It’s not good for anyone to live in isolation. And that’s why it’s important to interact with people. However, bad communication can ruin your relationships with people and give them the wrong impression about you.
When you don’t communicate properly, you are likely to lose relationships, be misunderstood, avoided, and shielded from life-changing opportunities. The good thing is, the narrative can change. Some effort with consistency and intentionality will help you tackle those bad habits and forge ahead in the new year.
The following are bad communication habits you need to do away with in 2025.
1. Interrupting people
We all tend to interrupt people while speaking, especially when we’re eager to share our thoughts. However, one needs to resist the urge when it comes even though it might require a conscious effort. It can get hard in the beginning, but it’s workable.
When then is a good time to contribute to the conversation? Maybe after you’ve taken a few breaths, waited for your turn, and genuinely listened to the other party. You both have equal rights to talk, so give each other space.
READ ALSO: 6 Simple Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills
2. Overusing jargon
Not everyone knows what a podcast logline is or what the bandwagon effect means in Economics. You connect well with people when you use simple sentences to communicate. Because the use of technical words can be exhausting for whoever is listening, especially if they can’t relate.
So, to keep bad communication habits in check, remember that with the frequent and unnecessary use of jargon, productive conversations might not occur. Choose simpler sentences today.
3. Overusing filler words
The use of filler words too frequently can make you seem less confident and uncertain about what you’re talking about. It could get distracting and confusing for whoever is listening. What do you do in a case like this? Pause at intervals to put your thoughts together before speaking and pace yourself. This should help you articulate your thoughts and convey them better.
4. Making it about you
This one could mean taking a monopoly of the conversation and making yourself the main subject of discussion or raising your voice at the other party to overshadow their words. The conversations don’t always have to revolve around you.
This is not to imply that it’s bad to talk about yourself. You, however, need to rule out bad communication by striking a balance – allow them to talk by genuinely engaging them.
READ ALSO: 5 habits that can hinder your success
5. Inactive listening
Checking your phone at intervals for no valid reason, avoiding eye contact, or doing any other thing aside from listening to them is inactive listening. And subtle forms of distractions like that show that you’re not interested in whatever they have to say. So, next time, focus on whoever you’re speaking with and give them short feedback per time to let them know that you’re listening – by nodding, following with your eyes, and one or two words.
If you must take your attention away at any point in time, ensure that you let them know.
Communication forms an integral part of our relationships, and that’s why we cannot leave things to chance and allow bad communication habits to ruin them for us.
