As we move through adulthood we learn how to improve on our communication skills, and in the working environment this can be a crucial aspect of our development. Being able to increase the effectiveness of our individual communication skills can help us to work well with colleagues in team situations, and learn how to build bridges and take greater steps through our career. The culture of any great company should be built on honest and clear communication, and if you can improve your own communication skills in the workplace you can begin to see a clear path for your career as a whole.
Your perception in the workplace can have an impact on how easily you can progress through the career ladder and within single organisations. Through training, dialogue, feedback and self-analysis, you can begin to improve your personal communication skills, which in turn improves your personal reputation and perception by colleagues and managers. As a starting point there are a few things you can do to immediately reflect and begin to improve your personal communication skills, a real asset in a strict, harsh, and often stressful working environment.
Choose Your Words Carefully – Every time you open your mouth and talk to someone your words will have an impact. Whether this impact is a positive or a negative one depends on your choice of words and your understanding of the situation where you are talking, the person you are talking to and the postures of all parties present. In a working environment a well placed word can help to boost a persons morale and help them get to where they need to be, a poor choice of wording can help to demoralise staff members and bring production to a halt.
Be Aware of The Other Person – Your words, posture and emphasis of certain words can change depending on whom you are talking to. You’ll speak to your mother in a completely different way to your best friend, and in a vastly different way again when discussing work topics with your boss. When talking in a work setting some people like to be encouraged and others respond to some harsh words. Have an understanding of each person you work with, and tailor your communication to the most suitable approach for maximum improvement.
Have Empathy with Your Colleagues – Your personal communication skills will rapidly develop should you start to empathise with those around you. When having a workplace discussion you’ll encounter different views and various reasons and rejections to ideas. Always keep an open mind and in group discussions be willing to take on board all views before making an informed decision on where the conversation should move to next.
In every workplace setting the best leaders have developed their own personal communication skills in order to be able to speak to colleagues, staff under their tutelage and responsibilities, and managers in different ways in order to entice the best response each time. Eliciting optimum performance out of your teammates highlights you as potential future leadership material, and this can only be achieved with an improvement in communication skills.
Content written by Hollie Hamilton
