One of the foundations of the good business management are the good communication skills. Communicating on a higher level with your clients, customers and employees is always an essential part of a successful business. Improving those skills should be one of the main tasks for every manager. Here are a few tips on how to do this:

1. Speak clearly – no one likes to hear mumbling or channel energy to hear the words of the interlocutor, this breaks the fluid if the conversation and can result in misleads or misunderstandings. Practice enunciating especially on the phone. If your client, partner or employee asks you to repeat more than once – chances are you are not speaking clearly enough.
2. Speak with a relaxed pace – speaking too fast can make you look nervous or insecure and speaking too slow can make your client loose patience or interest in the conversation. Try to speak with a normal pace of the voice.
3. Shake hands firmly – the good handshake can tell a lot about you as a person. A firm handshake makes you look confident, while a weak one can make you look unsecure.
4. Listen – paying attention to the other speaker is vital for the outcome of the conversation. Respond relevant and ask relevant questions so you can stay focused and involved.
5. Make eye contact – self-confident people always make eye contact. Try not to think about it, but rather do it, because when you start thinking about it you will suffer the “Which eye to look at” symptom – an issue that can make you loose track of the conversation.
6. Body language – be aware of your body stance – it can tell a lot about you. Approach the conversation not too relaxed. The other speaker can see you as bored or too nervous even if you haven’t said anything yet. Be aware of your hand gestures when speaking and of your face expression when listening.