Top 10 Communication Skills in the Workplace and How You Can Master Them

Human Civilization evolves and is in the consistent process of evolving; we all know that. In this whole evolution thing, a bridge is always there that is helping us survive, flourish, and grow every day i.e., communication. Being able to communicate effectively is one of the must-have life skills to learn. Having strong communication skills boosts all aspects of life – from professional life to personal life, and everything that moves in between. From a business standpoint, all transactions are the outcome of communication. Good communication skills are crucial to allow others and yourself to understand information more accurately and quickly.

Superb communication generates the smooth scope of a greater understanding between individuals, groups, communities, and the masses. Communication has multiple modes such as vocal/verbal exchanges, including texts such as books, websites, and magazines, visual modes or non-verbal modes involving body language, gestures, the pitch of voice, and tone. All of these are vital factors surrounding communication, which we consider to be essential soft skills for a successful career.

Being an excellent communicator will equip you to do your job effectively. Whether you have to discuss problems, request information, interact with others, and have good human relations or standout differently from a crowd at your workplace – these are all parts of having good communication skills. Here are the top 10 communication skills, to help you better yourself.

1. Ability to Listen

Before being anything, you need to be a good listener first, because to become a good communicator you should be accomplished in the art of listening. This is one of the most important communication skills, applicable to everyone. This ability comes with continuous practice of paying close attention to what others are saying and clarifying ambiguities by rephrasing their questions for greater understanding. You can begin with listening to podcasts, speeches, interviews, and ted talks etc. to prepare yourself for being a good listener. In this context, here comes the topic of professional listening skills that includes carefully listening for the message, listening for any emotions behind the message and considering relevant questions about the message. So, when you are at your workplace, listen to the entire conversation and all the facts, then analyze them and if you have any queries or replies, react accordingly.

2. Ability to Persuade

In the routes of communication, the competence to persuade is pivotal, especially in the business world. On a daily basis, you require an ability to persuade, to convince employees to work effectively and efficiently as per the company’s goals & visions or to persuade colleagues or clients to consider your ideas and suggestions. If you can master the art of persuasive communication, then you can unite your team and encourage them to work together. Persuasive communication skills involve expressing your ideas with a crisp and clear manner, using nonverbal gestures and a vocabulary that the other person understands easily.  Start noticing and working on how you craft your message according to the situation you are in.  For instance, whether you are sending a memo to your staff or presenting to the entire company, your way and approach will matter and need to be adapted accordingly. Effective persuasive communication focuses and spots the audience’s notions, values, their needs and desires.  If you keep these factors and tips in mind, then your audience will respond better, as they will feel a sense of similarity, in that the person speaking is similar to them in some way, whether it is age, occupation, designation, or socio-economic status.

3. Ability to Negotiate

Negotiation simply means mutually agreeing with parties/clients at hand. In any process within the workplace, home or anywhere you have to communicate with people, negotiation never stops. It is a brilliant method through which individuals within a firm, business or workplace with differing values and interests, find constructive ways to live and work together in harmony. The potential or perhaps we can use the phrase, the ‘art of negotiation’ along with impeccable interpersonal skills is crucial to success in all your interactions with a variety of people. The secret to amazing negotiation is through understanding the psyche of the person you need to negotiate with. Your job is to find that way through your vocabulary, convincing power, calm vibe and on-point information.

4. Ability to Mediate

Let’s first understand the key differences between negotiation and mediation.  Negotiation occurs when the parties involved work out their own agreement. In the mediation process, there is the presence, or the involvement, of a third party known as the mediator who helps the said parties come to an agreement. Mediation may be formal or informal and can often help solve conflicts that have gone beyond the negotiation stage. You can say mediators are the custodians of the communication flow. The first trait of a mediator is that they pay close attention to communication, both their own communication skills and the communication dynamics of the participants. Mediators need to constantly reframe what they listen to in order to discharge unnecessary negativity and personal attacks, and thereby enable the conflict to be worked on productively. Mediators should be pros at asking a lot of questions, not to satisfy their curiosity but to support the conflict-resolution process.

5. Ability to Speak Publicly

There is one time in everyone’s life when they have feared public speaking. Admit it, you have also had this fear at one point, or perhaps most people still have this fear. There are various situations where flawless public speaking skills can assist you to advance your career and secure opportunities. To be a good orator/public speaker, you need practice which begins with seeking opportunities to speak in front of others. You could also put yourself in situations that require public speaking, such as by cross-training a group from another department, through debates & discussions on any issue or by volunteering to speak at team meetings.

6. Ability to Influence & Lead

The only mantra to influence and lead is ‘be confident’, use emotional and organization intelligence to exchange ideas and information. It is especially important what you say in your communication interactions with others. Building trust and leveraging networks through your personal behaviour, professional behaviour, and effective language, can result in you mastering the art of influencing and leading.

Also Read: Top 10 Communication Skills You Must Have for an Interview

7. Ability to Coach & Mentor

Coaching and mentoring is not only about guiding or simply telling someone what to do, it is more than that. Coaches and mentors help people improve their leadership capabilities and set and reach goals. They prepare individuals to achieve better work/life balance, improve communication skills, improve teamwork, and develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence. For mentoring and coaching you must know the nuances and tools of communication in order to use them perfectly to assist your mentees or staff appropriately. Through a better approach, understandable language, friendly body language and informative pampering, you can help in decision making, solving problems, and developing skills.

8. Ability to Present Information

Get all the insights required for the topic/subject you are presenting information about. Try to do some research & development around the topic in the context of what questions may arise from your audience. To present something, you yourself need to be presentable first, therefore it is important to practice good body language, the use of eye contact, fluency, and proficiency of the language. You must learn the art of utilizing hand gestures and watch the tone of voice when communicating with others. Displaying a relaxed body stance with a friendly tone will help you look approachable.

9. Ability to Ask Great Questions

Asking questions is the best way to polish your opinion, thoughts, and communication skills. If you question something or someone with curiosity, or to clear doubt, then it means you are participating in active conversation which will eventually nourish your communication skills. Don’t interrupt the person speaking, listen silently and carefully, dig deeper and then ask questions to magnetize information. Avoid asking questions that require a simple one-word answer such as yes or no. Ask questions that spur learning and exchange of ideas and boosts performance improvement among a team. The ability to ask great questions will assist you to mitigate business risks and hazards effectively.

Also Read: 10 Tips for Business Success in 2021

10. Ability to Have Executive Presence

Simply put, executive presence is a bouquet of personal traits and outward behaviours that create an image of leadership competence and trustworthiness. You must have emotional intelligence in order to portray confidence, dignity and great poise as a leader. For an appreciable and noticeable executive presence, one should be adorned with sound decision-making abilities and should be able to work well under pressure. If you are trying to develop an executive presence, or you want to flaunt your leadership qualities, then work on developing impeccable communication skills and be a good learner so you evolve and improve every day.