How to improve your communication skills in the workplace?

Rachel,

Communication skills ( verbal and non - verbal) are necessary. The workplace is a good example of a meeting point for colleagues from diverse backgrounds and who possess different work ethics.

To communicate effectively at the work place, you should in addition to learning and improving your speaking skills, be a good listener.

Engage in activities that afford you the opportunity to speak, even if briefly. For instance, I have been involved in speech presentations but I did not consider myself to be perfect in this area. I joined Toastmasters International and the experience I gained from membership was beneficial. Be confident.

Another area you may wish to consider is how to handle conflicts at the workplace. In addition to good speaking skills, learning mediation tactics is definitely gainful.

If you are thinking of more general communication strategies, such as just talking to colleagues, a lot of it is practice and holding yourself to it in order to get better. Try setting a goal for yourself of talking to 3 people per day that you might not normally interact with. Ask them more about what they do, why they do it; talk to them about their personal lives and their own interests outside of work to get to know them better. It can be a little awkward at first, but it's a good, simple strategy to improve your communication abilities.

This will help you in the long run for networking by forming a strong, memorable connection with the people you meet, as well as developing strong working relationships with the people you interact with on a day-to-day basis.

Hi, Rachel!

If you are referring to verbal communication, my best advice is to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! The more presentations you do, the easier it is to present. Gary has a very good suggestion with Toastmasters. It will help tremendously. Make sure you practice your speech to anyone and everyone before the real presentation. It's really important to practice the transitions because that's where people tend to trip up and get flustered. You know the main points but how do you flow from one to the next?

If your College offers a course on public speaking or presentations, take it. It will probably be uncomfortable since most people are terrified of public speaking but you will come out of it a much better speaker.

If you are referring to written communication, check your College catalog. Most departments have an appropriate writing course. One example is technical writing but depending on your field of study, it might be business writing or a generic writing class through the English department. Also, read appropriate articles in your field. However, be wary since most technical journal articles are really bad. But you can learn a great deal from bad examples too!

Best of luck!

Jeff

The best way is to join a Toastmasters group in your area. You will quickly be able to stand up in front of a group and feel very comfortable speaking to your fellow members. The same thing happens in a service club (Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.). You might also ask your firm if you could develop a short (15-30) minute presentation about what you do. This would allow you to make presentations at all the service clubs in your area as they all need speakers at their regular meetings (sometimes once a week)/ I did exactly what I'm describing and as a financial planner with knowledge and experience in ethics, I made presentations across America to all types of audiences and was compensated by some organizations. I was named the Outstanding Presenter of a non-industry topic (Estate Planning) at one of three consecutive national conventions for a building owners and managers association (BOMA). My contact with this group was President of my local Kiwanis Club who heard me make a similar presentation at a local library as a public service for my local financial planning organization (Institute of Certified Financial Planners, Atlanta, GA, Chapter). I also made audio presentations on two subjects for the College for Financial Planning and a video presentation for a national life insurance company. You never know where a good speaking ability will take you. Good Luck!!