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Whether we realise it or not, we are communicating ALL the time. And, given the number of platforms and devices that we use as we live out our daily lives, and the multi-tasking our routines call for, most of us are pretty good communicators.
Examples of Communications Skills
Does your typical day look like this?
All these are examples of communication skills.
And, oh, how could we forget? Even though a dinosaur in this digital age, there′s the office grapevine that makes car-pooling that much more fun!
What are we getting at? Well, since the definition of communication is the act of transmitting a message, opinion, information, instructions, feedback or even gossip, we are saying something to someone pretty much every waking moment.
And since most of us spend a large part of each day working, in a work environment, structures or otherwise, business communication forms a large part of what we are saying.
Communication is the lifeblood of any organisation. Whether it′s issuing simple instructions at work, sorting out a tricky situation with a subordinate, lifting flagging morale, working out a better way to meet productivity targets, briefing your team on customer feedback after a product launch, or as CEO, getting your employees to buy into your company′s vision – communication is the pivot of any business venture, from start-up to global corporation.
Business communication differs greatly from regular communication. It refers to communication that takes place in a work environment, and is meant to achieve the common goal of getting the job done and doing it effectively.
Business communication could be internal, that is, within the organisation between colleagues or between departments; or it could be external, for instance, a brand-building campaign for a company to shore up its image.
It could also include communicating with vendors, partner organisations, prospective clients or just the public at large.
There are many career tracks that are based almost entirely on business communication skills, such as marketing, customer care, corporate communications, public relations, brand management, advertising and event management.
While the parties at the sending and receiving ends of the communication differ, each of these career domains revolves around getting a certain message across and getting it across to a very specific target audience.
The number of platforms that we use for business communication has exploded in recent times. Whereas telephone and email were once the most oft-used mediums, now online meetings, videoconferencing, teleconferencing, voice messages and even web chat and instant messaging are par for the course.
When it comes to a company targeting a large audience, videos, powerpoint presentations (PPT), blogs, apps, social media and television come to the rescue. And, with all these platforms available at the tap of the finger, let′s not forget where it all began – good, old-fashioned face-to-face communication!
Communication skills, tops the list of fundamental skills needed to succeed in the workplace. A decade-and-a-half later, with the rise of social media networking and texting, communication is becoming more casual, even in situations where more formal ways of communicating are required. What this means is that people from the younger generation, may not know or even understand the importance of effective communication skills in the workplace. When you take a look at the greatest leaders, one of the traits they possess, is the ability to communicate effectively, which underscores the importance of communication skills.
There are specific things to do that can improve your communication skills:
Speaking or verbal communication is perhaps the most frequently used way to get a message across at the workplace, and it includes meetings, presentations, workshops, in-person interviews, and telephonic and video conferencing.
It′s direct, it costs nothing, and it′s instant. It is also effective because it allows the receiver to pick up on critical non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, tone, pitch and body language.
This communication skill is best used in situations where establishing a personal connection is important, such as conflict-resolution scenarios, team-building exercises and while selling a product. But as more and more businesses go global and they work with partners, clients and customers all over the world, verbal communication is losing out to digital platforms.
This is another powerful business communication skill, which embraces the gamut from email, internal business memos, formal letters, bulletin boards, posters, flyers, PPTs etc.
Effective writing requires careful choice of words that send out a message cogently and accurately.
This form of communication is reliable; it can be used to reach multiple individuals all at once; and is the best way to convey technical information.
Since it is precise and explicit, written communication is an effective tool to explain complex concepts and to issue instructions. It is unambiguous, and when the writer is articulate, he or she leaves no room for misinterpretation.
Written communication also creates a paper trail for future reference and it also helps the legal teams of large companies do their job.
This is tough to master simply because more and more people, especially young people, are spending less and less time reading.
Many limit their ‘reading′ to social networking sites and instant messaging, while reading only when absolutely necessary.
Yet, to be a successful employee, executive, manager or CEO, you need to master the art of reading simply because at least half your business communication is in written format. It is the better half of ‘writing′ in the paragraph above!
Perhaps the most difficult business communication skill to practice, listening implies that you not only hear what someone is saying but also understand the content, decode all the non-verbal signals and filter the message without bias or prejudice.
Effective listening is a winning tool in every manager′s toolkit, for it implies the ability to put oneself in someone else′s shoes, something every employee craves – an empathetic ear.
Take that attitude to a much larger level and you have a company that listens to what its clients, customers and even the competition has to say.
A company that listens effectively is one that is open to ideas, feedback, innovations, has good organisational relationships, is willing to correct its mistakes and inevitable marches forward.
Steve Jobs inspired his employees to strive for perfect hardware products. Jack Welch mentored the senior leadership team of GE to new heights. Jeff Bezos is known for articulating the Amazon ethos clearly to employees and the world. All of these leaders possess outstanding leadership skills.
Here are 14 ways you can improve your communication skills in order to become a more effective leader.
One study found that nonverbal communication accounted for 55 percent of how an audience perceived a presenter. That means that the majority of what you say is communicated not through words, but through physical cues.
To communicate clearly and confidently, adopt proper posture. Avoid slouching, folding your arms or making yourself appear smaller than you are. Instead, fill up the space you are given, maintain eye contact and (if appropriate) move around the space.
In 1990, a graduate student at Stanford University was able to prove that presenters overestimate how much listeners understand. In a study that become known as “the tappers and the listeners,” one set of participants was asked to tap the melody of 120 famous songs. The other participants were asked to guess what song was being tapped.
Tappers estimated that 50 percent of the songs tapped would be correctly identified. In reality, only 2.5 percent of songs were correctly identified. This study shows that it is important to communicate clearly, and to over-communicate when sharing new ideas. As this study indicates, it is likely that the audience will fail to absorb as much as you expect.
Steve Jobs instituted a rule at Apple that banned all PowerPoint presentations. Similarly, Sheryl Sandberg instituted a PowerPoint ban at Facebook. Both leaders realized that PowerPoint presentations can hinder rather than help communication.
Be prepared to use words, compelling storytelling and nonverbal cues to communicate your point with the audience. Avoid using visual aids unless absolutely necessary.
As with most leadership skills, receiving honest feedback from peers, managers and members of your team is critical to becoming a better communicator. If you regularly solicit feedback, others will help you to discover areas for improvement that you might have otherwise overlooked.
Regardless of how compelling the speaker is, all audiences have limited attention spans. To become a more effective communicator, make presentations and discussions interactive.
Ask the audience a question, encourage people to call out their thoughts during a brainstorming session or at the very least ask hypothetical questions to stimulate the audience.
Think back to the "tappers and listeners" study mentioned earlier. Clear communication is of paramount importance. To ensure that the audience understands the key takeaways from a presentation, reiterate key points at the start and finish. This can also be accomplished by providing attendees with a one-pager that includes key points the audience should consider throughout the presentation.
A common framework used by business experts like those at McKinsey is the purpose, importance, preview (PIP) approach to presentation introductions. Following this approach, the speaker first states the purpose of the presentation, and then shares why presentation is important by reviewing implications and possible outcomes.
Finally, the presenter gives a preview of the topics that will be discussed. This framework is a useful way to get audiences excited about the presentation, helping them to focus on your message and on key takeaways.
It can take a good deal of time and energy to communicate effectively. In cases where you may need to give the same presentation multiple times, consider recording it and sharing it in the future.
Platforms like Wistia and Zoom allow speakers to record themselves delivering a presentation. These video-recording platforms allow presenters to edit the video to make it more engaging and helpful. They also provide admins with metrics about viewer engagement.
Recorded presentations can be especially helpful for communicators who need to regularly provide training in a company that is hiring employees quickly.
When lawyers present a case in front of the United States Supreme Court, they typically speak extemporaneously. That is to say, the lawyers write down a series of topics they intend to discuss, but they do not memorize what they would say word for word. This method of communicating allows the lawyers presenting a case to cover all of the necessary points, while giving them flexibility as to how to communicate based on audience reaction or questions.
Business communicators should consider adopting an extemporaneous speaking style. It takes practice, but it will allow for more natural communication, and can help with audience engagement.
To communicate effectively, it is important to get to know your audience first. Each audience is different, and will have different preferences and cultural norms that should be considered when communicating. A good way to understand expectations is to ask members of the audience for examples of good communicators within the organization.
