One of the biggest secrets to success, no matter what business you’re in, is good communication. If you can communicate your ideas clearly and effectively, you’re miles ahead of the pack because, sadly, it’s something that too many people struggle with.

Below, we’ve assembled a handful of hard-hitting tips designed to make you a better communicator. If you start putting them into practice today, immediately after you finish reading this article, then by the end of the day tomorrow, you’ll begin noticing an unmistakable shift as they begin to work their magic for you.

1) Develop better email habits – There are two pieces to this one. Firstly, don’t be one of those people who responds to a single point or idea in an email that contains multiple ideas.

You probably interact with at least one person who does that on a regular basis, and you know how annoying it is. When someone mentions three major points in an email, respond to all three points.

Secondly, when you ask someone for information, close the circuit when you get what you asked for. Send a quick, “Okay!” or “Got it, thanks!” message back to the other person so they know it didn’t wind up in your junk folder or Limbo.

2) Learn to listen! – Listening is the other half of effective communication, and if you’re not a good listener, then by definition, you’re not going to be as effective at communicating as you could be. The biggest single trick to becoming a better listener is that when someone is speaking to you, stop what you’re doing, put your phone down and look them in the eye.

This forces you to turn most of your attention to the person who is speaking, which automatically means you’re going to absorb more of what they’re saying.

After they’ve finished talking, ask a pointed question or two about the information you just received. Not only does this convey that you’ve understood what you heard, but it also forces you to think more deeply about what you’ve just been told.

3) Write stuff down! – You can’t communicate what you can’t remember. Save your brain cells for doing creative thinking and don’t overburden them with having to try to remember every detail of a conversation you’ve just had. Make notes and reference them later when you’re communicating that information out to others. That way, nothing gets lost in translation.

There are other tips that will enhance your communication skills, of course. Whole books can and have been written on the topic, but if you start with these three, you’ll see an immediate, notable improvement!