The most important skill in the workplace and performing the job is communication skill. Today, we’ll discuss communication skills, their importance, and how to improve them.
Table of Contents
What are Communication Skills?
Communication skill allows a person to understand other and vice versa. It comprises various skills like empathy, observing, speaking, and listening. However, the skill requires you to perform public speaking, develop confidence, respect others, and share your ideas with others. Working on such a skill would help you to make progress in the workplace.
Importance of Communication Skills
Communication skill is significant both for the employers and the employees. There is a difference between missing an opportunity and making a deal, and it all depends on the clarity of communication skills. However, it’s critical to explain the company’s policy to the employees and customers that every person within the organization is operating at the same wavelength.
A healthy and open communication environment would help the company to improve the efficiency and morale of employees. You can use various models to improve communication within the company like 7Cs, dialogue mapping, communication plan, and communication strategy framework.
11 Communication Skills You Need For Career Success
Some of the effective communication skills that you need for your career success are as follows;
Listening
The most important element in communication is active listening, and it comprises rephrasing, asking questions, and engaging with the speaker. When you practice active listening in the workplace, it would amplify your understanding with your colleagues, and earn the respect of your coworkers. However, when you listen actively, then your focus should be on responding to the ideas and comments, preparing questions, and avoiding the distraction of smartphones and social media.
Active listening means paying attention to the tone of voice, body language, and facial expression. Instead of focusing on what the other person is saying, the thing that matters is how they’re saying it. However, if you want to clarify something you should rephrase and ask questions in order to make sure that you have understood clearly.
Examples: You mean to say that the existing management system doesn’t meet the technical needs of the team, because it doesn’t support the big video/audio files.
Friendliness
The characteristics of friendliness are kindness and honesty and they help a person to develop understanding and trust while communicating in the workplace. When you communicate with an open mindset and positive attitude, it helps you to develop an understanding of where they’re coming from. A small gesture of kindness like offering praise, smiling, and asking questions about how they’re doing would help you to establish a productive relationship with your managers and colleagues in the workplace.
You can be friendly by remembering the small details and previous conversations about the life of your friends and colleagues. For instance, your colleague tells about the birthday of their child, and you ask them about the party a few days later.
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skill is when you communicate with others. You can various methods and channels for interpersonal communication like instant messaging, face-to-face meetings, phone calls, letters, and emails. Communication can be very effective when you know your target audience and use the right channels.
For example: if you’re talking with potential buyers, then it is better that you should call them or send them a formal email. You should use video calls and email in the workplace environment if the task is difficult and complicated.
Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication comprises eye contact, facial expression, and body language. You should pay heed to the verbal and non-verbal cues of the speaker while listening to someone. In fact, you should be cautious about your own body language while talking to others in order to make sure that you’re using the right non-verbal cues.
Confidence
If you present an idea with confidence, then people would listen to you. You can present your ideas confidently in various ways like answering the questions appropriately, preparing and polishing your thoughts, open shoulder, and sitting straight. The employer and recruiters check the confident communication of the candidate at the interview.
Empathy
An empathic attitude means that you do not only comprehend their emotions, but you can also feel their pain and what they’re experiencing. The empathic behavior is significant in both face-to-face and team settings, and it allows you to understand their emotions and respond appropriately.
For example: if a person is exhibiting signs of frustration and anger, then your role as a friend is to diffuse their emotions. If a person is feeling excited and enthusiastic about their ideas, then you should offer support to their ideas.
Open-Mindedness
Open-mindedness means that you should have the courage to offer constructive input to other people, and accept their critical feedback. It helps you to be open about solutions, ideas, topics, and feedback. However, it plays a significant role in the development of professional life in the workplace. One of the great strategies is that you should take notes while offering and accepting feedback.
Respect
The main element of respect is to know when to respond and start the communication. When you allow others to speak clearly without interruption, then it falls under the category of respectfulness whether you’re speaking in a personal or group setting. However, communicating respectfully means responding to the questions asked, asking the questions clearly, staying on the topic, and utilizing your time carefully.
Sharing Feedback
Sharing your feedback plays a very important in communication in terms of offering constructive input and receiving critical feedback from others. The feedback helps you to focus on your strengths, avoid mistakes, and stay on the right path. However, if you come across any good feedback, then you should think and analyze what it’s so good, why it’s resonating with you, and how it would bring improvements in your life.
Clarity
You should communicate clearly and loud enough that people could hear you. While speaking, you should adjust your voice according to the room setting, so that the people could hear you. Your voice shouldn’t be too loud that it becomes disrespectful. If you are not sure, then you should speak the way others are communicating.
Speaking of verbal communication, tone and vocal are its main elements. It means that up and down in your language, and spaces you take in the sentences and phrases. However, if you want to convey emotions in your communication, then this tone and vocal would offer insight to the audience.
Responsiveness
When you’re replying to an email or answering a phone call, then a fast communicating reply falls under the category of effective response than a slow response. You should check how long your response is taking. Whether it’s a question or request that is taking longer than 5 minutes. If the message or request is complex, then you should let them know you have received that question, and you would respond to it later.
How to Improve Your Communication Skills
Some of the main techniques for improving your communication skill are as follows;
- Listening; is limited to the people that are quick at responding
- Making adjustments in your communication style relevant to the listener
- Paying heed to the body language of users
- Monitoring what is transmitted or verbalized
- Smiling and having a positive attitude
