We’re not only living in the age of information; it’s also the age of communication! Being able to put your point across eloquently, whether it’s at a meeting, on the phone, on social media or in an email, is a vital skill to help you on the road to success in business.
If you struggle to put your thoughts into words, grapple with grammar or suck at spelling, you are lacking an essential entrepreneurial skill. Not only does a lack of communication skills – written and verbal – count against you if you are running your own business, but it stands in the way if you work for someone else. Many recruiters will tell you, communication skills are something every employer looks for in a job candidate, no matter what the position is that needs to be filled.
It’s not only a case of communicating with customers or suppliers, but also being able to effectively communicate within the company whether you are the boss or a lowly employee.
To be able to do any job efficiently you will need to interact with your colleagues and clients. There will be a need to discuss problems, give or receive instructions, network, work in a team, and so on. You may have a brilliant idea, but if you are unable to clearly and concisely communicate it to others it may well stay just that … an idea.
If there is good communication between the staff within an organisation the effects will ripple outwards, conveying the sense of trust, loyalty and openness into relationships with customers, suppliers and business partners.
It’s not all about the ability to talk the hind leg off a donkey! Communication is a two-way street; a good communicator knows that there is a time to keep quiet and listen attentively to others.
The Written Word ….
The one area many fall down on is in written communication, which is more important today than it has ever been before! Budding businesses are reliant on written communication like blogging, email shots, and social media to put their message across. If you can’t express yourself in the written word you could actually be harming rather than helping your business prospects by sending out inferior literary communications.
Besides written and verbal communication one should also take note of non-verbal communication, such as body posture, hand gestures and eye contact. Developing an awareness of these signals in yourself and others can be useful in face-to-face and group situations.
If you feel you have problems with any or all aspects of effective communication, it is possible to improve the situation by looking for appropriate courses to learn these skills.
Communication has been recognised as a vital life skill – not only professionally but personally too – so there are numerous institutions across the country running short courses and training pogrammes. A good place to start looking for a course is online at findcourses.co.uk.