TOP 10 COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR WORKPLACE SUCCESS

The capability to communicate effectively with superiors, colleagues, and a team of workers is essential, no matter what industry you work in. Workers within the digital age have to recognize how to successfully convey and receive messages in person via phone, email, and social media.

Here are the top ten communication skills that will help you stand out in today’s job market.

• Listening
• Nonverbal Communication
• Clarity and Concision
• Friendliness
• Confidence
• Empathy
• Open-Mindedness
• Respect
• Picking the Right Medium
• Feedback

LISTENING

Being an awesome listener is one of the exceptional methods to be an excellent communicator.

No one likes speaking with someone who only cares about putting in her two cents and does no longer make an effort to listen to the other person.

Active Listening

Active listening includes paying close interest to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions, and rephrasing what the person says to make sure you understand (“So, what you’re saying is…”).

Through active listening, you can better understand what the other individual is trying to say and can reply appropriately.

Active Listening Skills

Active listening is the method by means of which a person secures info from another person or group.

Like essential thinking and problem-solving, active listening is a soft skill that is highly important to employers.

Active Listening Techniques

Active listening techniques include:

• Building trust and organizing rapport.
• Demonstrating concern.
• Nonverbal cues display understanding by nodding, eye contact, and leaning forward.
• Say him/ her “I see”, “I know”, “sure”, or “I understand”.
• Asking questions.
• Asking particular questions to look for clarification.
• Waiting to reveal your opinion.
• Tell your experiences to show you understand.

Examples

Here are some examples of statements and questions employed with active listening:

1. So, you are saying that the uncertainty about who could be your new supervisor is creating strain for you. 
2. I am keen to help you; I know you are going through a few hard challenges.
3. I apprehend that you would love more frequent remarks about your performance.
4. Tell me what I can do to assist.

Are you a good listener? Listening is a skill that is extraordinarily valued in the workplace. When you are seeking employment, interviewers will want to know that you can listen. It’s one of the soft skills that employers search for when hiring.

To be a good active listener in the workplace, there are two components for success:

• Attentive listening consists of eye contact, posture, facial expressions, gestures, and authentic hobbies in what the individual is saying.
• Reflection consists of repeating and paraphrasing what you’ve heard, showing the person that you truly understand what has been said.

What Makes a Good Listener?

Good listeners actively take part to understand what others are trying to say, regardless of how uncertain the messages might be. Listening involves not only the attempt to decode verbal messages, but additionally interpreting nonverbal cues like tone of voice, facial expressions, and physical posture.

Effective listeners ensure to let others know that they have been heard and inspire them to share their thoughts and emotions fully.

One way to show your listening capabilities is to cautiously listen to the interviewer’s questions in their entirety before responding. Don’t interrupt and do ensure your responses replicate what you have been asked. It’s best to take some moments to frame a response to the question. That shows that you have listened and are thinking about a nice way to reply to the question.

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NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Your body language, your eyes, your hand movements, and your tone all support the message you are attempting to give.

A relaxed, open stance (hands open, legs relaxed), and a friendly tone will make you seem approachable and will inspire others to speak openly with you.

 Eye contact is also critical; you have to look the person in the eye to show that you’re focused on the person and the verbal exchange (however, make sure not to stare at the person, which can make her or him uncomfortable).

Also, pay attention to other people’s nonverbal signals while you’re talking. Often, nonverbal signals show how someone is feeling. For example, if the person isn’t always looking you in the eye, he or she is probably uncomfortable or hiding the truth.

Communicating at Job Interviews

Your nonverbal communication skills can either help the tone of your conversation or make the interviewer think whether you’re all phrases and no substance. Displaying nonverbal behaviors that are healthy for your messages lets you convince employers that you are simply interested in the process and ideal for the work.

In general, what’s most essential is to be nice and engaging. If you sense confidence about your potential to do the job and recognize you’ll be an asset to the employer, you may display that by means of your actions as well as your words.

Communicating at Work

In addition to making a hiring decision, employers will also be comparing your nonverbal abilities to determine whether or not you are capable to relate effectively to clients, co-workers, and enterprise associates.

 In many occupations, the potential to set up credibility and trust is a great success factor. Positive nonverbal conduct will enable you to demonstrate your sincerity and attractive personality.

Examples

• Introducing yourself with a smile and a nice handshake.
• Keeping hands away from the face and hair.
• Leaning slightly forward to suggesting a hobby.
• Listening cautiously.
• Maintaining open palms, and folded fingers can show defensiveness.
• Modulating vocal tone to specify excitement and punctuate key points.

CLARITY AND CONCISION

This is about saying sincerely and directly, what you want to the person you are speaking to, face-to-face, by phone, or through email. If you ramble on, your listener will either not listen to you or will not be sure of precisely what you want. Think about what you are going to say before you say it; this will assist you to keep you away from talking excessively and/or confusing your audience.

Almost every work needs workers to apply verbal communication skills. That’s why every interviewer particularly ranks the candidates for their verbal skills for any job.

The stronger your communication skills, the higher your chances of getting hired irrespective of the job for which you’re applying. You’ll do better at some stage in the interview, and on the job.

Verbal Communication Skills

Effective verbal communication skills need more than just speaking.

Verbal communication skills encompass both the way you deliver messages and the way you receive them.

Individuals who can carry information clearly and effectively are extraordinarily valued by employers.

Employees who can interpret messages and act as it should be on the info that they receive have a better chance of excelling in their employment.

Examples

• Selecting language appropriate to the audience.
• Showing an interest in others, asking about and recognizing their feelings.
• Speaking calmly even when you’re stressed.
• Speaking at a moderate pace, not too speedy or too slowly.
• Speaking confidently but with modesty.
• Stating your needs, wishes, or emotions without criticizing or blaming.

FRIENDLINESS

Through a friendly tone, by asking a personal question, or simply a smile, you can inspire your coworkers to engage with you in an open and to have an honest conversation with you.

You need to be friendly both in person and in written communication.

When you email to coworkers and/or employees, personalize it as – “I hope you all had an excellent weekend” to feel them great.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills also referred to as people talents, are associated with the way you talk and interact with people. When employers are hiring, interpersonal capabilities are certainly one of the top criteria used to evaluate candidates.

Every career depends on your interaction with other people. To do that effectively, and thus to be employable, you require to have interpersonal skills.

Even in case, you excel in the technical aspects of your work, if you’re a disaster to work with, your presence in the workplace will not be properly received. That’s why, it’s crucial to emphasize your interpersonal skills to your cover letter, resume, and in your interviews.

How to Include Interpersonal Skills in Your Resume?

Don’t tell them instead, display the way you used your ability.

For example, my capability to encourage the individuals I manage is tested in how constantly I meet, and beat, deadlines without burning out my team.”

Interpersonal Skills to Include

You’ll, of course, want to include your strongest skills – but don’t fudge it. Remember, actions speak louder than words, and you’ll want to be sure you successfully embody any characters you claim to have once you’re interacting with your interviewer.

Examples

• Caring
• Collaboration
• Developing Rapport
• Diplomacy
• Diversity
• Helping Others
• Humor
• Inquiry
• Inspiring Trust
• Instructing

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CONFIDENCE

It is vital to be confident in all your interactions with others. Confidence guarantees your coworkers that you know and will follow through with what you are saying. Show confidence by making eye contact or with a pleasant tone (avoid questions). Of course, be careful not to sound boastful or aggressive.

Be sure you are always paying attention to and empathizing with the other individual.

EMPATHY

If you disagree with anyone like your employer, coworker, or employee, show some understanding and respect for their point of view. Using terms as easy as “I understand where you’re coming from” demonstrates that you have been listening to the other man or woman and respect their opinions.

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

An excellent communicator should enter any conversation with a flexible, open mind. Be open to taking note of and understanding the other person’s point of view, rather than just getting your message across. By being willing to go into a dialogue, even with others with whom you disagree, you’ll be capable to have more honest, and effective conversations.

RESPECT

Show people that you understand them and their ideas, and they will be more open to you in communication. Simply mention someone’s name, make eye contact, and listen when a person speaks, this will make the man or woman feel appreciated.

Convey appreciation through email by taking the time to edit your message. If you send a sloppily written, confusing email, the recipient will assume you do not understand him/her enough to think through your communication with her.

FEEDBACK

By giving and receiving remarks you can have a good conversation. So, feedback is also a vital communication skill. Superiors should search for approachable ways to provide employees with feedback, be it through email, smartphone calls, or weekly status updates. Giving feedback includes giving praise as well – something as simple as saying “nice job” to a worker can highly increase motivation.

Similarly, listen to the remarks you are given, ask clarifying questions if you are not sure of the issue, and make efforts to enforce the feedback.

Motivational Skills

Companies are always searching for motivators when they’re recruiting workers. Motivational skills are valuable for personnel when interfacing with customers, subordinates, higher management, suppliers, donors, team members, investment sources, and bosses.

What Are These Skills?

Motivate someone with actions or strategies to get the desired behavior or response from a stakeholder.

Motivational approaches can vary with the style of the motivator, their relationship with the subject of the motivation, and the personality of the character to be motivated.

PICKING THE RIGHT WAY

Another yet important communication skill is simply knowing what kind of communication to use. For example, some serious conversations need to be done in person and some are not.

You also need to think about the person with whom you want to speak – they may be very busy people (boss), and you might need to send your message through email. People will recognize your reasonable approach and will be more likely to reply positively to you.