Good communication skills are important for everyone for both personal and professional growth. Where communication skills can show their impact only on relationships in personal life, communication plays a critical role in one’s professional life in achieving both productivity and creating strong working relationships. Whether you are an employee who likes to mingle with people or one who likes to mind one’s own business, you can’t escape from communicating with different people at different points of time. You may communicate in person, through email, over a call or a chat. Irrespective of the mode of communication, it is essential that you communicate clearly and effectively. Honing communication skills is an absolute necessity to positively influence your career and succeed at work. Here are some key communication skills that everyone in the workplace should master.
- Show respect – One of the most important aspects of communication skills at the workplace is showing respect towards others’ time and space. Respecting a person’s time and space influences the way you talk and listen to the person.
- Listen actively – Listening is a key aspect of communication skills wherein you have to listen actively to become a good communicator. To understand the context of a conversation well and respond appropriately, it is essential that you listen attentively and do not interrupt the speaker. You should also maintain eye contact with the speaker to assure the other person that you are listening to him/her attentively which helps in creating and maintaining good relationships at the workplace.
- Demonstrate positive body language – You should always display positive body language because body language can communicate more than your words. Do not keep your arms crossed or avoid eye contact. These may demonstrate that you are not interested in the conversation. Always look into the eyes of the speaker, lean a little forward and display other signs of body language that make you a good listener and speaker.
- Ask questions – How will people know that you are listening to them attentively? Through your positive body language, response and questions. You should ask relevant questions in between conversations to ensure that both the speaker and listener are on the same page. Asking questions helps to clarify things leading to the completion of tasks within time and accomplishment of the goals easily.
- Remain open-minded – It is essential for you to be open-minded and learn the organization’s culture and work ethics if you are new to the organization, and if you are new to a particular role, you need to be flexible and learn the job-related processes or methods to gel with the new team well. Never restrict yourself with the knowledge you already possess and be open to learning new things from others.
- Give and take feedback – To grow as an individual and as a professional, it is of utmost necessity that you are willing to give and take feedback. Feedback need not be negative always. It could be positive too and you should be willing to appreciate and commend others’ good work. If somebody is giving you negative feedback, take it in your stride and work to improve yourself.
Good communication skills are vital for your professional growth as they affect your efficiency, effectiveness, trustworthiness, and finally your brand. Keep honing your communication skills on a regular basis and shine in your career.