The Technological Age: human skills driving the future of communication professionals
Today’s world is driven by change, which is increasingly rapid and unpredictable: new needs, new jobs, new challenges, and, above all, new technological advances that impact all sectors of activity and their professionals. More and more, regardless of age, experience or training, professionals must adapt and find new paths, as well as acquire new skills to keep them up to date and ensure their current and future employability.
Creative areas are no exception, and the communication sector is a great example of this, with technology increasingly becoming an integral part of the daily lives of its professionals. The impact of innovations such as ChatGPT can already be felt, by removing and automating some of the processes that used to be entirely manual. From a journalistic research, to analyzing the results of a communication plan, or even writing a press release, everything will be more automated and technology-based. And although at first glance this reality may seem like a threat to the professionals themselves, it is not. The integration of technology in the lives of professionals will allow them to dedicate themselves to the more creative and human side of their work and leave behind all that is routine and simple.
For this to happen, they must consider that human skills will be increasingly important to be successful in communication. Among many, the capacity for problem-solving stands out. In an area where the basis is contact with others, being able to find answers to complex situations that arise from those relationships is increasingly valued. Interpreting the problem and quickly finding the right way to solve it will be one of the master keys in communication.
Emotional Intelligence is also fundamental. As more and more processes become automated, the professional must be able to manage everything that happens in the best way, understand the different situations, and effectively collaborate to keep up with the new trends in the area. The importance of being open-minded to change and focused on continuous learning is related to this and will allow professionals to learn and adapt to new ideas, trends and communication services, taking advantage of these opportunities.
Greater agility will also be required from communication professionals, as their working reality changes so rapidly that leaders in the sector need to cultivate a culture of agile learning in their organizations and be in tune with their target audiences to understand their new needs and behavior. On the other hand, communicating will also come through knowing how to listen carefully. It may sound easy, but this is a skill that requires practice, concentration, and focus, as well as empathy, whether for the colleague or the end customer. And in addition, it is also important to be able to ask the right questions. Whether during a conversation or even in an exchange with platforms such as ChatGPT, the best way to get the best answers is to ask structured questions that address key points and lead to the answers we are looking for.
Knowing how to communicate will be, from now on, something increasingly based on human skills such as these. However, these must still be combined with technical skills, as well as knowing how to use new technologies and platforms, allowing communication professionals to thrive and meet the challenges of an ever-changing job market.
