How to Tap into Your Intuition and Improve Your Communication
Have you ever made a decision that went against your intuition? If you have, you’re not alone.
Some people call intuition a gut feeling, other times it’s more complicated than that. I like to call my intuition my “inner knowing”.
Every time I’ve acted in a way that conflicted with my intuition, it hasn’t worked out in my favour. With that said, I also don’t regret any choices I’ve made because I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It’s hard to make a “wrong” decision if you recognize that every choice leads to a lesson, and I find a lot of comfort in that. Your intuition is there to guide you, and it shouldn’t be the only deciding factor (1).
Intuition is a powerful tool to hone not only within the decisions in your life – also in your communication. It can help you think quicker on your feet, be more authentic, cultivate more natural stage presence and so much more.
Before we dive into some ways to help you tap into your intuition, let’s talk more about how it can help you within your communication journey.
Why is intuition so important in communication?
Intuition goes hand in hand with strong communication. Whether it’s a conversation with another person or you’re delivering an address to a thousand people – having strong intuition is common amongst all successful communicators.
If you think about intuition in the context of a conversation, this inner knowing can help you determine the motives of another person. It can help you figure out what they really want and where to guide the conversation. What drives them? What keeps them up at night? What are they afraid of? All of these questions are critical for successful communication, because as you know if you’ve been following us for a while, it’s all about the other person. When the other person gets what they want within an interaction, it’s a win-win. Your intuition can help you tap into that.
Now let’s look at intuition in the context of a presentation. It can help you think quicker on your feet, be more authentic, cultivate more natural stage presence, etc. You’ll often hear me say that natural body language is always best. If you’ve ever wondered, “What do I do with my hands?!” while presenting – being intuitive is the best way to counter any jitters around this thought. Hands know what to do when you’re not focused on them. So, if you can let go and tune into what your intuition tells you to do while speaking, you’ll be on your way to delivering a kick-ass presentation full of authenticity.
Now that we know why intuition is so helpful within the communication umbrella, let’s explore some ways to help strengthen it.
Get quiet. Really quiet.
My favorite way to tap into my intuition? Getting quiet. Or in other words, meditating. I talk a lot about meditation on our blog and on social media, and for good reason. It’s the best way that I’ve found to clear my mind and listen to what’s going on in my body. Meditation has also taken on various meanings to me over the years, and it can look different for each person. Ultimately, it’s all about finding the format that works best for you.
A method that I practice with my students before beginning each coaching session is a “body scan” (2). This is a form of meditation that involves checking in with each part of the body, starting with the crown of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes. It’s a great way to release any tension and become more aware of the subtleties within your body.
It’s tough to make decisions with a busy mind and it’s easy to get caught up in all of the noise, especially in the age of social media. If you’re able to train your mind and body to slow down, you have a better chance of tapping into what you really want by anchoring yourself in the present moment.
Use the tools around you
It would be nearly impossible to make a decision or listen to that inner voice without some context of the outside world. The truth is, what we experience outside of ourselves is often a reflection of what’s going on inside. So, my recommendation is to use the tools around you to tap into your inner knowing.
This can be in the form of journaling (3), therapy, talking to a friend, making a vision board, or even doing a tarot or oracle reading if that floats your boat. Whatever your favorite method is to help you reflect and use your intuition simultaneously – do that.
You’d be amazed at how our surroundings, hobbies, and people in our life mirror our inner realities. What I love about journaling or drawing a tarot card is that they act as prompts to what I’m already feeling. Sometimes our initial instinct isn’t enough on its own, and it takes a lot of reflection in order to listen to it.
Stay curious
Another way to tap into your intuition? Stay curious (4). About everything. I’ll often use the expression “be interested rather than interesting” in the context of strong communication. An interested person will always be the best communicator in any room. When you listen to others with the intention to absorb, hear different perspectives and ask questions – you’re able to be open to more possibilities.
In order to be intuitive, listening to others and having an open mind by staying curious are critical pieces of the puzzle. Like I said, the relationships you form with others can often mirror back a lot of things related to your inner world. By being curious about others, you’re actually being curious about yourself, which is an amazing step towards strengthening your intuition.
If you’re looking to strengthen your listening skills in general, my recommendation is an exercise that’s fairly easy and often gets overlooked: practice sitting in silence for a few minutes with your eyes closed and listen to all of the sounds around you. What do you notice about your environment?
By doing this exercise regularly, you’ll begin to pick up on the subtleties and frequencies around you. It might not seem like it at first, and over time your listening skills will strengthen tenfold.
Conclusion
Intuition is a powerful tool that can help you in so many areas of your life – not just your communication. By getting quiet and listening to your inner voice through meditation, using tools around you like journaling or talking to a friend, and staying curious about life, you’ll have already taken several amazing steps towards stronger intuition. This will help you make more aligned decisions in your life, and allow you to become a better, more authentic communicator and public speaker.
If your intuition is telling you it’s time to take a more strategic approach when it comes to honing your communication skills, feel free to check out some of the programs we offer here.
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