The way you share information between one person and another is vital in any industry. In other words, your communication skills are some of the most important ones you will need at work. However, the way that you communicate is so much more than the way you talk and write.
Good communication skills improve the way you interact with your colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders. They impact the efficiency with which you pass on information and even alter how you receive information and feedback from the exterior world.
In fact, with the exponential development of technology, including AI, your communication skills are one of the key ways that you can stand out at work. The truth is that a person with good communication skills is more likely to get things done on budget, on time, and without annoying their colleagues. That’s a win win for you and for management.
So, whether you’re a long time employee or are looking for a new job, it’s important to keep communication skills of all types up to standard. In this blog post we will look at:
Communication is in demand!
According to LinkedIn’s list of 2023’s most in-demand skills, HR professionals are on the lookout for good communication skills more than ever. This demand has been partly driven by the transition to remote work. Today healthy communication is valued like never before.
Communication skills refer to your ability to share and receive information. It’s a soft skill set which actually incorporates many capacities and overlaps into even more areas. There are four main types of communication.
Although there are four main categories of communication, they are still broad. Most complex communication tasks will require multiple.
Underneath the umbrella of communication skills sit many specific abilities which provide more precise ways of describing how you work. We will cover these further on in this guide in the section including examples of communication skills.
The four main categories of communication skills may seem self explanatory. However, consider the scope of each one and how different scenarios may require abilities from more than one category.
The structure and clarity of your writing are just as important as its content. Respecting the characteristics of the type of writing you are engaging with is vital for many jobs. You wouldn’t want to fill out an order form as if it were a university essay. In the same way, your written sales report for stakeholders shouldn’t include the same language you use with your colleagues in the team instant messaging chat.
From what you say to how you say it, your verbal communication is going to take up a large proportion of your interactions in the workplace. However, some people do it better than others. Verbal communication incorporates the need for logical reasoning and clarity in the structure of presenting your ideas. However, the best speakers — whether they’re among colleagues or in front of a crowd of people -— will also pay attention to elements of their speech such as level of formality, pitch, and tone.
What about paraverbal skills?
Tone, pitch and pacing can all be used to change the meaning of a spoken phrase. Think about how inflection and pauses can change the meaning of the phrase at least six different ways: “I didn’t say she was unintelligent.”
Think about how these elements can affect the clarity and persuasiveness of your verbal communication.
Just as — if not more — important than your verbal communication are the things you express without saying them. That’s where your non-verbal communication skills come in. Using your body language, facial expressions, or physical touch to get your point across play a significant role in how you make your colleagues feel.
Using visuals to represent complex concepts has always been important. Just think about maps or concept sketches. However, the importance of visual communication has only increased with the digital evolution of communication. In an age where machines can process data much faster than humans, an invaluable skill is finding engaging ways to visually communicate that data.
Experts predict that 85% of jobs that will be held in 2030 by today’s college students don’t exist yet. So, how can we future proof our professional profile?
According to Forbes, the skills to communicate data and build a narrative around it are among the five most important skills for the coming years.
The simple answer to developing good communication skills is to practise. This might not feel so simple if you are working on a complex skill, such as visual data communication. However, you’re no newbie to communication. It’s simply a question of adding to the arsenal of communicative abilities you’ve been using your whole life.
In the meantime, there are some tips you can follow for improving communication skills that feel new to you. Whether it’s a presentation, an important email, or preparing a difficult discussion with a client — ask yourself these questions to avoid miscommunication:
Your communication skills come across when you’re carrying out most simple tasks. As we’ve already established, this comes down to much more than what you say or write.
However, you may want to pay particular attention to how you prove that you are an excellent communicator in the early stages of a job application. Here are some tips to keep in mind for each stage of the hiring process:
Keep your LinkedIn coherent
According to career coach Eve Dauer Wong, 80% of recruiters will look at your LinkedIn first. Therefore it’s vital that your LinkedIn profile is not only up to date, but also communicating a congruent story with the rest of your job application(s).
Listen to the full interview with Eve Dauer Wong on Resume.io’s the Roadmap podcast.
According to Zippia, 81% of recruiters say they will continue video interviews after the pandemic.
This introduces an added layer of complexity to an appointment which is largely there to monitor your communication skills. So, remember to test your equipment in advance, place your camera at eye level, and exaggerate your expressions and gestures so that your non-verbal communication transmits well across the screen.
If you’re applying for a job, you may be looking for the best way to show that you possess a great set of communication skills. Rather than listing generic terms in the skills section of your resume, try this instead.
Most of these examples communication skills require a mastery of many more basic communicative abilities. By including these skills in your CV — or even better, providing an example of a time you proved you possess the skill — you’ll build a far more three dimensional picture than simply saying you’re a “good communicator”.
You could be asking your manager for an extension or convincing the board of members on a strategic decision. To influence means to persuade someone by sharing information in a way that is likely to affect their decision. This actually requires a mix of complex skills and most roles require some level of influencing.
Like influencing, negotiation is a careful balance of various capabilities. The goal is to find an agreement with someone who might have an opposing viewpoint. There is an achievement in landing on a decision that both parties are willing to accept. However, just as important is the way that you navigate the journey to arrive at that point.
Can you carry out the interaction while making the other person feel at ease and like they’re getting a great deal out of the situation? Or perhaps you recognise that this is a moment to be serious? Congratulations, you’ve mastered a plethora of communication skills.
Turning data into a narrative is a hot topic. Not only does it exercise your ability to interpret information, but creating a narrative from it will help people to remember it better. Storytelling also requires you to adapt what you’re saying to the audience at hand (hello, empathy!). Plus, if you’re presenting that information, you’re likely tapping into non-verbal and even visual communication skills, too.
When it comes to body language, everything from your posture to the way that you gesticulate will play a part in how your message is received by others.
Body language in the workplace
Mastering the handshake, maintaining eye contact, and respecting cultural norms about spacing or proximity. The Forbes Business Council lists all of these as ways you can use your body language to improve your colleagues’ perception of you in the workplace.
When diametric positions collide, you have conflict. That’s normal, especially when it comes to working with other people. However, conflict doesn’t equate to aggression.
Having the emotional maturity to understand both perspectives and find a way to resolve the situation not only shows a host of great communication skills, but it overlaps into many of the other qualities that any manager would want on their team.
Offering feedback requires careful listening and interpretation. The ability to receive feedback is just as important. Being good at both means that you can carry out constructive conversations that could lead to significant and impactful changes.
Empathy requires listening, but it’s also about hearing the things that are unsaid. Does what a person is saying match their non-verbal communication? Can you go a step further and relate to how they’re feeling?
Empathy is important for everyone, but particularly for anyone who manages a team or plays an important role in client or stakeholder liaison.
Most communicative tasks will require some level of analysis. Even simply paraphrasing meeting notes asks you to process information and prioritise what is most important along the way. This is particularly important for highly analytical tasks such as report writing and interpreting data.
The way you communicate something is just as important as what you are communicating. If you can understand how and when your communication will be most effective, then you are exercising strategic communication.
You might find that you’ve already done this on some level in your current role, whether you’re a salesperson deliberating on the best way to present a pitch or are a marketing professional choosing the channels you use for a campaign.
By exhibiting responsive behaviours you are demonstrating multiple personal abilities. Part of being responsive may include making sure the other person perceives how engaged you are. It also includes getting back to someone with the appropriate speed. As well as pushing the project forwards, this shows you possess the empathy to respect the other person’s time.