This next group of fundamentals relates to communication skills. Professionally, if you are applying for jobs or looking for a promotion with your current employer, you will almost certainly need to demonstrate good communication skills. As your career progresses, the importance of communication skills increases; the ability to speak, listen, question and write with clarity and conciseness are essential for most managers and leaders. Below are some basics to master as they relate to your communication skills. Here are 9-16:
9. Speaking In order to be successful in your job and career, you must be able to speak effectively with confidence and clarity. Learn to communicate your ideas in an empowered, clear and engaging way. This will help you to perform and progress with ease and strength. When well done, your speaking skills will set you apart from other professionals. Good communication is a strong asset, so learn it while you’re in the beginning stages of your career. Talk to the CEO of your company. Got sweaty palms talking to authority figures? Find a way to calm those nerves.
10. Give an Elevator Pitch A common question you will be asked where ever you work, “What does your company do?” Or “What is your job at XYZ Company?” Practice your 30 second elevator pitch. You need two, one pitch for what your company does and the second pitch for what you do for your job. Not sure what to say? Listen to what your co-workers say and then create your elevator pitch in your own words.
11. Writing The truth is that writing skills play a larger part in your professional life than you may realize. Good writing skills can help you come across as more credible and more capable than a colleague who frequently has typos, grammatical errors, inappropriate/unknown abbreviations and silly emoticons. With emails, notes, letters, texts and tweets, most people spend a fair amount of time at work communicating via the written word. Whether you are messaging a colleague, writing to your manager, or crafting the company newsletter, your writing skills can boost or hinder your career easily, even if you do not have a “writing” profession. Email is forever. Good writing skills are a key asset at every stage of your career, from the moment you write your very first cover letter and resume/CV until your retirement party
12. Social Media Whether you’re actively job seeking or not, building your professional profile using social media will extend your professional reach beyond your immediate circle. Social media can broaden your professional network, keep you informed, and even land you a job. Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms have the potential to amplify access to resources that fuel personal and professional development. While the primary goal of many sites is to highlight individual working achievements, they are now becoming centers for individuals to illustrate their industry-specific knowledge, share best practice and to network with other likeminded professionals. Given that a majority of job seekers and hiring managers view these sites as “professional” and ideally suited to recruitment they are often a first point of call when searching for talent as well as a common vetting tool when judging a person’s potential influence within the field. Keeping your professional profile up to date and being visible within in these communities as much as possible can open you up to some of the best marketing opportunities available. So clean up your social media sites, remove those personal photos and create a professional look that will build your executive presence.
13. Meetings Undoubtedly you’ve attended meetings? Were you a good attendee? Being an effective attendee is as important as being an effective presenter. A meeting is a business investment and as such needs to be looked at as an investment. Time = money. You need to prepare ahead of time, participate during the meeting, and “take care of business” afterward. How can I ever forget the meetings I attended in my first professional job? I was so concerned that I wouldn’t be heard that I frequently spoke out of turn. Sometimes I would be so focused on making my point that I would wind up derailing the meeting. The results were often painful—I didn’t get invited to come back, or I got “those looks” from my boss that said “please keep quiet.” Ask yourself, why am I here and then participate accordingly. Learn how to lead a meeting. Always have a meeting agenda, and make sure you open it for discussion as often as you can so you’re not the only one talking. Also, follow up with action items and decisions made during the meeting.
14. Network The old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is still relevant. Many people agree that it’s all about who you know in the working world. Networking with the right people in your industry can open doors for you and help your career flourish. Networking is about making connections and building enduring, mutually beneficial relationships. Relationships are the catalyst for success. People do business with those they like and trust. To succeed you must continually connect with new people, cultivate emerging relationships and leverage your network both within your company and outside your company. Some things to remember: Learn how to tactfully give your business card at a networking event. No one likes the business card dealer who swoops in, throws his or her card at you, and then leaves you without speaking. First, have a conversation with someone. Find out what you have in common. Then offer your card as a way to stay in touch. Avoid getting sloppy at a networking event. An open bar doesn’t give you permission to act like you are with long lost friends. Have a drink to loosen up, but keep it professional.
15.Diversity and Cultural Knowledge Effective communication is key to any organization’s success, and so an appreciation of different cultures is also of great importance to maintain a professional and harmonious environment in the workplace. Organizations in the 21st century are a mix of people from different cultural backgrounds who have to understand each other, interact on a daily basis and often work in more than one country. Seemingly innocuous things such as eye contact, hand gestures or work attire can cause possible offence or misunderstanding. Learn about cultural nuances and etiquette. Above all, it is important to ensure that the increasing diversity of workplaces and the global nature of modern business is not seen as a hindrance, and is turned into the positive that it can and should be. Diversity brings a wider variety of viewpoints and can bring about solutions to problems that may not previously have been seen, as well as bringing individual talents and experiences to provide an increased adaptability
16. Manage Your Perception/Brand You may think that managing your image at work is a no-brainer. How people perceive you and how you choose to leverage your personal capital (i.e., your advantages at work) are important to your success, but also to your ability to get the right experiences—all of which impact your career progression. How you choose to manage your personal brand will influence your daily decisions and career management plans. Managing your personal brand means knowing how to make the right decisions that strengthen your skills, capabilities and influence. Discovering your impact and influence is being able to know your unique qualities, characteristics and skill-sets. Managing your personal brand requires you to put your ideas and ideals to the test; learning to know what works and what doesn’t work. Pay close attention to how others react to you and how you can refine and build upon your thinking and approach. This requires focus, acute self awareness and tremendous patience. Remember to manage the perception others have of you, because perception is reality!
If any of these skills feel challenging to you, contact us and we can help you.
See you next week when we’ll focus on the last set of fundamentals that relate to general business skills.
