Imagine the following scenario:
Two friends are selected for an interview at their dream company.
Person A has excellent grades, is good at coding and is the class topper. Unfortunately, he lacks the confidence to speak English fluently, which makes him highly nervous during the interview. He cannot communicate his ideas effectively to the interview panel, thereby failing to create a good impression on the interviewers.
As a result, he makes plenty of mistakes even when he knows the answers to all the questions the interviewer asks.
On the other hand, although Person B has an average academic record, he prepares for the interview by taking English classes with native speakers. As a result, he improves his fluency and answers the interviewer’s questions confidently in flawless English without making grave blunders.
Who do you think will get the dream job?
It’s, of course, B.
Irrespective of your job type, industry, or role – you need to master communication skills to succeed in your career. Think of Communication Skills as the golden key that unlocks the secret door to professional success. Without this critical skill, building a dream career is immensely challenging.
In this post, you can find the top 7 communication skills that are most in demand in professional workplaces:
There’s no denying that English is the de-facto communication language of the corporate world. Irrespective of whether you work in the tech industry or any other core industry, you need to have strong written and oral English communication skills to advance in your career.
Spoken English helps you build a rapport with your team members, managers, customers, and other stakeholders at the workplace. Strong English skills don’t mean you must be poetic or witty to write a playscript. Instead, it’s about speaking clearly and concisely and sharing your ideas and thoughts with your colleagues without misunderstandings.
Besides oral fluency, you also need basic written communication skills to advance your career. Even if your role doesn’t involve direct writing, you might still be required to write:
Strong English fluency is the first step to a successful career in today’s globalized and digitalized world.
Presentation skills help you share your ideas, opinions, and thoughts with others at the workplace. For example, your team might have to present a project idea to a prospective customer. Knowing how to present your ideas clearly can help you win the customer contract, impress your bosses, and advance your career.
There’s a common misconception that communication skills involve only verbal and written communication. Communication isn’t a one-way street. It’s a two-way process where you share your ideas and listen to others’ ideas.
Active listening helps you pay close attention to the speaker and understand what they’re saying without misunderstandings. This is a crucial skill that enables you to avoid conflicts and arguments at the workplace. Active listening is a must for roles involving customer service and team interaction, as it helps you understand your client’s needs carefully and avoid misinterpretation.
As a professional, you must learn how to provide and receive constructive feedback. It’s a crucial communication skill that goes hand in hand with other critical skills like teamwork, active listening, and open-mindedness.
For example, knowing how to receive feedback helps you avoid taking criticism personally. Instead of looking at it as a flaw, you learn to decipher feedback to continue improving your job. Similarly, knowing how to provide constructive feedback helps you win the admiration and respect of your teammates, as you don’t put them down. Instead, you suggest the best approach to help them improve.
This is another critical communication skill, especially in a professional setting. It’s not just about providing instructions or feedback to your teammates. You need to know how to deliver it with clarity. It involves structuring your ideas logically and using the right words to communicate your point of view.
With remote work and independent teams working from different countries, clarity of speech is a critical skill that can help you advance your career. For example, let’s say you’re a part of a global team with colleagues from the US. Speaking in Indianized English affects clarity as your US counterparts would find it extremely challenging to interpret your accent. This could lead to communication barriers and gaps, impacting your job performance.
Joining an accent reduction course or taking English lessons with a native speaker can help improve your clarity and convey your ideas effectively and persuasively.
Can you believe that public speaking is one of the biggest fears of many people? Some studies reveal that 75% of people fear public speaking more than death!
Being a confident public speaker offers immense benefits to your career. It helps showcase your expertise and confidence to your bosses, helping you win promotions and better job offers. If you’re scared of public speaking, here are a few tips to calm your nerves the next time you address a crowd:
Communication is more than speaking, writing or listening. It also involves understanding body language cues, making contact and interpreting facial expressions. Positive non-verbal communication helps you earn the trust and respect of your teammates and help you advance to managerial positions. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, you need to be a master in both verbal and non-verbal communication.
Whether you’re attending a job interview, meeting with a client, brainstorming with your teammates or reporting to your manager – strong communication skills are a must for a successful career. Connect with our team for the best online classes for English speaking and advance in your career.
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