What Is Excellent Communication Skills

What Is Excellent Communication Skills Excellent Communication Skills What Does It Really Mean?Posted October 13, 2011, by Mike KermodeSo you think youve got good communication skills? Well, you wouldnt be alone.Almost everyone lays claim to having excellent communication skills, and every job requires them but what does it really mean? And what does it mean to have these skills when it comes to your job?Most jobs need good communicators, people who can express themselves clearly and positively, both verbally and in writing. Its one of the key ingredients of success, so it pays to understand whats involved and theres more to good communication than the obvious.The problem is that good communication skills is a phrase so overused, and so broad, that its hard to know what its really saying.Having good communication skills in the workplace is all about being able to convey information to people clearly and simply, in a way that means things are understood and get done. Its about trans mitting and receiving katecheses clearly, and being able to read your audience. It means you can do things like give and understand instructions, learn new things, make requests, ask questions and convey information with ease.It also means that you can adapt yourself to new and different situations, read the behaviour of other people, compromise to reach agreement, have difficult conversations with ease, and avoid and resolve conflict. In fact, a large part of good communication is about being empathic, so you can understand how others will interpret your ja genaus and behaviour. And dont forget that communication is a two-way street, so being a good listener is vital. Good communication skills are some of the simplest, most essential and most useful tools for success you can possess. In fact, they are probably the number one ability sought by employers. So if youre lacking in this department, you might like to keep the following in mind.Keep your head upOpen hands, good eye conta ct, plenty of smiling, good posture, respect for others personal space these are all part and parcel of good communication. They all display your positive attitude and help present you as reliable and open. Having good body language establishes trust and rapport and means people will not only have more confidence in you, but will want to listen to and work with you.The gift of the gabGood language doesnt necessarily mean that you need the oratorical skills of Winston Churchill, and doesnt just mean being proficient in English (although it helps a lot). It also means that your diction is clear and audible, your sentences are concise, your thought processes are logical and your delivery is flowing. Being a confident and amiable speaker establishes trust with your audience and helps you elicit information and make introductions. This helps to maintain strong relationships at work with co-workers and clients. Speaking well also requires you to adapt your speech to suit your audience, involving changing your word choice and tone for different scenarios. You have to be flexible to communicate effectively and use lingo thats appropriate and understandable to your listeners.Be a wordsmithEver received a text that was over-abbreviated, or an email that just didnt make sense? Communicating well also means being able to write well, or well enough to get your message across clearly. This doesnt just mean spelling, grammar, sentence structure and punctuation, but also being able to read quickly, use email, attach documents, and send and respond to messages in an appropriate timeframe. And, like speaking, choosing those words that are just right for the situation.Mind your milieuThe appropriateness of your language in different contexts is crucial. Your effectiveness as a communicator is entirely contingent on how you adapt your messages for different situations, different environments, different audiences and different purposes. How you communicate at work also depend s on the job. If youre a teacher, for example, you need the whole gamut of communication skills written, spoken, body language because youll be talking to a multitude of individuals and groups. You need to be empathic, but also commanding. Morphing these signals to match the scenario is partly what will make you a good teacher. These skills would be balanced differently for, say, a corporate lawyer or a retail salesperson.On paper and in personYour resumeand cover letter are the first glimpse an employer has of who you are. And while it doesnt take much to write I possess excellent communication skills in your cover letter, the truth of the claim quickly becomes evident when youre face-to-face with the interviewer. With a cover letter, a prospective employer can immediately assess your writing skills your ability to spell, construct a coherent sentence and proofread your own work. If you want to be taken seriously as a contender, you have to ensure that both your resume and cov er letter are grammatically sound and devoid of spelling errors.Your application also gives the employer the chance to assess your ability to read accurately and carefully, based on how well you address the job requirements, and how well you expand on and illustrate specific points. Because so much is revealed by your resume and cover letter as the first step in your communication, arming yourself with a top-notch package should be your top priority. Once you make the cut and make it to the interview, the employer is privy to all your communicative quirks, and this will have a large bearing on your suitability and prospects. They will check out your body language, speaking skills, your confidence, your word choice, your tone the whole shebang. Good communication skills here will be hard to fake, so its worth practising answering potential interview questions and doing as much preparation as possible. In the interview, you could be asked to give an example of when you have exerci sed good communication skills in the past. You could pick from a host of situations a time when you deftly avoided conflict, or resolved a conflict or the time you sold a product to a hesitant customer or pitched an idea to your boss. In all cases, you can approach it from several angles at once, highlighting your capacity for empathy, understanding and diplomacy, your ability to adapt to the situation, and how your direct approach saw something resolved sooner rather than later. Regardless of what field youre in and despite the apparent hollowness of the term, honing your communication skills will pay you back many times over. If you get it right, youre guaranteed to have a much smoother path through life and your career.Whats the most undervalued job skill?Top courses in 2017Administration coursesAnimal Care coursesBuilding and Construction coursesCounselling coursesCommunity Services coursesNatural Therapy coursesNursing coursesNutrition coursesProject Management coursesReal Es tate coursesSocial Work coursesTravel and Tourism courses ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?menschlich Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searchesexcellent communications skillseffective oral and written communication skillswell developed written and verbal communication skillsexcellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skillscommunication skills definition CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineMike KermodeRelated ArticlesBrowse moreChristmasVolunteeringGive a little why you should volunteer this ChristmasWhats more fashionable than giving a knitted jumper with a snowman on it thi s Christmas? 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