Working in a business environment brings with it a slew of skill requirements, including wide-reaching and adaptable interpersonal skills. While strong, well-developed communication skills on their own go a long way, it’s important to focus on adaptability. Adaptability is key because a successful business is constantly in motion, and on any given day the need to communicate in a new way or with a new group may arise.
The rise of technology has complicated the communication process with the introduction of email, social media, and a variety of additional communication methods. These additional forms of communication are where adaptability plays a large role. Although many forms of social media aren’t practical for business use, especially where valuable or private data is concerned, services such as email have become commonplace in nearly all businesses across the vast majority of the world.
The sheer quantity of interpersonal skills required is staggering, so below, we’ll focus on just a few of the most important skills to master to take your business communications to the next level.
1. Learn to Listen
Learning to listen is quite possibly the most important skill to master when looking at developing a stronger set of communication skills. Without strong listening skills, it becomes nearly impossible to communicate in an effective or honest manner.
Listening carefully to any important dialogue is vital for fostering strong connections. An effective way to display that you’re carefully listening and considering information is to repeat back key pieces of the information when your turn to speak comes around. All too often, we focus on and register what are known as buzzwords, so it’s important to concentrate on a conversation in its entirety, in order to fully understand the bigger picture.
2. Understand The Different Facets of Communication
Before initiating a dialogue, try to consider any situational factors which could impact a discussion. Initially, it may seem silly, but the time of day, how busy someone has been, and countless other possible daily events can all have an effect on how a discussion will play out. Someone who is tired or agitated may not be as receptive to ideas, and someone who is busy or has a lot on their mind may not fully register the details of the conversation.
Carefully planning interactions and discussions around key characteristics and situations is a proven way to achieve more desirable outcomes more frequently. If this isn’t your strong suit, many business professionals find it useful to take leadership courses to polish their communication skills.
3. Be Aware of Body Language
During any interaction, people constantly give off silent signals in the form of body language. At any point in time, human beings communicate information in subtle and, sometimes, not so subtle ways. Body language can be complex or simple and includes facial expressions, hand gestures, posturing, tone and volume.
Understanding how to properly project through body language is key to mastering communication. Not only is it important to understand what message your body language may convey, but it’s equally important to pay attention to others body language as well.
4. Learn a Variety of Communication Tools
As was previously mentioned, not all important communication is done with face to face interactions. It’s not uncommon for important interactions to occur via email correspondence, for example. The sheer quantity of tools that may be used for communication can seem overwhelming, but the trick is to focus on the ones you’re most likely to require regularly.
If VoIP software is important for your business, it may be necessary to learn how to operate software such as Skype, or another VoIP solution. As you pick up and understand different tools, learning how to utilize new communication tools effectively will be a breeze, as most share many similarities.
Although learning to communicate effectively can be complex and confusing, the time invested to do so is certainly worth it. By mastering communication skills, many unexpected business opportunities are made available to you. Set aside some time today, and consider how you could improve at communicating.
