If you haven’t heard of World Hello Day, you are not alone. The idea is that simply by greeting ten people to mark the occasion (today, Monday, 21st November) you will demonstrate your commitment to communication over force for building enduring world peace. Most of us will appreciate that the sentiment is extremely worthwhile, including in the workplace.
For a few pointers on how to improve your communication skills at work, please discover five steps to great workplace communication published by Forbes, or skip straight to our summary below.
- Assume everyone has the best of intentions. Supposing ill intent erodes trust as does jumping on the blame wagon. Always give your colleagues the benefit of the doubt and observe how much easier and more pleasant (yet no less effective) your interactions become.
- Be curious. Ask questions to unlock understanding before jumping to conclusions that put people on the defensive. Similarly, if your colleagues question one of your decisions, take it as the simple expression of curiosity that it probably is (rather than a loaded rebuke). By combining your assumption that everyone has positive intentions with your spirit of curiosity, even emotionally charged situations can be quickly diffused when not avoided completely.
- Practise proactive listening. That means listening to achieve a genuine understanding of the other person’s experience or viewpoint. Don’t immediately leap to your automatic set of responses or bring the conversation back to yourself. Ask follow-up questions to take the conversation deeper and show that you’re truly listening. Take time to digest what the other person is saying.
- Speak in the first person. ‘I’ statements signal openness to other perspectives. Summarise what you’ve understood to check that you’re correct. For example, you might say, ‘From what I understand, you’d like to… Is that right?’
- Infuse your communications with positivity. Communicating an optimistic outlook builds stronger work relationships, enhances creativity and motivation, and leads to better outcomes.
According to the article, it’s all too easy to overlook the importance of communication. But if you make an effort to action the above tips, your communication skills in the office and beyond will improve dramatically. Enjoy the results!
For advice on how to effectively communicate in the interview room, or any other related matter, please get in touch. We are the UK’s number one multilingual recruitment agency and we’ve got all the tips you need to ace both your job search and your interview! Please give us a call on +44 (0)20 7092 3911 or email us at info@ablrecruitment.com to brainstorm the options.
