Whether you are a leader or a team member, you have to communicate with many people at work. In the office, you brainstorm ideas, observe data, and come up with solutions to problems with your team. Sometimes, you must solve disagreements as well as fix miscommunication. To do this properly, you need to possess communication skills.
Communication is an example of a soft skill, which is a personal behavior that helps you interact with others effectively. Unlike technical skills, which are utilised in specific fields, soft skills like communication can be transferred across different industries. Regardless of your job title, communication skills are crucial! This is why many leaders even take courses to learn this skill.
What are communication skills?
Communication skills refer to the ability to give and receive information. It allows you to understand others and for others to understand you. The goal of communication is for the receiver to understand your message clearly. This is a crucial skill that a leader must possess, as they talk to different kinds of people every day. Thus, they need to use different methods of communication.
In the workplace, there are many types of communication that you can use to convey your ideas and feelings. The two most common ones are spoken and written communication. In both cases, the message is important, but how we convey it is just as vital. The tone in which we give orders or the structure of an email can impact how someone receives a message. This is called non-verbal communication.
Aside from spoken, written, and non-verbal cues, we also communicate using visual cues. These include pictures, colours, shapes, videos, and other visual aids to convey an idea or message. This is very helpful when you struggle to present an idea with just your words. Visual designs help people understand your vision more easily. Someone with great communication skills knows how to utilise all types of communication to deliver messages effectively.
Improving communication skills in the workplace
Many years ago, workers communicated with each other by face-to-face conversation, telephone calls, letters, fax, or email. However, today’s professional environment is quickly evolving. Those tools for communication are still in use today, but there are hundreds of other communication devices to accommodate teams that work remotely. Some companies even employ people from different countries working in different time zones.
Good communication has never been more crucial and more challenging. Therefore, our communication skills need constant improvement. This is especially important for leaders who must share their ideas, messages, and instructions with many people. Luckily, you can practise this skill until you master it. These tips will help you improve communication to boost the performance of your team!
Choose your words carefully
The key to communication skills is your words. What words you pick, why you choose them, and how you say them are key to effective communication. Thus, it’s important to expand your vocabulary. When you have a wider list of words to choose from, you can express your thoughts more accurately.
However, you should match your word choice to your audience. You can use technical terms when presenting a report to C-level employees. On the other hand, if you are briefing a group of interns, they will have a hard time memorising all the industry-related jargon.
You should also keep the goal of the communication in mind. Are you greeting a new recruit to the team? You can use casual language and even add a bit of humor. However, if you are pitching an important project, be formal and direct with your phrasing. A leader with great communication skills knows how to match their word choice to their goals and audience.
Be clear and concise
The key to effective communication is clarity. To achieve that, you must strike a balance between too few and too many words. Short messages may be time-efficient, but they may not fully convey the information your team members need. On the other hand, if your message is too long, it can be full of less important details and unnecessary language.
Prepare your message ahead of time
No communication can start without a message. Thus, before saying anything to anyone, know what you want to say ahead of time. This is especially important if you need to give a presentation or report. Research information to support your claims and think of ways to respond to questions and criticism. If you think the conversation may spark disagreements, think of ways to address them calmly. Practise your communication skills so that you are ready to face any conversation!
Pay attention to non-verbal cues
They say action speaks louder than words. This is why your expressions, posture, and gestures when speaking matter just as much as what you say. Sometimes, employees hesitate to voice their disagreements or concerns. It’s up to you as a leader to pick up on their body language. This goes both ways; someone with good communication skills must know how to control their non-verbal cues to support their message.
Mind your tone
Tone is an important factor in the workplace, especially in handling conflict. This includes volume, intonation, and projection. A sentence with well-meaning words and a positive tone creates trust. On the other hand, if you choose your words poorly and your tone is unclear, people will misunderstand your message. Tone is present in both spoken and written communication. Reread your writing not just to ensure your message is clear, but also to ensure you have the right tone.
Practise active listening
A leader with communication skills knows that listening is just as important as speaking. Listening helps you understand your team members’ thoughts and make better judgments. Thus, you need to practise active listening to understand the entire message of what a person is saying, not just their words. Apply these techniques to listen actively:
- Be fully present: Remove any distractions and tune out your daydreaming or inner thoughts. Give your full focus to the speaker.
- Use non-verbal cues: Show the speaker that you are listening through your body language. Smile while listening, lean in, maintain eye contact, and nod at critical points.
- Ask open-ended questions: With good communication skills, a conversation can keep flowing smoothly. Ask questions to show interest in the speaker and the topic. This makes them feel valued.
- Reflect what you hear: Check that you understand the speaker’s thoughts, ideas, and emotions accurately to avoid miscommunication.
Boost communication skills with emotional intelligence
Leaders with high emotional intelligence can gather non-verbal cues and practise active listening better. They also understand and manage their own emotion so they can control their tone when speaking. Emotional intelligence also plays a big role in communication skills by enhancing empathy for others. It helps leaders deliver topics that may be emotionally difficult for the other party.
Build a communication strategy
A communication strategy is the framework in which your business gives and receives information to all staff and leaders. Generally, it defines who gets access to what information and when. More specifically, you can dictate the communication tools you use and when you should use them. This can streamline the information flow and ensure everyone gets the information they need.
Ask for feedback on your communication skills
Just like other skills for professional development, you need to frequently train your ability to convey ideas. After a presentation, ask whether there are points that the audience thinks are unclear. This can give you an idea of where you may be rambling in a conversation. You can also note down your daily interactions in a journal to see patterns of improvement.
Use tools to enhance your message
You can now improve your communication skills with the help of technology. Word processors like Google Docs or Microsoft Word have spelling and grammar checkers to make sure your written message is clear. You can also check your writing’s accessibility so your message is understood by everyone. There are even online dictionaries to help you pick the right diction.
Bottom line: Why should you learn communication skills?
In the workplace, you should have communication skills for your team’s productivity. If you can communicate properly, you can discuss tasks, share ideas, and solve conflicts with ease. Without proper communication, you might need a long time to resolve a problem because everyone gets frustrated and confused during discussions.
At the College of Contract Management, you can take online courses to learn how to communicate with anyone. There are industry professionals who will guide your learning journey until you become a confident speaker. Don’t wait until the lack of communication causes conflicts in your team. Become a better communicator by joining our courses today!
