch & Gardner, 2013). You can improve your verbal communication skills by thinking before you speak, speaking with confidence, and being clear and concise.

Increased Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem
Learning better communication skills might help you feel more satisfied with your life and increase your self-esteem. One study found that individuals who express their emotions and have positive, effective social problem-solving have greater life satisfaction and self-esteem than individuals who struggle with these things (Coskun et al., 2010). This may be due to fewer misunderstandings and conflicts which can sometimes arise from miscommunications.

Video: Why Are Communication Skills Important?

Examples of Communication Skills

Seeing examples of effective communication skills can help you gain a better understanding of the skills you need to get your point across. 

  • Tanya is a single mother and has been feeling overwhelmed at work. Her department is short-staffed so she has been taking on extra duties which has lengthened her work day. This has negatively impacted the amount of time she spends with her children. She decides to schedule a meeting with her supervisor to voice her concerns. Tanya prepares for the meeting by compiling all of her accomplishments since taking on the extra duties and proposes splitting the extra work up among her other co-workers until a new person is hired. Her boss is understanding and relieves Tanya of some of her extra responsibilities, allowing her schedule to go back to normal.
  • Maria’s brother Felix is currently the caretaker for both of their elderly parents. He lives with them and does all of the housekeeping duties such as laundry, cooking, and grocery shopping. Maria rarely helps because she is busy with her own family. Felix starts to feel burnt out and decides to communicate this with his sister. Maria practices active listening and hears Felix out instead of becoming defensive. The two siblings come up with a plan that will give Felix one free day per week to relax and recharge. ​

Communication Skills in the Workplace

Efficient communication skills are often listed as a requirement for jobs. Unless you work independently, some degree of interaction with other people–whether it's a little or a lot–is required. Whether you are communicating with co-workers or clients, developing better communication skills in the workplace can help you move your career forward. A 2019 study of 22 managers identified four main categories of communication skills in the workplace (Coffelt et al., 2019). 

Four Categories of Workplace Communication:
  • Written communication: Writing skills including grammatical accuracy and the ability to accurately compile information. 
  • Oral communication: Includes skills such as listening, asking questions, and speaking as a leader.
  • Visual communication: Skills such as data visualization and non-verbal communication.
  • Digital Communication: The skill of communicating through e-mail.

The following tips can help you develop better communication skills in the workplace.

Prepare Ahead of Time
Being prepared for meetings and presentations will make you feel more confident in your abilities. This increased confidence can help you communicate with clarity and poise. Before beginning any conversation take the time to brainstorm potential questions. Think ahead to possible requests for additional information and potential disagreements so you are ready to address them clearly and calmly.

Wait It Out​
If you are ever in a conflict at work, a heated discussion can quickly turn downhill. If possible, wait before responding–this is an especially helpful tool when conflicts arise over e-mail. Waiting to send a response gives you a chance to cool your emotions and develop a thoughtful, productive response rather than one borne from intense emotions.

Video: Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace | Communication at Work

Communication Skills in Relationships

Having clear communication is a core component of happy, healthy relationships. Whether you are trying to communicate with your partner, family, or friends, developing more effective conversational skills can positively affect your relationships.
​
Be Direct
Asking specific questions–rather than questions with just a yes or no answer–will allow you to gain a better understanding of what your partner is feeling (This article provides some questions to ask). Sometimes we assume what others are thinking or feeling but these assumptions can be wrong. We might also expect our partner to know what we are thinking without communicating it to them. Try to be direct when communicating with your partner rather than expecting them to know how you feel.

Develop Self Confidence 
Research has shown that people who are confident in their communication skills and problem-solving abilities have greater relationship satisfaction (Eğeci & Gençöz, 2006). If you don’t feel confident in your ability to communicate with your partner that might create problems and misunderstandings. Simply being open about your communication struggles and actively working on more effective communication with your partner can go a long way.

Communication Skills for Teens

Teaching effective communication skills is a key concept for teenagers learning how to interact with the world around them. Sometimes teens might be resistant to lessons about communication—in that case modeling healthy communication in your relationships can help them see how effective communication works.

Using “I” Statements 
When communicating with other people, it is important to frame things from your point of view instead of blaming the other person. For example, instead of saying, “You shouldn’t do _____”, try saying “It makes me feel sad when you _____”. This way, the other person doesn’t feel attacked and they can see their behavior from your point of view.

Face-to-face Communication​
We become more reliant on digital forms of communication every day. While texting and video calls can make communication more convenient, there is an element of real-life human connection that cannot be replaced. Try and emphasize the importance of communicating with people by actually speaking to each other outside of the digital world.

Communication Skills Activities

Telephone Game​
  1. If there are enough people, instruct participants to line up in two equal lines. You can also form one line if there are fewer than ten people in the group.
  2. Give the person first in line a phrase to pass along through the line
    • Examples: “Two tiny toads ate fat flying flies.”; “A bunch of yellow bananas launched on a blue boat.”
  3. Tell the group that they will be passing along a message through the line by whispering it to the person next to them.
  4. Have the first person whisper the message to the person next to them, and so on down the line.
  5. Instruct the last person in line to announce the phrase they hear.
  6. The telephone game highlights how information can morph and change from person to person without clear communication.

Stack the Deck
  1. Shuffle a deck of cards and hand one to each participant.
  2. Instruct them that they are not allowed to talk throughout this exercise.
  3. Instruct participants that they should get into four groups according to the suit on their card.
  4. Once assembled into the four suits, instruct participants to line up according to card rank.
  5. Discuss how this exercise emphasizes the importance of non-verbal communication.

How to Improve Communication Skills

Improving communication skills takes time and practice. The following are some simple tips you can employ to more effectively communicate in your everyday life.

Don’t Assume​
It is easy to assume what other people are thinking but unless you hear it directly from them, you can never really know. If you are unsure about what someone said or what they mean, asking a clarifying question can save you from experiencing a misunderstanding.

Active Listening
A well-known saying by an ancient Greek philosopher says, “We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak”. When you are talking to someone, try to focus entirely on what the other person is saying rather than what your response will be. Giving someone your full attention can make them feel seen and heard.

Give Feedback
Another piece of active listening is giving feedback about what you hear. This shows the other person that you actually heard what they said. Giving feedback might sound like reaffirming what the other person told you such as “That sounds like a difficult situation”, or “I’m proud of what you accomplished”. If they ask for your opinion, giving feedback might look like giving advice or suggestions for solutions to their problem.

Respect and Empathy
It is important to keep respect and empathy at the forefront throughout the communication process. Try and see things from the other person’s perspective rather than getting defensive. Even if you don’t agree with the other person, giving them respect will make the communication go more smoothly.

Video: How To Improve Communication Skills: 12 Effective Tips To Improve Communication Skills

List of Communication Skills

  • Being open-minded
  • Showing respect
  • Active listening
  • Positive body language
  • Asking questions
  • Giving feedback
  • Keeping strong emotions in check
  • Being clear and concise

Video: What Are Communication Skills? Top 10!

Quotes on Communication Skills

​Try and remember these quotes the next time you feel frustrated in communicating with others. Learning better communication skills doesn’t happen overnight. Try to be patient with yourself as you improve your communication skills.

  • “Great communication begins with connection.” — Oprah Winfrey
  • “Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.” — Charlie Kaufman
  • “It’s important to make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.” — Barack Obama
  • “Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
  • “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” — Peter Drucker
  • “Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.” — Paul J. Meyer
  • “If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.” — Jim Rohn

Articles Related to Communication Skills

Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

Books Related to Communication Skills​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on Communication Skills

Interacting with other people is a part of everyday life. Communication skills give you the ability to effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas. These skills may improve satisfaction with your relationships and can also help you advance in the workplace. Practicing good communication skills such as active listening and giving feedback may help improve your interactions with other people. In addition, improving your communication skills may increase your life satisfaction and self-esteem.

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