20 Affirmations to Level Up Your Communication Game
Effective communication is the cornerstone of all relationships. When you throw in life’s day-to-day demands in addition to balancing relationships at work and home, making time for deep and meaningful connection can feel like a highly aspirational goal.
If you feel like you’re struggling in the communication department, here’s a way to get back to basics, beginning with the conversations you have with yourself.
Read on to learn more about affirmations and how they can help you become a stronger communicator.
What Are Affirmations?
Affirmations are positive thoughts or mantras that are spoken out loud or written down. They have been shown to help boost productivity and increase motivation. And… speaking words out loud or putting pen to paper actively sends the energy of those thoughts into the universe, helping breathe life into them.
The idea behind why affirmations work, is this:
Words are powerful – they can lift our spirits, build confidence and boost self-esteem in challenging times. In a world where we are often our toughest critic, we can fall into the habit of being way too tough on ourselves in our daily internal dialog.
Affirmations are a tool that help counter the impact of negative self-talk. The practice of speaking daily positive affirmations can help you level up the quality of your conversations by keeping your mind focused on your strengths and desired outcomes, while also building a more resilient and positive mindset.
Can I Use Affirmations for My Professional Development?
Just as they can give a boost your personal communication skills, affirmations can also help you increase confidence, manage stress, refine focus, and become a better presenter, leader and colleague at work.
When you consider the thoughts that impact your personal conversations, you may be surprised to discover many of those same thoughts often come between you and your professional success.
The state of your mental game influences how you view your relationships at home and work, and can lead to false assumptions that ultimately impact connection and clarity when it comes to how we engage those around us.
Using daily positive affirmations can help you increase confidence in your communication style and grow your presentation and public speaking skills. It can also improve the quality of interpersonal relationships at work and home.
How Do I Build a Daily Affirmation Practice?
Affirmations are most effective when repeated daily by either voicing them out loud or writing them down. If you’re writing your affirmations, consider putting them where you can see them throughout the day (or set aside a dedicated time to say them out loud every day, like before bed or right after waking, before beginning your day).
Author and wellness expert, Brian Luke Seaward, offers some guidelines to get the most out of your affirmation practice:
State affirmations in present tense, such as "I am"
Phrase affirmations in a positive light
Make affirmations simple, clear, and easy to remember
Have affirmations that resonate with you, using language and tone that is similar to the way you naturally speak
An easy way to start is to focus on one or two affirmations in the morning and again before bed and whenever you feel like you need a mental boost. Read on for some sample affirmations to help inspire your practice.
Examples of Affirmations for Better Communication
“I am an attentive and curious listener”
“I feel excited and empowered when speaking in front of an audience.”
“I seek opportunities every day to build my communication skills.”
“I am comfortable having difficult conversations”
“I am an inspiring and engaging presenter.”
“I genuinely desire to understand the perspective of others.”
“I am a confident and fearless public speaker.”
“I am not afraid to be heard.”
“I use my voice to help others.”
“I enjoy spending time in conversation.”
“I am completely comfortable being visible.”
“I ask insightful questions to understand the person I’m speaking with.”
“I share my opinions in a responsible and respectful way.”
“I am confident in my area of expertise and share my knowledge with clarity.
“I use words as a way to build deeper connection with people.”
“I look forward to meeting new people and am comfortable introducing myself to strangers.”
“My words have a positive impact on the people around me.”
“I am comfortable being myself in front of others.”
“I have something valuable to share with the world.”
“I am becoming a more confident and compelling speaker every day.”
What’s Next?
Now that you have the daily affirmation framework and some sample affirmations, grab a piece of paper, and write down 5 new affirmations that you can commit to speaking or writing out every day.
Grow your list of affirmations over time, so you can pick and choose the ones that best fit your mood or needs for any occasion or situation.