Say it right

"I have a lot of ideas to share, it's just I don't think my boss likes me much. To make it worse, I get really nervous while presenting something to my superiors" says Arifur Reza (24), who's recently joined as a trainee.

This happens with many of us. Somehow, even before we get to mingle with colleagues and our boss, there's a huge blockade. Why is it so? Do you say things you should not? Do you not get the jokes your colleagues crack? Are you a nervous fellow? You definitely need to know the basic of effective communication skills if your answers are "yes" for all of the above questions.

Think, think, and think

How much time do you really spend thinking? Most executives I know are so action-oriented that they barely wait for a moment with the "casualty" of thinking.  That, to begin with, appears to be a problem at times. You can always end up saying something you should not, or something that your organizational structure doesn't allow you to. So, think before you speak. Don't blabber a lot if you boss doesn't like to talk much.

Take a deep breath

Breathing is the moment at which you take in your surroundings: look around, consider who is present, and what they need from you. Prepare to share the space with them and to be present mentally. As it turns out, deep breathing is not only relaxing, it's been scientifically proven to affect the heart, the brain, digestion, the immune system — and maybe even the expression of genes. Some people I know have a tendency to speak faster than their capacity out of sheer nervousness! End result, no one understood a word.  Don't speak so fast that you barely have time to catch a breath. If you are presenting something in front of a group that includes your boss, superiors, colleagues and you need to bowl them over, carry cue cards. Write some bullet points and carry the cue card to the stage. Breathe in between your presentation. It also allows you some time to think more.

Finally, speak!

Speaking is what most people work on. They forget the thinking and the breathing and instead try to occupy space with sound. But if you've taken the nanoseconds required to think and breathe, what you say will matter to your listeners. Everything else is noise. Follow the first two steps, and then engage in speaking. Wasting a lot of words is never wise. Speak to the point. If you know how your colleagues and boss reacts to jokes and if it's positive, land a few to lighten up the mood.

Once you can think, breathe, and speak accordingly, the basic steps of effective communication is a done deal for you.