Three Tips for Effective Communication

During my time scrolling through job boards and looking at hundreds of job ads, I noticed a common trend between them all. Every job called for communication skills, either written or oral. Every job, from the highest paying CEO positions to the very bottom entry level positions, requires communication skills. This shouldn’t be surprising: we live in a world that has become increasingly connected via the internet. With people now communicating over text, email, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and a whole list of other communication apps, it’s no wonder that communication skills have become an absolute must when it comes to the professional world.

Yet in spite of this, some people still struggle to communicate well. When your ability to communicate is compromised, so too are your business goals, your interpersonal relationships, and potentially your job as a whole. The ability to communicate effectively is absolutely crucial to doing your best work. So to help you work well and communicate even better, here are some of my favorite communication tips:

1. Be a good listener. The best advice I’ve heard for how to communicate well is that you have to listen well first. If you can listen well, then you’ll have a much better chance at responding well. This is especially important in team situations, when other people are sharing ideas. Being able to build on the ideas of another team member demonstrates your listening ability, and it emphasizes your willingness to contribute to team successes. Listen closely to what is being said, and make sure you understand it before moving on. One technique that works well to ensure you understood what was being said is to repeat it back in your own words.
2. Accentuate the positive. Being perceived as overly negative can be a quick way to damage your reputation and relationship with others. This holds true for life as well as work situations. Where possible, try to focus on the positive aspects of a situation, or focus on positive solutions. Not only does this strategy help diffuse tense situations, but it also contributes to more forward-focused work environment.
3. Back up your ideas with facts. Especially when you’re presenting a new project, or proposing a different approach, it’s very helpful to have facts and figures on your side. Saying, “I think that X thing would be very effective for us” would work a lot better if you added “because Y and Z companies have had a lot of success, and it tends to boost X thing by 50%.” When you back up your ideas with facts, you demonstrate that you’re committed to examining ideas critically when you present them.

Being able to communicate well is an important skill. Rarely have I run across a job where communication isn’t a central part of the day-to-day functions of the position. Not only this, but communicating effectively will help you interview more effectively, thus making it more likely that you’ll land the job. And that’s certainly something you’ll be thankful for down the line.

Career Solutions Group offers professional assistance with every step of the career search process. If you are interested in hearing more about our services, email us at info@careersolutionsgroup.net. We offer free initial consultations and have helped hundreds of career changers make successful transitions.

By: Julia Pillard, Career Solutions Group