Part of having great communication skills involves picking up on nonverbal cues. You may not be sure what I am talking about, but you do this every day without being aware of it. Rolling your eyes when people say something stupid is an easy example for you to think about. Shaking your head yes or no. Clenching your fists or jaw. These all represent non-verbal ways of communication.
When sending text messages and emails, it’s important to be very specific in what you are writing so it can’t be misinterpreted by others. Letting people read something into your message that you didn’t mean is a sure way to cause problems. Part of the reason is that they can’t see you to use the non-verbal cue’s you’re projecting to convey humor, irritation, playfulness, etc. We have slightly overcome this through adding cute little things like “:)” or goofy things like “ROTFLMAO.” Those two examples are not appropriate for a business contact though. You can run into the same problem when speaking on the phone, just not as badly since they can at least hear your tone of voice. It is always in your best interest to have physical meetings when possible. Skype and similar programs can help in long-distance communication as well. Since you can see and hear your business contact, this is a good alternative.
All of this so you will understand just what type of impact your conversations have. Your best bet is always a face-to-face conversation with whomever it is you need to speak with. You can see and feel what they are saying to you. You can tell when they are exaggerating or lying. You can have much more useful interactions in person than you could ever have using the Internet, Facebook, email or a phone call. I’m a huge fan of getting in the room with a person. I can do anything if I’m face to face. I could sell them stock in my new moon base if I had the clients in a room with me. Start watching how people act when they talk. Do they cross their arms? Lean back or forward? Do they place things between you to maintain distance? Can they make eye contact? There are so many things we can pick up on. If you start to pay more attention to this, you will be able to negotiate more effectively. This skill works in business as well as social situations. Want to know if the person you are speaking with is interested in you? Watch their body language as much as they speak to you.
There are classes available to teach you how to do this. It is also possible to teach yourself. No matter how you want to go about it, the end result is the same. You are in a better place than others to get what you want from your daily interactions with people.