What separates the good communicators from the bad communicators?
Let's imagine this all-too-common workplace scenario to find out.
We all have a "Bill" or a "Sheila" in our workplace. This is the person who dominates every meeting with great ideas (ahem, whether or not the ideas truly belong to them) and declarations.
They have a booming voice, a sense of command, and they are absolutely the most confident person in any room. Does this make them great communicators? Not necessarily.
Here's the other thing about Bill and Sheila. They have no follow-through on the ideas. They never listen to helpful suggestions from other colleagues. Bill and Sheila are "let's just try it my way first" people—and they are actually pretty bad communicators.
Communication isn't all about the booming voice and the ability to cut through any conversation (sidenote: rude). It's also about employing active listening, empathy, open-mindedness, and all the nonverbal cues and communication that happen in between.
What Are Communication Soft Skills?
Let me ask you this: have you ever had a manager who refused to listen? Have you ever worked with someone who could not pick up on social cues, someone who didn’t know when to be sociable and when to power down to work? Have you ever worked with someone who used a ton of office jargon in order to say…seemingly nothing?
These are all examples of coworkers, managers, and leaders who are somewhat lacking in the communication soft skills department.
Effective communicators, by comparison, realize that communication requires listening over speaking at times, that postures and hand gestures are an important part of self-expression, at that there are times when silence is the appropriate form of communication for the moment.
We put together some of the most important soft skills for the modern workplace and how they can improve communication across the board.
The Communication Soft Skills Every Employee Needs
Communication soft skills are the tools you use to clearly and effectively converse with others, set expectations, and work with others on projects.
Whether you're a CEO or an entry-level employee, communication skills are of utmost importance. Verbal and written communication come into play every day at the workplace.
Make sure you're communicating to the benefit of forward movement of both your company and your career. Here are some of the most important communication soft skills and how to apply them, no matter what your role is.
1. Listening Soft Skills
We are starting with listening for an important reason. Before you ever open your mouth or put pen to paper, whether in a brand-new position or within a seasoned leadership role, you should always listen first. In a world full of instant opinions, take a little time to form yours by listening.
Listening as a soft skill is just as important on day one as it is on day 2,000. As humans, we can always learn from new experiences.
Assumptions are the enemy of real growth.
Listening as an Employee:
If you are brand new at a company, you might feel a little lost. Some workplaces have processes in place that move fast and, therefore, are hard to fold seamlessly into on your first day.
My advice? Listen and learn.
Take your first few weeks to listen to your new coworkers, to learn the ropes, to ask questions, and to take it all in. Don’t jump the gun. When the time comes to give meaningful input, you will have gathered valuable information and advice to disperse to your new team.
From there, you can employ different types of listening, including:
- Active listening
- Critical listening
- Informational listening
- Empathetic listening
- Appreciative listening
To learn more about how to listen, we created a more thorough guide on the types of listening—as well as how to use mirroring to show that you are, in fact, a good listener.
Listening as a Manager:
So, you’ve been at your job for five years. You know your team like the back of your hand (whatever that means), and you know everything about how your department “should” run. Well, that’s what you think.
A good leader will have their finger on the pulse of what happens every day. A good manager will be present and aware. A great manager, however, will be listening for feedback and gathering information from her team on how to improve and iterate.
- Do you listen to your team?
- Do you check in to make sure workloads are appropriate?
- Do you make sure your team has enough work to remain productive but not so much that they burn out quickly?
- What is the tone of your voice when giving critical feedback?
- Does your communication style improve or detract from morale?
As a manager, make listening part of your weekly routine. Carve weekly 1:1 individual meetings with each of your team members in order to provide an open forum. Use this time to listen and learn from your employees.
Pro Tip: Want to be a better listener? We've got a guide for that.
2. Verbal Communication Soft Skills
Verbal communication is something that comes more naturally to certain people—and it's a highly ranked skill in the workplace. Starting with an initial phone interview, verbal communication will be a soft skill you need to hone, no matter what your role is.
Verbal Communication as an Employee:
In a new position, verbal communication will come into play almost immediately. While you may feel intimidated speaking up in a new workplace, you'll want to take opportunities to enunciate clearly, to ask questions, and to state your needs and wants.
By establishing a communicative position from the get-go, you are telling your managers that you are both open to feedback and that you will not hesitate to interface should any issues arise in the future.
Verbal Communication as a Manager:
Careful verbal communication is essential for a great manager. Be mindful when speaking with your employees.
Whether you are having a casual conversation, a discussion about a client, a brainstorm on a project, or (gulp) a disciplinary discussion, verbal communication is extremely important.
In each of these situations, consider your employee’s perspective. Formulate your input and responses while keeping your employee’s point of view in mind. Pay attention to your non-verbal communication, too. Consider your eye contact, body language, facial expressions, and especially the words you use.
If you have used your time as a manager to foster a relationship of understanding, then you will be more well-equipped to have open, respectful conversations with your employees—even if the conversation is on the tougher side.
3. Written Communication
In my first post-college job, I learned a valuable skill from my boss, Kate Larkworthy. She told me to always cover my behind (aka CYA). What Kate meant by “covering my behind” is to always over-communicate, especially in emails and correspondences.
We often worked with a bevy of clients across many industries, many of whom were extremely busy. I learned pretty quickly that things could easily fall through the cracks. As an entry- or mid-level employee, these oversights will usually come down on you.
Written Communication as an Employee:
If you do your job, pay attention to details, and leave a written paper trail (i.e., emails), you can always have your behind essentially covered. Next time your client misses a deadline or your boss forgets to follow up, you will be ready to go with that super-smug greeting, “As per my email dated February 22nd…”
Written Communication as a Manager:
Covering your behind is a skill you will absolutely want to take into the management level. As a manager, it is your responsibility to communicate well with your employees.
Written communication is not always the best type of communication to cover all bases. Some things are better verbally communicated for clarity and tone. However, written summaries, whether through emails or living documents, serve as great supplemental elements to lengthy meetings, complicated projects, or workloads that include a ton of deadlines.
As a manager, it is also important to consider what you are putting into writing. Make sure your written correspondences are always responsible, respectful, and professional.
Check out our 21 tips to improve your writing and written communication.
4. Nonverbal Communication Skills
Anybody who has been to a Zoom meeting on mute knows that your nonverbal communication can say a lot. In fact, it may even betray you if you're not paying close attention.
That's right, nonverbal communication is just as important as your best verbal communication skills. One slight roll of the eye after a seemingly convincing verbal interaction could undo it all.
Body Language, Facial Cues, and Tone:
Public speaking, digital meetings, or face-to-face communications all involve nonverbal elements that can communicate more than words.
If the meeting is friendly, keep a friendly tone of voice. If you're tired or exasperated—and your eyes are getting heavy—consider toggling your camera to OFF in larger group meetings when possible.
If you need to keep the camera on, but you are having trouble keeping a scowl off your voice, take out a pen and paper to write notes.
In face-to-face meetings, try to maintain eye contact when possible. Use the mirroring technique when answering complicated questions, and keep your body language as relaxed as possible. Especially in instances (like an interview) where your nerves take over, try repeating these phrases:
- Relax your jaw
- Relax your shoulders
- Uncross your arms
- Breathe
Choosing the Correct Medium:
An important part of effective communication skills is knowing how to communicate in certain circumstances—and when.
As such, it's important to pick the right medium for each occasion. For example, if you're explaining a nuanced problem on a particular project, it might be better to schedule a phone call—rather than explaining via email, where tone can get lost altogether.
If you're having a kick-off call with a client, suggest having it face-to-face or via video chat so that everybody can familiarize themselves.
Finally, if you have something quick and easy to communicate, take your finger off your scheduler and send a quick email.
5. Presentation Soft Skills
If you’re like me, you dread the days when this skill comes into play. Presentation soft skills come naturally to some people. But if you tend to be more of an introvert, presentation soft skills could be less natural or downright uncomfortable for you.
Consider this: presentation skills are nothing more than a culmination of other communication soft skills. Presentation skills are a combination of listening, verbal, and written communication in one go.
Presentation Soft Skills as an Employee:
As I write this, it is basically a letter to myself.
Presenting anything in front of a group of people makes me pretty nervous. Presenting to a supervisor or a group of superiors could send my nerves into absolute shaky voice, dry mouth, unconscious sniffing overdrive.
Seriously, what's up with sniffing as a nervous tic?
However, I also realize that it’s downright silly to be so intimidated by other humans. We are all people. We all get nervous sometimes. Shake it off! We have a few ideas on how to calm your nerves if you'd like to check them out.
So, you have been asked to present something to your coworkers or a client. Blegh. Think about why you were asked to present. It is likely because you are the expert on that topic. Let that wash over you for a minute.
When you're assembling your presentation, think of what you can actually teach your audience. Is it a complicated marketing initiative that you built yourself? Is it a report on how your company’s social engagement has skyrocketed? Awesome! You did this. You can speak to it. Fuel your presentation with your successes.
And yes, the adage is true: practice makes perfect—or at least it improves with time!
Over time, strong communicators will be able to put all that nervousness or imposter syndrome creepiness to bed.
Presentation Soft Skills as a Manager:
If you're in a management role, it is likely that you already have ample presentation soft skills. In fact, it's basically in your job description. Sorry!
You're likely more comfortable interfacing with several people at one time, at ease when communicating complicated ideas or projects.
For a manager, presentations are a great opportunity to showcase your listening skills. Are you communicating ideas that your entire team can digest and understand? Have you organized ideas and steps in a way that the entire team will understand?
Next time you are assembling a presentation as a manager, think of your employees or clients. Recall conversations you had with them. Recall their concerns, their goals, and what excited them. If you showcase your listening skills within your presentation, you'll have had a successful meeting.
In Conclusion
Soft skills are like a living organism in that they shift constantly. Communication is an ever-changing landscape, too.
Keep an open mind when communicating. You can even figure out exactly how to communicate best with every person on your team by learning their workplace love language.
The way you communicate with your sister is (hopefully) different than the way you communicate with your boss. The way you write a birthday card is different than the way you write an email to a client.
Always pay attention to the way you communicate. A simple email could be the only impression another person gets from you.
- What language are you using?
- Are you apologizing too much?
- Are you friendly?
- Are you stern?
- Are you providing others space with which to communicate to you?
By always considering the way you communicate, you'll advance both personally and professionally. Finally, if you're looking for a way to illustrate your communication skills in your resume, job interview, or cover letter, we have resources for all of it!
