Practice These 5 Things to Communicate More Clearly

You're wasting time and energy if you don't know the reason the communication is taking place.

Before you initiate any communication, ask yourself, "What am I trying to accomplish?" Even chitchat should have a purpose, even if it's just to build camaraderie.

Any communication that has high emotional content should be delivered in person (if possible) or by telephone and teleconferencing (if not). This applies to both positive and negative news.

If you use email, it will seem like you don't care or that you're a coward.

• People only retain a small percentage of facts when they're communicated verbally. Having those facts written helps to ensure that they don't get lost when it's time to make decisions.
• It's much better to use email to get everyone up to speed and then have a discussion of what yet needs to be accomplished.

In business situations, communication is never about you. It's always about the other person.

Try to avoid dominating any conversation or communication, because if you're motor-mouthing (or motor-mailing), you're not learning anything.

If you want to cut through the noise, you need to make your message as simple and easy to consume as possible.

All of us suffer from massive information overload, which creates seemingly endless confusion and stress.