Do you know what one of the most universally sought-after skills is by employers? It's 'communications.' Read through want ads and job descriptions for positions of all levels across industries, and you will see that the required abilities almost always include communications skills.
So, being an expert communicator can be one of the keys to getting hired, but those same abilities can be your secret to success on the job as well. While communications skills are sought-after and valuable in many roles, they are also often neglected or taken for granted once on the job. Practicing your professional communication skills at work can make you an exceptional employee who stands out from the crowd.
Whether you are dealing with clients, presenting to upper management, or responding to email enquiries, being a good communicator is essential for success. Here are some of the key communications skills that can pay off in the workplace and how you can use them to their fullest.
Non-Verbal Communication
In the same way that effective non-verbal communication can be essential to passing the job interview, these abilities can be incredibly beneficial to you on the job as well. Comfortable and confident body language inspires trust in other people. Smiling and making eye contact during conversations will make you appear likeable and friendly. These can be essential to effective teamwork and for getting ahead.
In contrast, people who shuffle, fidget, and avoid eye contact lend the appearance of someone uncomfortable, lacking in confidence, or hiding something. That's not the colleague you want in charge of a major project or who has the authority to make big decisions.
Verbal communication
Take a moment to formulate your thoughts before you start speaking. People who can clearly express themselves sound much more convincing and professional than those who ramble on or stumble over their words. Also, pace yourself. People often speed up when they are nervous or passionate about an idea. If the topic is important enough to get your heart rate going, it is worth communicating clearly. Don't race through it.
Being articulate and well-spoken, clearly and persuasively disseminating ideas to others are essential leadership skills.
Presenting
Once you've mastered the art of verbally communicating one-to-one with team members, take it to the next level: presenting information to a group. Public speaking makes many people nervous, and that is why the ability to do it well is a skill that impresses others.
The capacity to explain complex information in a way that is easy to understand and holds listeners' attention is valuable in most roles across sectors. It combines your body language and nonverbal communication as you project confidence and make eye contact with listeners and your verbal communication style to convey the subject matter to your audience.
Listening
When we think of communicating, most of us immediately think about the ability to transmit information. But of course, communication is a two-way process. It is the sharing of information. One of the most overlooked skills is active listening. This is where you aren't already formulating your reply before the other person is done speaking. It involves hearing everything another person says and considering it carefully before forming a response. Active listeners understand the full scope of what they are being told and ask relevant questions to remove any ambiguity.
In a busy environment, we are often quick to assume we've got the gist of what other people are saying and are anxious to deliver our own input. This leads to misunderstandings and lost opportunities for more genuine connections.
The next time someone tells you something, try to practice active listening. Pay attention to everything they are saying as well as their tone and body language. Focus on the message and take in the subtext. Ask smart questions. You will get more out of the conversation, and people really appreciate being genuinely listened to.
Negotiation
Whether you are negotiating your starting salary with a new employer or closing a deal with an important client or vendor, your ability to be persuasive and arrange a transaction in your favour can be a very valuable skill throughout your career. People who negotiate their salaries end up earning considerably more than those who simply accept the first offer they're given.
Bringing projects in on time, juggling schedules, and managing budgets all involve the use of careful negotiation, and those accomplishments are among the most sought-after by employers.
Writing
Writing is communication that falls in between hard and soft skills. The use of language and how you express yourself is a significant part of your personality, but these are also technical abilities that can be honed and improved with practice.
Being a good writer will help you get ahead at work. Crafting persuasive emails, clear reports, and engaging presentations can be essential for achieving leadership positions in many sectors. Even just taking the time to proofread your writing carefully and ensuring that everything you send out is error-free can give you a boost. Quickly banging off emails and sending out messages with poor grammar or misspelled words can undermine your credibility.
As so much communication takes place through email and online now, your writing skills are increasingly essential on the job and in your job search. Honed writing skills can be the key to crafting a winning resume and an effective cover letter which will open opportunities for you.
Remote Communications
A new set of communications skills has become essential since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is the ability to collaborate effectively with remote teams. Attending a virtual meeting is different from sitting around a conference table with your colleagues, but it is still a professional setting.
People who are busy working on other things during a video call, not paying attention when others speak, or who have poorly lit settings and bad sound on their remote setup all seem to have put no thought into how they present themselves. You wouldn't show up to an in-person meeting in your gym clothes and read a magazine while your coworker presented to the team.
With more and more meetings taking place virtually, it is important to keep in mind the impression you are making on the group. Set up your webcam in a quiet place free from distractions and prepare a professional appearance. Pay attention to what is happening on the screen, and actively listen when others speak. Prepare for a remote meeting like you would for an in-person get-together.
Proper phone and video conferencing etiquette are essential communications skills for how increasingly more professional communications are taking place these days.
Mastering the essential communication skills and keeping up with the trends and tools of the time will help you stand out in the job search stages and open up opportunities for advancement at work.
