One might think that communication skills are unquantifiable soft skills and time should be spent on combing business logic, writing requirements or analyzing data. But for jobs with a high concentration of information sources, communication skills are definitely crucial — effective communication can avoid wasting time, improve work efficiency, and also reduce internal friction thus to create a good working environment.
In the workplace, we spend most of our time communicating with people other than ourselves, which comes in many forms, such as emails, meetings and telephone calls, etc. To ensure the smooth completion of tasks and objectives, communication is not only necessary among colleagues, but also between subordinates and superiors.
According to Alliance Virtual Offices, Meetings are usually held in spaces designed for it although company officials sometimes choose different settings. And this is where it is your time to shine. No matter where you are with your colleagues, there are certain things you have to do.
1. Prepare Yourself
When new problems suddenly appear in the communication process, it is difficult to come up with a complete solution immediately, so we should explain the situation directly to everyone, indicating that more thinking time is needed. In a word, you must think carefully before you speak, don’t give an immature conclusion for the sake of decency and professional appearance, and then spend more time and energy to rework.
It is better to collect relevant information before communication, especially if most of the participants are colleagues from other positions, there will be gaps in professional cognition among all of you. At this time, providing relevant data and online examples to support your own views, which could be easier to convince each other. You can read more free tutorials about MS Office on MyOfficeTricks , and use Word, Excel or PPT to prepare yourself before communicating.
2. Enhance Credibility
In addition to affinity, professionalism and rationality are the more important basis for communication at work, that is, that is, to form personal professional credibility, that cannot be cultivated in a short time, need to improve professionalism constantly, and always maintain a rational attitude.
Psychologically, we all have a trust scoring mechanism for others, and lack of professional credibility can make it difficult to gain trust from other people. And at such times, communication costs are high, no matter what kind of communication skills you have, they do not work at all.
3. Win-Win Basis
Communication should always be about things, not people, and the premise of communication is built on a win-win basis. Communication is not a debate, so it is normal to have different opinions, just remember that the ultimate goal is to solve problems. Rather than trying to “convince” all our naysayers, we need to do more to express ourselves fully.
You know how difficult it is to change a person’s mind, please keep one thing in mind — the decision-maker of the final plan is always your leader. Even if you think your leader or the rest of the team is ridiculously wrong, all you have to do is provide advice and suggestions for reference and also don’t get emotional if it’s not accepted, after all, people make mistakes.
4. Timeliness
Timely communication: when communicating with your superiors or even your boss, people often worry about their poor performance and practice repeatedly, but while struggling, it is likely to miss the optimal time node. Besides, when confused, it is easy to bring some hidden troubles if you do not check anything with relevant personnel, but only according to common sense or subjective speculation.
Communication in advance: Before the formal meeting, try to communicate with the person with a high right of speech, who will have a favorable impression because of your special treatment. In this case, there will be more room for communication and it is easy to get approval. When it is discussed publicly at a meeting, it is easier to get a broad recognition due to the KOL guidance and group effect.
5. Favorable Atmosphere
Emotions play an important role in people’s daily life. When one is under the influence of bad emotions such as alertness and anger, his/her ability to interpret information will be reduced accordingly. Most of our communication at work is for something to be completed with the least delay possible, and therefore, lowering the threshold of the
communication and getting each other into the conversation as soon as possible is a very important step.
Prior to getting into the meat of your conversation, be sure to express your thanks for other’s individual time. Time is an extremely precious resource, and it is necessary to be respectful and considerate of that. Also, do not forget to recognize any positive contribution they are making. Appreciation and praise can go a long way towards establishing a favorable communication atmosphere.
6. Listen
Experts point out that, listening should occupy 65% of the time in communication, which importance can be inferred from this. However, in many people’s minds, communication seems to be a “dynamic” process, while listening is a “static” process, that is easy to be ignored. In fact, listening is the core part of communication, because it can stimulate the desire to talk, promote deeper conversations, and understand one’s psychology states and thinking mode, so as to achieve the ultimate goal.
Watching body language is also a way of listening: lack of eye contact or distraction are often the signs of restlessness or impatience. Yawning or sighing are usually the signs of mental or physical fatigue. When you notice these types of non-verbal signals, it’s obvious that this conversation is not going to be a productive one. Quickly end the conversation, postpone it, or inquire about the discomfort if your relationship allows.
We all know that communication is a two-way street, and effective communication is not only an art but also a necessary skill for social survival. Professional knowledge is of vital importance, however, good communication ability is the prerequisite for others to find out your ability. One who is not good at communicating will definitely encounter various obstacles in career development. In other words, the ability to communicate in the workplace will directly affect your work efficiency and even your career prospects. But communication skills are not innate, we can improve them gradually through the above useful tips.
