If you want to master communication in every area of your life, we’ve explained the five areas that are particularly important.
It’s no exaggeration to say that there aren’t many soft skills that are more important than communication – if you can communicate well at work, you’ll have a better career and your company will be more successful. Communication isn’t just critical in the workplace, either. If you can master a variety of communication skills then things outside work will improve too – you’ll have better relationships with the most important people in your life and everyone you meet. There are plenty of different kinds of communication, though, and it’s a complex field. We’ve cut through the noise to explain the five key areas you need to get right, and discovered why they’re so important. If you’d like to bring more skills from the workplace to the outside world, head here for five essential technical skills you should master in your everyday life, or click here for our pick of five critical soft skills. It’s no good talking to people if they can’t get their head around what you’re saying. When you’re speaking you need to choose words that express yourself clearly – if you’re straightforward, people will understand what you’re saying, but they’ll struggle if you just use jargon and buzzwords. It’s not just about clarity of words, either. In most situations you’ve got to be honest about what you’re saying. If you know you’re going to be having an important conversation, it’s worth taking a minute to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. Everyone involved will benefit, and the conversation won’t descend into confusion. Bear in mind, too, that you’ll often need to adapt your speech to your audience. If you can remember this while being straightforward and honest, you’ll get better results from all of your verbal communication. That last point goes hand-in-hand with the need for empathy and emotional intelligence.
