Want to know the secret to becoming irreplaceable at work? Strong professional communication skills can prevent problems before they start, protect your reputation, and make you valuable in any organization. Needless to say, mastering communication is essential for workplace success.
One day, you’ll most likely be in a situation where you’ll need to know how to ask the right questions and choose the best medium for your message, as well as when to speak up about problems and when to hold your tongue. Keep reading for tips from subject matter experts.
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Mastering Communication Skills
Perino writes that mastering professional communication skills makes you valuable in any organization. You can prevent most problems by ensuring you communicate thoroughly and effectively, whether you’re speaking or writing. Clear and thoughtful communication reduces the risk of misunderstandings, lessens the need for follow-up communications, and ensures that important information reaches the right people in the right way at the right time. It also protects your reputation and relationships in the workplace.
According to Perino, to be an effective communicator, you should:
- Ask questions to fully understand what others are thinking before responding.
- Plan your message by considering who needs to hear it, what’s the best way to get it across, and how it could be misinterpreted. This ensures that people receive your message as intended.
- Opt for verbal communication when tone matters. It’s easier to convey the right emotion verbally than in writing.
More Tips to Avoid (or Fix) Misunderstandings
In Communication Skills Training, James Williams agrees with Perino that communicating effectively with others is a crucial skill—it’s how we build and maintain relationships, solve problems, and accomplish tasks. He offers the following tips for avoiding misunderstandings:
- Communicate about important topics face-to-face. Besides preserving tone, verbal communication lets you pick up on body language and facial expressions, which are important for understanding the other person’s feelings and intent.
- When you’re planning your message, identify the most concise and direct way to convey your ideas. The fewer words you use, the less room there is for misinterpretation.
- Check for understanding. In addition to asking questions to ensure you understand others’ perspectives, regularly check in to see whether the other person is on the same page as you are.
If misunderstandings still happen, Williams offers tips to salvage the conversation:
- Pause and identify the issue so you can address the misunderstanding immediately. Take a moment to figure out what exactly was said or done to cause the issue, so you know what to address.
- Be mindful, and if someone gets offended, keep your cool. Fully consider their perspective on what you might have done wrong. Then, take accountability for any mistakes.
Resolving a misunderstanding early might still save you from having to do follow-up communications, and it will ensure that the people who need to receive your message come away with the right idea—and hopefully no hurt feelings.
Know When to Speak Up…
Sometimes, being an effective communicator means knowing when to raise the alarm. Perino argues that if you notice a potential problem at work, speak up and make sure your concerns are heard, even if it feels uncomfortable. Speaking up decisively can prevent problems from escalating into crises. It also demonstrates responsibility and initiative, which are valued in any workplace. If you find yourself needing to speak up, Perino says you should first raise your concern directly with your boss. If they dismiss it, but your gut still tells you it’s potentially serious, share your concern with someone higher up.
(Shortform note: While Perino points out that employees sometimes need to raise the alarm, not all workplaces are conducive to speaking up. In Good to Great, James Collins explains that leaders need to cultivate a culture where truths can be sought and aired. One way to do so is to implement “alarm bell” systems: procedures that enable members of the management team to call a total halt to particular programs or strategies and raise concerns. Alarm bell mechanisms allow pressing facts to reach executives in a quick and unvarnished fashion. When these mechanisms are in place, team members feel more comfortable raising concerns, and their supervisors are more likely to take the concerns seriously.)
… and Know When to Hold Your Tongue
At other times, being an effective communicator means keeping quiet. Perino writes that you should think carefully before speaking. Exercising restraint will prevent you from making comments that could damage relationships, hurt your reputation, or create unnecessary conflict. Also, as former vice president Dick Cheney told Perino, keeping your thoughts to yourself allows others to feel comfortable expressing their opinions without fear of judgment. This means you’ll have the opportunity to hear and learn from everyone on your team.
To make sure you don’t regret what you say, Perino recommends imagining how a respected mentor or leader would feel hearing your words. If you’re in doubt, save your thoughts for a private setting rather than airing them publicly or in writing.
| What Would Epictetus Think? Instead of imagining how a respected mentor or leader would think about your words, how about imagining an ancient Greek philosopher’s reaction? In The Discourses of Epictetus, Epictetus goes further than Perino in recommending self-restraint. While she urges you not to say something you regret, he recommends that you speak only when needed. He writes that you shouldn’t indulge in small talk or talk about yourself. There’s no benefit to talking too much, and it uses up time and energy that you could spend in quiet contemplation. Furthermore, talking about yourself won’t teach you anything that you don’t already know. As Cheney observes, you learn by listening to others. Most importantly, while saying the wrong thing can give people a negative impression of you, your actions will always speak louder than words. Epictetus says you shouldn’t waste time talking about your principles and your virtues—act on them instead. What other people think of your actions is irrelevant, so there’s no need to convince them that your reasoning is correct. Be confident in yourself (but not prideful), and you won’t feel the need to explain or justify yourself in the first place. |
Explore More Skills to Improve Professional Communication
To learn more about professional communication skills, check out the Shortform’s guides mentioned in this article:
- I Wish Someone Had Told Me… by Dana Perino
- Communication Skills Training by James Williams
- The Discourses of Epictetus by Epictetus
