Sivaranjan being a Vice President in one of the major corporations was guiding his nephew, Vaibhav who recently set sail on his corporate journey. In the last article, they discussed the myths and realities of professionalism.
Uncle, I think I got a good grasp of professionalism that does not start with slipping a blazer over my shoulders and does not stop by shrugging it off. It is something to develop as a skill that I carry throughout my day, said Vaibhav in fervor. Sivaranjan nodded and said it is time to move to the next level.
Now Vaibhav, “Do you know what holds the fort together in any organization? What is that pivotal aspect that conduces to the success of the business,” asked Sivaranjan? According to the Towers Watson study, companies with highly effective ____________ practices enjoy 47% higher total returns to shareholders compared to organizations with poor ____________. “It drives organizations to have the courage to talk about what employees want to hear, redefine the employment deal with changing business conditions, and imbibe the discipline to plan and measure their progress effectively,” said Sivaranjan.
Uncle, I am inquisitive to know about this crucial factor, the key to unlocking the avenue of my corporate journey, asked Vaibhav in anticipation. Sivaranjan took a sip of his coffee, laid back in his chair, and asked Vaibhav, “Tell me, what is keeping you glued to this conversation, apart from the fact that you want to put your right foot in the corporate world.” Vaibhav gave it a little thought and answered, “The way you are explaining the concepts with interesting facts and questions at the same time.”
Correct, said Sivaranjan, “Only if I walked you through the process and left out the interesting part, would you be intrigued with the information, no!” You find our conversation gripping because I am effectively communicating with you, serving you the platter you want at this point in time. This is the power of effective communication. Let me quote some statistics to turn your head around effective communication skills.
- Organizations with connected employees see 20-25% increases in productivity.
- 64% of businesses prioritize communicating their “strategy, values, and purpose” to employees.
- 97% of workers believe that communication has an impact on their daily tasks.
- Productivity can increase by up to 30% when employees are given better communication technology and skills.
Gallup reports that team members with higher levels of engagement:
- Produce significantly better results.
- Improve customer service and attract new customers.
- Are more likely to stay with their company.
- Are healthier and less likely to burn out.
- When it comes to communicating with their employees, 69% of managers are uncomfortable, with 16% preferring email over face-to-face interactions.
- According to one Gallup poll, only half of the employees understand what their managers expect of them.
- According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 73% of employers prefer employees with strong written communication skills.
Now that all the cards are on the table, let’s understand them better in detail, said Sivaranjan.
What Are Effective Communication Skills?
No matter what industry you work in, the ability to communicate effectively with superiors, colleagues, and staff is indispensable. Workers in the digital age must be able to effectively communicate and receive messages both in person and via phone, email, and social media. One of the most important life skills to learn is effective communication. Communication is defined as the transfer of information in order to produce greater understanding.
The significance of communication in business is best summarized by expert Harold Janis, who says, “The world of business is a world of action.” Products are designed, manufactured, and sold. People are employed. Services are provided. Policies are developed and put into action. Jobs are learned and executed. However, none of these events can take place in a practical sense without communication.”
There is currently a high demand for people with strong communication skills. Every employer seeks employees with strong communication skills. Every interview is based on a test that demonstrates the candidate’s effectiveness and clarity of communication skills. It has become critical for every organization to hire employees or staff who excel in communication skills in order to maintain and build a good reputation in society. It has become necessary for every individual to communicate effectively in whatever work is assigned to them, whether it is in the form of making an oral or PowerPoint presentation, group discussions, addressing a meeting, or presenting one’s own work effectively and fluently.
It reminds me of one of my classmates who had been in a series of interviews since last semester and has been qualified in most of them. He acquires striking communication skills and confidence that certainly deem fit in any organization, said Vaibhav.
Essential Communication Skills
Want to stand out from the crowd, Vaibhav just like your classmate and become the first-mate in an affluently sailing ship? These are some of the most important communication skills that recruiters and hiring managers look for in resumes and cover letters. Highlight and demonstrate these skills during job interviews, and you’ll make a good first impression. Continue to hone these skills after you’ve been hired, and you’ll impress your boss, colleagues, and clients.
1. Active Listening
Being a good listener is one of the most effective ways to communicate. No one enjoys conversing with someone who is only interested in adding her two cents and does not take the time to listen to the other person. It will be difficult to understand what you are being asked to do if you are not a good listener. Spend some time practicing active listening. Paying close attention to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions, and rephrasing what the person says to ensure understanding (“So, what you’re saying is…”) are all examples of active listening.
2. Nonverbal Communication
According to UCLA Professor Albert Mehrabian, “7% of the information was gleaned from the word itself, whereas 93% of the information was nonverbal.” Body language (55%), and tone of voice (38%), were among the nonverbal components. The message you’re trying to convey is colored by your body language, eye contact, hand gestures, and tone of voice.
Note: A relaxed, open stance (arms open, legs relaxed) and a friendly tone make you appear approachable and encourage others to speak freely with you.
Eye contact is also important; you should look the person in the eyes to show that you are paying attention to them and the conversation. (However, it is better to refrain from staring at the person, as it may make them uncomfortable.)
Also, while speaking, pay attention to nonverbal cues from others. Nonverbal cues frequently convey how a person is truly feeling. For example, if a person is not looking you in the eyes, he or she may be uncomfortable or concealing information.
3. Body Language
When communicating or listening, pay attention to your body language. Open, relaxed shoulders and leaning forward indicate that you’re engaged, really listening, and open to new ideas, whereas folded arms and leaning back can make you appear distant, uninvolved, and uninterested in new ways of doing things.
4. Verbal Communication
It is the words spoken aloud by you or others. You must be able to communicate your work clearly as well as understand and respond to the work of others. Focus on both aspects when honing these skills to become a more well-rounded, effective communicator.
5. Empathy
The first step to feeling connectedness with anyone is to understand and empathize with them. If you can put yourself in other people’s shoes, you will be able to understand how they feel, gain a better understanding of how you can assist them, understand their frustrations and pain points, and communicate with them more effectively. That includes other employees, management, and your customers.
6. The Attitude of Positivity
Taking a positive attitude makes life so much easier and nicer for you and those around you. If you’re always upbeat, you’re more likely to believe that things can be done and problems solved than that they can’t. You feel better, and you look for the good in things.
7. Giving and Receiving Feedback
Yes, it doesn’t feel good if you haven’t met a standard or done something incorrectly, but being able to accept genuinely well-intended feedback gracefully helps a lot in moving forward after a problem. Similarly, being able to provide excellent, positive feedback is a skill that can make anyone with whom you work feel good.
8. Be Concise
There is no need to write an essay or give a speech to express an idea or make a point. In any business, time is money, and your colleagues’ time is just as valuable as yours. Be brief, and to the point, and only include information that is absolutely necessary. And follow up in writing so you have a copy of what you said for confirmation and your audience has a copy to check what was said and what they need to do.
Wow, these are some incredible insights, I had a faculty in college and I always looked up to him for his astounding way of using words to glue us to the topic. We were able to register the topics in our minds for a long time, and Vaibhav’s eyes shined while walking down memory lane.
How To Improve Communication in the Workplace?
Any changes in a business must come from the top down. If management isn’t interested in improving communication across the organization, employees can only go so far as to make it happen. The CEO and the board of directors must be actively involved and encouraging in order for anything to happen and be taken seriously.
Processes
Written communication is just as vital as spoken communication, and nowhere are bottlenecks and problems with the workflow more likely than in company processes and procedures. All processes and procedures should be reviewed as part of your new communication strategy.
Good Leadership and Management
Communication flows like a waterfall, from the organizational hierarchy of top to lower management. If there is a problem at the management level, it must be addressed before anything else can be done. Managers may need to be retrained and understand what needs to be done before they can pass the information on to their employees and promote better communication.
Team-building exercises
Team building can help your employees become more cohesive groups that communicate better and enjoy working together. In-house team building can be beneficial in the beginning, but getting out of the office, whether for staff meetings or team-building exercises, can make a significant difference.
A change of scenery can spark new ideas that you might not have had if you were staring at the same thing all the time. Not only that, but social evenings with the sole purpose of having fun and getting to know each other a little better can help your personnel bond and feel like they’re a part of the team.
Conclusion
Communication skills enable you to effectively interact with others and make your presence felt by those present in a discussion or meeting. Being able to communicate effectively with your colleagues in a team will help you build trust, strengthen professional relationships, boost teamwork, develop a sense of belonging, and become more productive. “Without proper communication, even the best ideas can easily go unnoticed and, ultimately, wasted.”
Vaibhav, I believe every inch of the details will help you soar high on your corporate ladder, said Sivaranjan. Workplace success hangs in the balance with proper communication skills. Being able to articulate effectively gives you a significant advantage. To do your job effectively, you must discuss problems, request information, interact with others, and have good human relations skills – all of which are components of good communication skills. They aid in being well-understood and in understanding the needs of those around you.
https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/blogs/ca/Blog%20Posts/communication-skills-open-graph.jpg
https://leverageedu.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Types-of-Business-Communication.jpg
https://www.pgi.com/blog/2020/03/how-much-of-communication-is-really-nonverbal/
https://virtualspeech.com/blog/communication-skills-in-the-workplace
https://www.expertmarket.com/phone-systems/workplace-communication-statistics
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/communication-skills-list-2063779
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/communication/
http://ijrar.com/upload_issue/ijrar_issue_141.pdf
https://hbr.org/2009/11/new-study-how-communication-dr
https://www.proofhub.com/articles/good-communication-skills
Written By: Jimmy Jain
Edited By: Afreen Fatima
Society of Design Thinking Professionals
