How to Improve Communication Skills

Learning how to improve communication skills requires a balance of self-awareness, practice, and practice.

Communication skills are a vital part of the world of work. However, you could argue it’s not something we’re ever actively taught.

Do our school English classes actively teach us communication skills and why the language we use matters? What about university?

What about workplace training or leadership development programs? (Ours do. Some don’t.)

When we assume we have certain skills, or that it happens innately, it can cause communication challenges in the workplace, whether that’s two people who have different communication styles, leaders who don’t share updates clearly enough, or colleagues who don’t listen actively. This can cause all sorts of conflicts and challenges that can be easily avoided with the right workplace support.

How, then, do you improve your communication skills? And why does it matter anyway?

Why are strong communication skills important in the work environment?

Strong communication is a foundational element of psychological safety in the workplace. It ensures that colleagues and direct reports understand what you’re saying and there’s no room for interpretation or offence.

Communication, just like language, is ever-evolving. What was a normal phrase 50 years ago may not be acceptable in the modern world of work. Most people wouldn’t use “gay” to mean happy anymore, for instance, and it’s likely that if they did they’d get some strange looks from those around them.

Strong communication skills mean that everyone knows what you mean, they know what their purpose at work is, they’re aligned with company goals, and everyone gets along much better.

What role does emotional intelligence play in effective communication?

Emotional intelligence is a key part of effective communication. It allows us to regulate our emotions so that we can respond to a situation rather than react to it.

Imagine it’s Friday afternoon and an employee comes to you because a client spotted a bug in your software and if you don’t fix it now, it could get worse. You’d probably feel angry, right? You might want to shout, right?

But what does taking your anger out on that employee achieve?

Showing emotions is healthy, but allowing them to take over a situation shows emotional dysregulation and can create an unsafe work environment.

Instead, taking a step back from emotions allows you to focus on problem solving, meaning you can fix things faster  than if you’re marinating in anger. So then you can express yourself calmly and assertively, getting the job done without one particular emotion taking over the conversation.

What’s the best way to improve your communication skills?

If you’re looking to improve your communication skills, here are some tips:

Practice active listening

Being able to talk at someone isn’t part of being an effective communicator. You need to talk to them. 

You also need solid listening skills. This includes not interrupting when people talk and hearing what they say rather than planning what you’re going to say when they’re done.

Read something (and analyze it)

Never underestimate the power of a good book. Reading fiction can help us develop empathy, which is key for communication and generally being a good person.

Reading the type of fiction you actually enjoy will, even if you don’t actively study it, teach you different ways to communicate, things that work, things that might backfire, and things that might mean you have to brush up on your problem solving skills.

Analyzing language is a key part of understanding communication and how to develop your written communication skills.

Reading into the fiction, poetry, or even blog posts that resonate with you will help you understand why they resonate with you. You can then use those learnings to help you craft more effective communications.

Some questions to ask yourself when you read:

• Do they use plain English or do they target a more advanced reader? If so, why?
• Who are they talking to? Would they phrase the sentence differently if they had a different audience?
• How does the piece of writing make you feel? Does it provoke an emotional reaction at all?
• What emotive words do they use?
• Do they use simile, metaphor, or analogy to make a point?

Pay attention to non-verbal cues

Non-verbal cues like body language or the pitch of someone’s voice can tell you a lot more than the words they actually use or the message they’re trying to get across.

For example, if someone’s arms are crossed, they could be feeling protective, self-conscious, or cold. If it’s the latter, close the window or turn the heating up. If it’s one of the first two options, consider why they might feel that way and what you can do to put them at ease.

When someone’s voice goes up, this can be a sign of nerves or being uncomfortable, particularly if they say more than a few words that way (as opposed to just going up at the end of a sentence, which is often related to someone’s regional accent).

Likewise, if they speak quietly, they may not feel comfortable talking about the topic at hand. Speaking quietly or mumbling are also signs of depression.

Get some coaching

The professional development that comes from coaching can improve your skills in all aspects of workplace communication. That includes written communication, public speaking, listening skills, verbal communication, and nonverbal communication. You can identify cues in yourself and others to make it easier to navigate everything from a difficult conversation to a job interview.

One of the benefits of coaching with a Sanctus Coach is that they’re able to help you develop in areas such as your conflict resolution skills, constructive feedback technique, and presentation skills so that you can experience a stronger relationship with employees and improve employee engagement. All while improving your own mental health and well-being and experiencing the ripple effects of coaching throughout the organization.

Find a mentor

Mentors have been there, done that. Which makes them perfect for spotting ways your speaking skills could be holding you back at work. Whether it’s how often you say ‘um’ or ‘er’ when you’re speaking, talking too fast (guilty), or just getting over a fear of public speaking, they have your back and can teach you the soft skills you need as well as introducing you to the right people at the right time.

Pushfar is the UK’s #1 mentoring platform. It powers Sanctus Mentoring. Its unique mentor matching algorithm pairs mentees with the mentor best suited to their development needs.

Listen to your employees

Active listening isn’t just about hearing what employees say in a conversation. To be an active listener, you also have to pay attention to what they don’t say—or what they may be afraid to say with their name attached. It’s a sad fact that many employees simply don’t feel comfortable sharing their business-related concerns with management or HR, no matter how “open” the “open-door” policy is.

Sanctus Insights, powered by Rungway, found that when someone writes about a workplace challenge, 93% choose to post on the platform anonymously. Positive comments have someone’s name attached 50% of the time.

Employees from a BAME background post anonymously 94% of the time, compared to 89% for white counterparts, and they receive 44% more replies when posting anonymously. Women receive 31% more replies when they post anonymously.

It just goes to show that you may not know what’s lurking underneath the surface of your business if you don’t give employees the opportunity to share how they feel. They need a safe space where they can voice their concerns and feel hurt.

Sanctus Listening, powered by Rungway, offers that safe space for every employee. Employees can share their thoughts and opinions, and ask questions, with their colleagues or to senior leadership, and our content moderation team ensures that the right people can answer questions, helping prevent conflict or problems from escalating.

Conclusion

Everyone has their own communication style; that’s part of what makes us human. But those of us with effective communication skills know that good communication takes work. It requires emotional intelligence, self-reflection, interpersonal skills, and active listening.

The more employees understand their own and other people’s communication styles, the closer your team comes to performing at their best and preventing burnout.

Our coaching, mentoring, and listening packages can help you and your team develop all these skills and more. Employees at every level will feel more confident talking to their colleagues and be better able to get their point across.

You can take advantage of our package of coaching, mentoring, and listening tools or choose the option(s) that fit your needs. Get in touch today to find out how our solutions could help grow your business.