|
|
Make Communication Skills Work For You
Communication skills are the foundation to successful business practice. Many employers take for granted that their employees are proficient in the most basic communication skills. The misconception is that effective communication just happens within a business environment. Effective communication skills have to be developed just as any other skill set must.
Whether using the phone, writing a letter or email, speaking in person or delivering a presentation we all have to continually communicate in the work place. 'Communication skills' refers not only to selecting the correct method of communication but to tailoring the communication for the audience, the message and the desired outcome. Ineffective communication costs massive amounts of money each year.
Issues that arise because of ineffective communication include lost business, internal conflict, and inefficient operating, all of which consume resources to resolve. Everything from inefficiently proofed correspondence to a short phone manner, from unclear instructions, to non-impactful presentations can lose you business and cost your organisation money. Basic communication skills can be developed to ensure that your team is protected against this unnecessary but all too common drain on resources.
The objective is to get everyone at your organisation in a position where they have the communication skills and knowledge to get the best from themselves and from others. This requires a good level of self-awareness, as well as an understanding of the way others behave and their communication preferences. By ensuring that you communicate in a way that appeals to the behavioural styles of others, you and your colleagues are far more likely to get the outcomes you want.
There are also specific skills that can be applied to different media. For example, making the most of your voice whilst connecting with and considering the person on the other end of the phone. Or structuring emails so they are clear and concise, with the important messages emphasised and the tone right for the audience. These skills enable your employees to build rapport easily, achieve what they need to and handle difficult situations effectively where necessary.
Communication skills are no great secret. However they are completely essential in a business and they do require a level of understanding and lots of practice and feedback. We all have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communication and everyone has room to improve. Communication skills make more difference to a success of a business than is often recognised - it's not until you have training that you realise how much more effective you could be.
Instilling effective communication skills at every level of your organisation is a strategy to stay ahead of competition. Communication skills training is an effective resource to do this as it provides simple but effective strategies to get the basics right. From speaking on the telephone to sending emails, from chairing a meeting to dealing with conflict, each process is invaluable to the success of your business; investing in this is attention to detail at the most fundamental level.
About the Author Dominic Donaldson is leading consultant in communication skills and contributes regularly to trade publications on the subject.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
|
Rating: |
 Processing ... |
(Average: Not rated) |
| Views: | 49 | |
|
| More Articles from Communication | | |
| Top Articles in Communication | | |
|
