So Women Are Good Communicators? Take Our Free Test!

It’s a kind of accepted fact that women tend to be the better communicators of the two sexes - and that this is all down to a God-given talent for nurturing and empathizing.  But what if that isn’t the case ?

A significant number of women say that they have either always struggled with getting their point across or have recently lost their communication mojo.  So, in this article, we’re exploring this - and inviting you to take a free online test to see how your skills stand up.

As We Speak

Since time began, people have used communication to alert others to danger or injury and to pass on skills. And now, communication is more complex than ever, involving many forms of real-life interactions as well as platform hopping online. So it’s no wonder that some women struggle either professionally, socially or both.

When it comes to communication skills, these are often considered to fall into separate sections which we’ll take a look at now:

• Exchange of ideas - A great communicator is able to convey concepts and ideas to others in a way which is easy to understand and which inspires others to get involved.
• Empathy / emotion - This one is all about understanding what it is that somebody may not be saying. Empathy and emotional skills allow us to dig deeper in order to figure out the feelings that are going on behind somebody’s words and to therefore ask relevant questions or offer advice or comfort.
• Confidence - Also referred to as self-assurance or assertiveness, confidence allows us to have “the courage of our convictions” and to state our point or participate in a conversation without the fear of being thought silly or irrelevant.

All three of these come together to create the basis for our communication skills. Which means that if a person is lacking or deficient in one or more of these skills, it can lead to consistently poor communication which can be damaging both professionally and personally.

Some people feel that a lack of communication skills has held them back for as long as they can remember, while others say that their skills have taken a nosedive in recent times.  Factors like illness, a traumatic event such as divorce or changes like the menopause can all have a negative impact on our social skills, leaving us feeling less confident and capable than before.

So, How Are You Doing ?

We’ve talked a little about the factors that can chip away at our communication skills and our confidence but what if you don’t actually know how good your skills are (believe me, plenty of people don’t).  The good news is that our simple, free, three minute online test will give you a pretty good idea of your communication prowess.

Why Take A Communication Skills Test?

There are some real, tangible benefits to taking a communication test including:

• It lets you know your level of skills
• It highlights areas where improvement is needed
• It identifies your strengths and weaknesses so that you know what you need to work on

And with us, you get all of that from just a three minute test - and don’t worry, your results are completely anonymous!

Can I Improve My Communication Skills ?

So, you’ve taken the communications skills test and found some areas that need a little work. It is absolutely possible to improve your communications skills and the simplest way to do this is through an online course. Ideal for those who like to work at their own pace, an online communication skills course can help you to improve by working on a number of factors including:

• Active listening
• Asking the right questions
• Practicing compassion and empathy
• Being assertive when conveying ideas or instructions
• More effectively reading and interpreting other people’s speech and body language

Through videos, on-screen content, workbooks, action plans, exercises and module tests, a communication skills course can help you take baby steps toward being a more effective communicator.
Don’t worry: you don’t need any special experience or equipment and you don’t even need to download an app - your usual digital device is all you need to get started.

A Word To The Wise

While you wait to get started with your course, there are a few simple exercises that you start practicing in your daily life such as:

• Self-monitoring - have a think about the conversations you’ve had during your day and pinpoint the parts that you weren’t very happy with.
• Watch your language - keep an eye on your body language when communicating with others and pay close attention to negative language such as crossed arms and lack of eye contact.
• Work on it - Try practicing your communication skills at home in a mirror - you might feel a little silly at first but this is a good way of studying how you might come across to others (you can also video this for reference and to see how far you’ve come as you progress.

Practicing these things regularly can help you to get into the habit of making small improvements to your communication skills each and every day with the investment of just a few minutes’ work.

Gotta Get A Message To You

Becoming a great communicator is a marathon, not a sprint, and can take time and effort to improve your communication and listening skills.  Don’t be discouraged though, because kickstarting your skills will yield big benefits!

In fact, it's impossible to over-emphasize the importance of communication skills in the modern world.  A study by E.T Klemmer and F.W Snyder showed that between 50% and 80% of our workday revolves around communication. (And two thirds of which is spoken.)  So these figures alone show just how important it is to make sure your communication is effective!

Start your communication skills journey today with our free test or sign up for our course ... and begin to change your life!