How to Be a Better Communicator: 5 Tips From LeVar Burton

Communication skills are verbal and nonverbal tactics used to improve the efficacy of communication. Communication skills include active listening, the ability to give and receive feedback, empathizing, and mindful body language. Being an effective communicator is a "soft skill" that's useful during job interviews, among co-workers, and for public speaking.

Effective communication tactics work in many situations, but honing your communication skills is crucial in a business environment. Some communication skills, such as written communication, are particularly helpful in a business context. Face-to-face communication skills like proper eye contact are necessary for many aspects of life, while understanding effective methods of communication through social media, phone calls, or video conferencing are increasingly important for professionals.

Knowing the difference between communication and conversation is essential when developing effective communication skills. According to LeVar Burton, communication indicates an intention to have an exchange, while conversation is less deliberate.

Various situations call for different methods of communication, though the following communication skills are broadly useful:

1. 1. Verbal communication: This form of interpersonal communication centers on the spoken word and is particularly important for conveying a message or task. Speaking clearly, selecting words thoughtfully, and presenting confidently are all important verbal communication skills. Skilled verbal communicators also have a mastery of tone and inflection. Listening skills are an additional important aspect of verbal communication that can be honed through intentional teamwork.
2. 2. Written communication: This form of communication encompasses letters, email, and even social media messaging. Written communication comes with less control over perceived tone and inflection, so being able to avoid miscommunication and clearly express yourself through writing is an essential skill in business and in your personal life. When applying for a job, written communication skills are among the first things a potential employer sees through a cover letter.
3. 3. Nonverbal communication: These communication signals are physicalized nonverbal cues that convey emotions and complement verbal messages. Nonverbal communication can be conscious or unconscious—for example, a head nod is a conscious affirming action while a facial expression or your tone of voice could unintentionally convey nervousness. Learning to manage your own physicality and decode others’ nonverbal cues is a subtle and important trait among good communicators.
4. 4. Visual communication: Visuals such as infographics or graphs can be helpful when trying to demonstrate a concept, or convey a message. A skilled visual communicator puts a specific picture in people’s minds, uses visuals that are easy to understand, and only employs visual aids when necessary.

Good communication is an essential professional skill that demonstrates emotional intelligence. Everyone has a unique communication style, so great communicators should be aware of the nuances of cross-cultural communication, have advanced interpersonal skills, and keep an open mind to new methods of interacting, particularly in the workplace.

Conversation and communication may share similarities, but they’re not the same. According to LeVar Burton, communication is precise and intentional, whereas conversation is less structured. As an actor and storyteller, LeVar relies on his communication skills to deliver the intended message. Below, check out his tips to become an effective communicator:

1. 1. Be aware. Before communicating, it’s important to know why you hope to communicate and what message you want to share. “Am I interested in just conversing here, or am I really trying to communicate?” LeVar says. “Is there a deeper purpose? Is there a reason I am engaging with this person? What can I bring to the moment? What can I give and what can I receive as a result? It’s that effort to be aware, to be conscious of the reasons that we’re communicating and the manner in which we’re communicating.”
2. 2. Rely on nonverbal cues. In the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, LeVar Burton’s character had his eyes covered, so he couldn’t maintain eye contact with other actors. He began to use body language for nonverbal communication. “My body is telling a story along with me and that I wanna be aware of what my body is saying as part of this communication,” he says. “We oftentimes get so focused on the delivery, on the words, right, that we miss out on how much communicating we’re doing unconsciously.”
3. 3. Establish rapport. Rapport is a way for two or more people or groups to begin empathizing with one another. LeVar suggests using mirroring as a way to build rapport. “Say you’re trying to communicate with somebody who has their legs crossed. It is possible to subtly adopt that body attitude, thereby establishing rapport,” LeVar says. “If you get good at that, it is possible to take that to the next level and you begin to, after mirroring and locking that in, you begin to lead.”
4. 4. Practice active listening. Although you want to get your message across, healthy communication isn’t one-sided. You want to be a good listener and pay close attention to other points of view, offering the person you’re communicating with your undivided attention. “A really key part of being a good participant in communication, long-form communication… is listening,” he says. “What we need to bear in mind when we’re listening is that it’s important to put our own agenda momentarily aside… Our ability to put aside just for a moment that which we feel is important to say in favor of establishing that trust with your communicative partner, and giving them the experience of being listened to.”
5. 5. Breathe. On his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, the actor starts each story by inviting the listeners to take a deep breath because it feels like a natural separation before and after you share a message. “That breath, that moment of ‘there was something before and there’s something else coming after,’ those kinds of passages are really important to humans,” LeVar says. “We engage in them all the time. We like order. We thrive on process. When we engage in these kinds of activities, they ground us in our humanity, because these are things that we do quite naturally.”

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