Tips to improve your communication skills at work
The ability to effectively communicate at work is probably one of the most important soft skills. Effective communication opens doors to successfully talking about our ideas, which will get you heard and noticed, leading to the escalation of those infamous career steps. Whether it is writing, speaking, or listening, knowing, understanding, and applying this skill is crucial in any workplace.
Becoming a good communicator is simple and the secret is in the details, the more we practice these little details, the better communicators we will become. Therefore, we have compiled a list of what we, at The Square, believe are the key tips for improving our communication skills.
Listen actively — the very first tip is to simply listen. A lot of us hear people talk, but few of us listen. Make sure to drop other tasks you may be doing at the time of the conversation or presentation to simply listen to your colleagues. This will not only help you better understand the message, and what is needed from you, but it will also create a deeper connection with the person whom we are talking with.
Repeat back — repeating the message out loud helps our memory and also clarifies if we truly understood what was being said. This will aid us in being more efficient and productive employees.
Get to the point — try to not go around the block twice and then once more to get your message across, make sure to include the just the necessary details and context in your message. Colleagues are busy, so make sure you are respecting their time and effectively communicating your point.
Know your audience — needless to say, different audiences need different ways and means of communication to get the same message across in the most effective way. Make sure you understand who your audience is to productively communicate to them. To be even more specific to your workplace, some colleagues prefer emails, while other colleagues prefer to set up a quick in-person meeting to talk, make sure to keep these in mind when communicating with different teammates.
Keep it positive — instead of saying “I do not agree with this strategy,” say “I have a better strategy idea,” instead. Positivism is more receptive than communicating with negatives. This goes hand in hand with our body language, whether it is in-person or via Zoom. Crossing our arms, turning our backs, or simply looking away from the screen are not welcoming gestures, so making sure that not only what we speak, but also what we do are coherent.
Learn to talk in public and present in groups — the secret here is simple: practice, practice, practice! The more we practice, the more comfortable we will feel when presenting and talking in front of bigger groups, which will then lead to our message being clearer and we will transfer confidence to our audience.
These tips are in no way, shape, or form hard to follow. By simply reminding ourselves, repeating them, and making the effort to have continuous improvement, you´ll be a master in communicating in no time.
