Many people are so caught in the endless hustle of the modern world that they allow autopilot to dictate everything they do. It is particularly evident in the manner of their speech and communication, whether personal or professional. In the same way, people who lack mindfulness do not control their overall behavior, they also have little power over their speaker habits. Not only does it showcase their inadequate communicative skills, but it also damages the others’ perception. Understanding what behaviors are frequently exhibited by mindful speakers is essential in ascertaining their importance for their personal and professional life.
Firstly, mindful speakers are focused on listening as much as speaking. Many people forget that communication is a two-way process and involves at least two parties. When people are not trained at controlling their impulses and mind wandering, they find themselves interrupting their interlocutors or using non sequitur arguments. Mindfulness teaches people to pay attention to all expressions of the world, including what other people say. When distracting thoughts, which may prevent understanding of the interlocutor, appear, a mindful speaker acknowledges them and focuses on listening. Subsequently, they can follow what the conversation is about without the fear of losing the idea in the process of mind wandering.
Listening is also important during activities, which presuppose speaking. For instance, when giving presentations, speakers are supposed to provide the most information. However, unless they acknowledge the audience, their ideas may not be conveyed to them clearly. When I give presentations, I allow the audience to interrupt me at any point and ask a clarifying question. I believe that these questions are important because they showcase my own inefficiency at explaining some concepts as well as the critical point when the audience starts to lose track of the presentation. By listening to what the people in the audience want to know about, I can understand their real topic of interest and correct my delivery of information.
Second, mindful speakers understand that non-verbal language is as important as the words they say. As it is the case with listening, people who are not able to prevent mind wandering will find themselves vigorously articulating what they intend to say via gestures, mimics, and sound of the voice. Essentially, they unconsciously allow their body language to dictate the meaning of their speeches (Schlögl & Jones, 2020). When non-verbal language contradicts the said words, interlocutors may become confused and suspicious of the intentions of the speaker. Mindful communication allows the speaker to recognize subconscious reactions and control them during conversations.
I remember that each time I tried to conceal factual information from my mother, she would always understand the real intention. Once I realized that I lacked control over my body language, I increased my awareness of my non-verbal signs. With time, I learned to suppress the impulsive non-verbal behavior, which would implicate me. This way, mindfulness allowed me to be a better communicator without contradictions between verbal and non verbal language.
Finally, mindful speakers are attentive to verbal flaws of their speeches. As the mind cannot be fully concentrated on the topic all the time, people start adding extra words and sounds, which showcase their doubt, uncertainty, or nervousness. Naturally, the more unnecessary words there are, the less persuasive and less attractive the speech will be. When I talk with my friends, I use the necessary words as a sign of mind wandering. If I start saying many words, which convey the same idea or do not have meaning at all, I realize that I lost track. However, once I am in control once more, I can form sentences, which convey the information clearly and concisely, without the use of extra words. Combined together with listening and non-verbal language, attention to verbal noise allows the mindful speaker to ensure meaningful and effective communication.
Reference
Schlögl, M., & Jones, C. A. (2020). Maintaining our humanity through the mask: mindful communication during COVID‐19. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(5), 12-13. Web.