Episode 30 - Improve your communication skills.

Effortless English Podcasts

Effortless English Chat

Improve your communication skills.

Alex: Hi everyone, I’m Alex.

Luna: And I’m Luna.

Alex: Welcome to Effortless English Podcasts.

Luna: Today, we’re talking about communication.

Alex: More specifically, how to improve communication skills.

Luna: Yeah, because let’s be honest, we all mess up sometimes.

Alex: True.

Alex: Have you ever had a conversation where you thought you were clear, but the other person just didn’t get it?

Luna: Oh, all the time!

Luna: Or when you send a text, and someone completely misreads your tone.

Alex: That happens a lot in group chats.

Alex: One message, ten different reactions.

Luna: Right?

Luna: Someone thinks it’s funny, someone else gets offended, and another person has no idea what’s going on.

Alex: That’s why good communication is so important.

Alex: It helps us avoid misunderstandings, build stronger relationships, and even succeed at work.

Luna: And the best part?

Luna: It’s a skill we can all improve.

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: We’ll break it down into simple steps that anyone can use.

Luna: Also, we’re going to share some personal stories—because let’s be real, we’ve both had our fair share of communication fails.

Alex: Definitely.

Alex: And I’ve got some research-backed tips, too.

Luna: Of course you do.

Luna: You love numbers.

Alex: Numbers make things clear.

Luna: Maybe, but stories make them fun.

Alex: Fine, we’ll have both.

Luna: Now, before we jump in, a quick reminder—if you want to read along, we have a transcript for this episode.

Alex: You can find the link in the description below.

Luna: And we also have subtitles available, so turn those on if you need them.

Alex: Alright, let’s get started.

Alex: Communication sounds simple, but it can go wrong in so many ways.

Luna: Oh, absolutely.

Luna: Let’s start with some everyday examples.

Alex: Alright.

Alex: Imagine you’re in a coffee shop.

Alex: You tell the barista, “I’ll have a small coffee.”

Alex: Then they hand you a large one.

Luna: That’s happened to me before!

Luna: I once asked for an iced latte, and they gave me a hot one.

Luna: I was too shy to correct them, so I just drank it.

Alex: Classic miscommunication.

Alex: Either they misheard, or they assumed something different.

Luna: Here’s another one—text messages.

Luna: You text someone “We need to talk,” and they freak out.

Alex: Right.

Alex: They assume it’s bad news, even if you just want to ask where to eat.

Luna: Exactly!

Luna: Or when someone replies with just “OK,” and you start overthinking.

Alex: Happens all the time.

Alex: Short texts can sound cold, even if that’s not the intent.

Luna: What about workplace miscommunication?

Luna: You ever had a boss who gave unclear instructions?

Alex: Oh, many times.

Alex: “Finish this report soon.”

Alex: What does “soon” mean?

Alex: Today? Tomorrow? Next week?

Luna: And if you don’t ask, you risk doing it wrong.

Luna: Then they get mad, and you’re confused.

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: Lack of clarity leads to mistakes.

Luna: And sometimes, it’s not what we say, but how we say it.

Luna: Tone makes a huge difference.

Alex: Oh yeah.

Alex: Imagine saying “Are you done yet?” in a curious way versus an annoyed way.

Alex: Same words, completely different meaning.

Luna: And don’t forget body language.

Luna: Have you ever asked someone how they’re doing, and they say “I’m fine” while crossing their arms?

Alex: Yeah, and you just know they’re not fine.

Luna: Exactly!

Luna: Non-verbal cues tell us so much.

Alex: So, what happens when communication fails?

Luna: A lot of things.

Luna: Misunderstandings, arguments, frustration…

Alex: Lost opportunities, too.

Alex: Poor communication at work can cost promotions.

Luna: And in relationships, it can cause unnecessary fights.

Luna: “I thought you meant this.”

Luna: “No, I meant that.”

Alex: Ever had a small miscommunication turn into a big argument?

Luna: Oh, plenty of times.

Luna: One time, I told my friend, “Let’s meet at 3.”

Luna: She thought I meant 3 PM.

Luna: I meant 3 AM, because we were catching a flight!

Alex: Wow.

Alex: So what happened?

Luna: She showed up twelve hours late.

Luna: I almost missed my flight.

Alex: That’s rough.

Alex: But it proves a point—small details matter.

Luna: Exactly.

Luna: Miscommunication can waste time, money, and even damage relationships.

Alex: Which is why we need to fix it.

Luna: And we will!

Luna: In the next part, we’ll talk about what makes a good communicator.

Alex: Not all communication is the same.

Luna: Yeah, some people are great at it, and some… not so much.

Alex: Let’s compare bad and good communication with a simple example.

Luna: Ooh, roleplay time?

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: Let’s say you’re asking a coworker to help with a project.

Alex: Here’s the bad version.

Luna: Alright, I’m ready.

Alex: “Hey, I need your help with something.”

Luna: “Uh… okay? With what?”

Alex: “Just this report. Can you do it?”

Luna: “Wait, what part? When is it due?”

Alex: “Just do what you can.”

Luna: Uhh… that’s not helpful at all.

Alex: Exactly!

Luna: There’s no clear request, no deadline, nothing.

Alex: Now, let’s do it the right way.

Alex: “Hey Luna, can you help me with this report? I need the data section done by Friday.”

Luna: “Got it. Do you want me to focus on anything specific?”

Alex: “Yes, focus on last quarter’s sales numbers. Let me know if you need help.”

Luna: “No problem, I’ll get it done by Friday.”

Alex: See? That was smooth and clear.

Luna: Yeah, now I know what to do.

Alex: Small changes make a big difference.

Luna: Like using clear details instead of vague words.

Alex: Right.

Alex: Good communication saves time and avoids confusion.

Luna: And it makes people feel respected.

Luna: Nobody likes guessing what someone means.

Alex: Exactly.

Luna: So, lesson of the day?

Alex: Be clear, be direct, and don’t assume people know what you mean.

Luna: Coming up, we’ll break down the key skills of great communication.

Alex: Now let’s get practical.

Alex: We’re going to break down four key areas that make a huge difference in communication.

Luna: And we’ll show bad and good examples for each one.

Alex: First up—active listening.

Alex: Here’s a bad example.

Luna: “Hey, I had the worst day ever.”

Alex: “Oh yeah? That reminds me of my day. It was crazy.”

Luna: “I just feel so exhausted…”

Alex: “Same! I had back-to-back meetings, and my boss was super annoying.”

Luna: “Uh… are you even listening to me?”

Luna: Wow, that was terrible.

Alex: Yeah, I completely ignored your feelings and made it about myself.

Luna: Here’s the right way to do it.

Luna: “Hey, I had the worst day ever.”

Alex: “Oh no, what happened?”

Luna: “Work was a disaster. Everything went wrong.”

Alex: “That sounds really stressful. Do you want to talk about it?”

Luna: “Yeah, I just need to vent a little.”

Luna: See?

Luna: Just listening and asking the right questions makes a big difference.

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: Active listening means paying attention, not interrupting, and showing you care.

Luna: Alright, next—clarity and brevity.

Luna: Some people make everything way too complicated.

Alex: Here’s an example of bad communication.

Luna: “Hey, what time is the meeting?”

Alex: “Well, originally, it was set for 2 PM, but then John said 3 would be better. Sarah wanted 4, but nobody agreed, so we went back to 2. But now, I think it’s 3, unless they changed it again…”

Luna: “So… what time is it?”

Alex: “Uh… not sure. Check your email.”

Luna: That was painful.

Alex: I know.

Alex: Now, let’s do it the right way.

Luna: “Hey, what time is the meeting?”

Alex: “It’s at 3 PM.”

Luna: “Got it, thanks!”

Alex: Simple, direct, and easy to understand.

Luna: Yes!

Luna: People appreciate clear and brief answers.

Alex: Alright, now let’s talk about non-verbal communication.

Alex: Sometimes, your body language says more than your words.

Luna: Let’s look at a bad example first.

Luna: “Hey, do you have a second?”

Alex: (crosses arms, looks at phone) “Yeah, what is it?”

Luna: “I just need help with something.”

Alex: (sighs, looks away) “Fine, what do you want?”

Luna: “Uh… never mind.”

Alex: Yikes.

Alex: Even if I didn’t say anything rude, my body language made it clear I didn’t care.

Luna: Exactly.

Luna: Now, let’s fix it.

Luna: “Hey, do you have a second?”

Alex: (faces Luna, puts phone away) “Sure, what’s up?”

Luna: “I just need help with something.”

Alex: (nods) “Of course. How can I help?”

Luna: So much better!

Alex: Right?

Alex: Open body language, eye contact, and a friendly tone make all the difference.

Luna: Now, the last one—emotional awareness.

Luna: Let’s start with a bad example.

Luna: “Ugh, today was terrible.”

Alex: “You’re always complaining. It’s not that bad.”

Luna: “Wow. Thanks for the support.”

Alex: Oof.

Alex: That was harsh.

Luna: Yeah, ignoring someone’s emotions can make them feel worse.

Alex: Here’s how to do it right.

Luna: “Ugh, today was terrible.”

Alex: “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

Luna: “Just a bunch of stressful stuff at work.”

Alex: “That sounds tough. Do you want to talk about it?”

Luna: See?

Luna: A little empathy goes a long way.

Alex: Absolutely.

Alex: So, to sum up—listen actively, be clear and brief, watch your body language, and be emotionally aware.

Luna: Master these, and your communication will improve big time!

Alex: Alright, now that we know what good communication looks like, how do we actually improve?

Luna: Don’t worry, we’ve got simple steps anyone can use.

Alex: First, practice active listening every day.

Luna: Yeah, and it doesn’t have to be hard.

Alex: Try this—next time someone talks to you, focus 100% on what they’re saying.

Luna: No checking your phone, no thinking about your reply. Just listen.

Alex: And when they finish, repeat part of what they said to confirm you understood.

Luna: Like if your friend says, “I’m so tired from work,” you can say, “Sounds like you had a long day.”

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: It makes the other person feel heard.

Luna: Next—improve clarity.

Luna: A fun way to practice this is by explaining something in one sentence.

Alex: Like, instead of saying, “Well, I think we should probably try going to the other restaurant because this one might be too crowded,” just say, “Let’s go to a less crowded restaurant.”

Luna: Right!

Luna: Shorter, clearer, better.

Alex: Another trick is to pause before you speak.

Alex: Give yourself a second to organize your thoughts.

Luna: Yeah, that stops you from rambling.

Alex: Now, let’s talk about body language.

Luna: Oh, this one’s fun!

Luna: Try watching people’s non-verbal cues in conversations.

Alex: Notice their facial expressions, posture, and eye contact.

Luna: And if you want to improve your own body language, practice in a mirror.

Alex: Or record yourself talking and watch it back.

Luna: Oof, that sounds scary.

Alex: It is, but it works.

Luna: Last one—practice emotional awareness.

Luna: The best way? Ask people how they feel and actually listen.

Alex: And don’t just assume everyone feels the same way you do.

Luna: Right.

Luna: Someone might be upset over something small to you, but it’s big to them.

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: So, to recap—listen actively, speak clearly, use good body language, and be aware of emotions.

Luna: Try these out, and you’ll see a big change.

Alex: Coming up next, we’ll share our own experiences with improving communication.

Alex: Alright, we’ve covered the techniques, but let’s get personal.

Luna: Yeah, let’s talk about how we improved our own communication.

Alex: I’ll go first.

Alex: Back when I was an engineer, I was terrible at explaining things.

Luna: Oh, I can totally imagine that.

Alex: Thanks.

Alex: But seriously, I used way too much technical jargon.

Luna: Give me an example.

Alex: Alright, someone once asked me how a system worked.

Alex: I said, “It’s a multi-threaded asynchronous process that handles concurrent data flows using event-driven architecture.”

Luna: …What?

Alex: Exactly.

Luna: Why didn’t you just say, “It processes multiple tasks at the same time”?”

Alex: That’s what I learned later!

Alex: My boss told me, “If people don’t understand you, it’s your fault, not theirs.”

Luna: That’s solid advice.

Alex: So I started practicing clarity.

Alex: Before I spoke, I asked myself, “How can I say this in the simplest way?”

Luna: And did it work?

Alex: Yep.

Alex: I got better at meetings, explaining ideas, and even casual conversations.

Luna: Nice!

Luna: Now, my turn.

Luna: My biggest problem was listening.

Alex: No surprise there.

Luna: Hey!

Luna: But yeah, I used to interrupt people a lot.

Alex: You still do.

Luna: I’m working on it!

Luna: But before, it was way worse.

Luna: My friends would be telling a story, and I’d jump in with my own.

Alex: Give me an example.

Luna: Okay, imagine you’re telling me about your weekend.

Alex: “I went hiking on Saturday—”

Luna: “Oh! I love hiking! Last time I went, I saw a deer, and—”

Alex: Wow.

Luna: Yeah.

Luna: One day, my friend called me out.

Luna: She said, “You never let me finish a sentence.”

Alex: Oof.

Luna: I felt awful.

Luna: So I made a rule for myself—don’t talk until the other person is completely done.

Alex: And did it work?

Luna: Yep!

Luna: I still slip up sometimes, but now people tell me I’m a much better listener.

Alex: That’s great.

Alex: So, to sum up— I learned to speak clearly, and you learned to listen better.

Luna: And if we can improve, so can anyone!

Alex: Coming up, we’ll talk about common mistakes people make in communication.

Alex: Now that we’ve shared our own experiences, let’s talk about common mistakes people make in communication.

Luna: Oh, there are so many!

Alex: Yep.

Alex: But let’s focus on three big ones—interrupting, not considering the audience, and overcomplicating things.

Luna: Let’s start with interrupting.

Luna: We already talked about this, but it’s such a big problem that it deserves more attention.

Alex: Agreed.

Alex: Interrupting makes people feel like their words don’t matter.

Luna: And it usually happens because we’re too eager to respond.

Alex: Here’s a bad example.

Luna: “So, yesterday I had the most embarrassing moment—”

Alex: “Oh! I had one last week! Let me tell you about it.”

Luna: “Uh… okay, I guess my story can wait.”

Luna: That’s annoying, right?

Alex: Very.

Alex: Now, here’s how to do it right.

Luna: “So, yesterday I had the most embarrassing moment—”

Alex: “Oh wow, what happened?”

Luna: “I tripped in front of my boss while holding coffee.”

Alex: “That sounds rough! What did your boss do?”

Luna: Much better!

Luna: Just letting someone finish makes the conversation smoother.

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: The second mistake—talking without considering the audience.

Luna: Oh, this is a big one.

Luna: People love to talk, but they don’t always adjust for who’s listening.

Alex: Yep.

Alex: For example, if you’re explaining something to a beginner, you shouldn’t use technical jargon.

Luna: And if you’re telling a joke, you need to know if the audience will actually find it funny.

Alex: Here’s a bad example.

Alex: “So, our new project runs on an agile-scrum methodology with iterative sprints and cross-functional collaboration.”

Luna: “Uh… English, please?”

Luna: Now, here’s a better version.

Alex: “Our new project is split into short phases so we can adjust quickly.”

Luna: “Oh, that makes sense!”

Luna: That was way easier to understand.

Alex: Exactly.

Alex: Adjusting your message makes you a better communicator.

Luna: Alright, last one—overcomplicating things.

Alex: This happens when people use too many words or give unnecessary details.

Luna: Like when you ask a simple question, and someone gives a five-minute answer.

Alex: Here’s a bad example.

Luna: “Where’s the bathroom?”

Alex: “Okay, so first, go straight down this hall. Then, when you see a painting of a ship, turn left. You’ll pass three offices, and after that, you’ll see a vending machine. Walk past that, and you’ll see two doors—one says ‘Storage,’ and the other one is the bathroom.”

Luna: “Uh… I just needed a simple direction.”

Luna: Now, here’s the right way.

Luna: “Where’s the bathroom?”

Alex: “Go straight, then left. It’s past the vending machine.”

Luna: “Perfect, thanks!”

Alex: Simple and clear.

Luna: So, to sum up—don’t interrupt, adjust for your audience, and keep things simple.

Alex: Fix these mistakes, and you’ll instantly become a better communicator.

Luna: Up next, we’ll wrap things up with some final thoughts!

Alex: Alright, we’ve covered a lot today.

Luna: Yeah, so let’s do a quick recap.

Alex: First, we talked about common communication problems and how misunderstandings happen.

Luna: Then, we showed the difference between bad and good communication.

Alex: We also covered four key areas—listening, clarity, body language, and emotional awareness.

Luna: And we went over some practical ways to improve.

Alex: Plus, we shared our own struggles and how we got better.

Luna: And of course, the big mistakes to avoid.

Alex: If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s that communication is a skill.

Luna: Yeah!

Luna: No one is born a great communicator.

Luna: It takes practice.

Alex: And small changes can make a huge difference.

Luna: So, start today!

Luna: Try active listening, speak more clearly, and pay attention to your body language.

Alex: And be aware of how your words affect others.

Luna: The more you practice, the better you’ll get.

Alex: And we’d love to hear from you!

Luna: Yeah!

Luna: What’s your biggest challenge in communication?

Alex: Drop a comment below and let us know.

Luna: And if you found this episode helpful, don’t forget to check out the transcript in the description.

Alex: Thanks for listening!

Luna: See you next time!