Communication as you already know is not just about talking and writing. Most people really don't understand how far effective communication can take them or limit their potential. Ever ask someone for directions and after explaining, you go "what the heck did he just say?" or be in lecture and after sitting for 50 min, you didn't understand one bit of what the instructor said? How about during a career fair and you have to advertise yourself in 90 seconds or less, what are you going to say? How are you going to say it? Effective Communication is the ability to convey your thoughts and ideas properly. It has never been needed in the work place than now. Companies use it as a top skill amongst its executives to lead their company. The art of passing across your thoughts both verbally and written in a concise, and thorough manner depicts your ability to lead a team, confidence and attention to detail.
Communication in the workplace: Your ability to speak eloquently and in a concise manner shows that you are one who can be the face of the company. You may be good, even an expert in your craft but if you can't speak in way that translates your competence to words, you may find it find it difficult among your peers or moving up the chain. I know that not everyone is very comfortable with public speaking ( I am still working on mine) but it can be a deciding factor in the roles and opportunities that come your way. Imagine if Obama wasn't a good public speaker, imagine if his speeches are off-point and shallow (though it may be written by someone), imagine that. Effective communication shows your competence & confidence. It shows your ability to lead by influencing people through your words. The best way to start practicing effective communication is going straight to the point (hit the hammer on the head), don't beat around the bush, understand what your customers/clients/stakeholders needs to hear and address that. Your boss won't have all day listening to you ramble, you have to walk-and-talk at the same time. Even in your written reports at work, the shorter the better, and that is with vital information. A lot of Africans lack the ability to pass across their thoughts in a non confusing way. Obviously, there are many factors to that; English as a second language, accent/pronunciation issues etc. One way to overcome this is by first of all, understanding your problem areas and accepting it, with acceptance comes courage to work on those issues. You can even let your audience know your accent is too strong and hopefully, they can understand you (that eases the tension and nervousness), when it comes to those words that are harder for you to pronounce, take your time and speak up. I will also go ahead to add that your voice tone and volume is also part of communication. Speaking in a low tone may come off as being shy and timid and lack of confidence. How would you feel if your boss or anyone in a notable position is speaking to you in a whispering voice (maybe looking down and their hands in their pocket), yeah you get the idea. As Africans, we tend to have that issue because it is part of our upbringing, especially if you grew up in Africa. But you have time and means of improving. Also check out your local Toastmaster's club (some are free), they can help you polish your communication skills.
Communication in school: This I won't spend much time on, we all write and have written papers. Some we get excellent scores on and some, you just wonder. The writing style and rubric for undergraduate studies is totally different in graduate level courses. Though it's normal for college students to ramble in papers to fulfill page length, just understand that in your work place, that may not be a good idea (maybe you have to wait till your annual review to find out). If you're not doing so well on your papers, maybe you are not capturing the reader( your instructor), maybe you're just rambling with no concise information among many other issues.
Communication in Interviews/Resumes/Career Fairs: Let me ask you, what are you going to say during a career fair when you walk up to that recruiter and she/he is looking at you? (obviously, you need not to be told to maintain eye contact at ALL times). This is the 90 second commercial of yourself. Just like commercials, they go straight to the point, so you have to go straight to the point. No unnecessary speech about something that doesn't add value to your brand (yourself). I won't go into details of what you should say but its no brainier that you start with your name, major, GPA(if its above 3.0 and if you're seeking for an internship), graduation, and what you're looking for (you should know your niche) and of course your insights about the company. Remember that it's usually loud during career fairs so voice tone is paramount.
Cover letters are not just used to introduce yourself and show your interests, employers use it to gauge your writing ability, with that in mind what you write and how you write determines if your resume will be looked at, and once they move to look at your resume, your abilities will be matched.
In all, we are all working on our communication skills (written & verbal). No one is perfect and no one knows it all, however with practice comes perfection. Understand that just having that degree may not guarantee you a job or promotion. Other abilities will. I am still working on my own communication skills. Not until recently i started becoming comfortable with public speaking ( still working on it). We all know the areas we need help in.
Thank You for reading
- Ony
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