Communication is key in every aspect of the workplace. Whether it’s communicating with a colleague, with your supervisor or communicating in your personal life – a good communicator will always be open to listening and communicating his or her point of view.
People like communicators and they listen to effective communication. Which is why this one important skill is written as a requirement in all job descriptions and supervisors are always looking for people who can communicate well in the workplace.
Lack of good communication skills may cause people to believe that they are not really good at what they do. Sometimes a skilled resource can go to waste because no one was able to understand how important and vital he or she was for the business.
Sometimes a person can feel unappreciated and even get demotivated because he or she was unable to communicate how much and how well they contributed to a project’s success. Communication skills help you take charge of your career.
When managers lack proper communication with their employees, performance gaps arise. When employees do not use their communication skills to the best of their abilities, they may lose out on promotions, incentives, perks and even their basic rights.
It’s important to develop these skills to be successful no matter what you do. A better communicator is definitely likely to more successful and appreciated in the workplace.
Work with clarity
The first step to efficient communication is to be clear about whatever it is that you are going to say. In any work place, there will always be a flow of information from one person to another. But, information that is always acknowledged is that which is correct. Information that is not complete, correct or up-to-date is usually ignored and creates a bad impression.
Be clear about what you are saying or emailing or presenting. If you are failing and you begin to feel like noone is interested in what you are saying anymore – change tactics. Use a different angle to say the same thing. Clear up confusions by asking questions. Interact and make others interact so that your messages become clear.
Body language and confidence matters
Communication is never just about the words you use. Communication is both verbal and non- verbal. It is possible for you to say something with your mouth, yet still say something entirely different with your facial expression.
If someone starts smiling during a speech at his or her audience, it’s likely to create a certain perception. On the other hand, if you keep a really straight face while telling a joke, it might just make people holler with laughter. That is exactly the kind of impact you can create with your body language and facial expressions. The best way to communicate is by keeping the message consistent with your words and body language so that people understand what you intended for them to understand.
The golden rule of communication is to always maintain eye contact, as this portrays a high level of confidence in what you are saying.
Listening actively works wonders
Listening is taken for granted. In such flurry of activity that we call work these days, who has time to listen.
But what we forget is what listening can really do for communication. For communicators it is vital to pay close attention to what others have to say.
Remember that it is only by listening that you will get a better understanding of what people think about what you are saying.
By listening, you will leave an impression that the conversation is important to you and that you are interested in what other people have to say.
Engaging in discussions helps communication
In most cases, people avoid saying things that lead to a long discussion, debate or an argument. For you to be a great communicator, you need to be ready to speak about a broad range of subjects and engage in stimulating discussions. Not only will this help you build your confidence but also give you more information about which subjects you can handle better.
If a difficult topic comes up, do not run away from the opportunity – instead try to take the lead and offer solutions if you have any. Try to be observant during discussions, you are likely to pick up discussion patterns and the way people communicate to improve your own communication skills.
Following up is the icing on the cake
This is another essential trait that you as an effective communicator should develop in your personality. By following up, you show commitment and give out the impression that you are looking at the big picture. Following up also lets people know that you are open to future conversations and communication.
Also, take a look at this infographic that talks about how social media has shaped communication in the world. The infographic shares interesting aspects of managing social media communication in these evolving times. Hope you will enjoy the read.
USC’s Online Communications Degree
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