Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela or even Napoleon Bonaparte. All great leaders in history have something in common: their communication skills.
It is no coincidence that communication skills are among the most in-demand in any job, as they are essential to face work meetings, deal with clients or manage work teams.
But…
What exactly are communication skills?
When we talk about communication skills we refer to those that help us to carry out effective communication between people.
To achieve this, it is essential to develop several skills such as, for example:
- Listening skills
To be able to speak, we must be able to listen to our interlocutors first. The famous active listening that consists of giving our full attention and requesting the necessary clarifications to ensure that we have understood the message they want to convey.
- Empathy
This skill allows us to detect the state of mind of other people in order to find the right words and the right moment to express them. It is a highly valued communication skill in terms of team management.
- Ability to adapt
Just as it is necessary to listen to understand, if you want your message to be understood you must adapt it to your audience language and the context in which you find yourself. For example, it would not make sense to use excessively formal language to address a primary school child or excessively colloquial language in a job interview.
- Respect
Respect for others is essential when trying to communicate. Aspects such as not interrupting when they are speaking, answering questions precisely or asking clear questions are necessary skills to achieve a pleasant communication for all parties involved.
- Knowledge of body language
Not only do we communicate through words, non-verbal language plays an important role in every conversation and being able to read and control it gives a huge competitive advantage in leadership matters.
- Ability to synthesize
Time is one of the most valuable goods today, so when you speak or write, try to be as brief and specific as possible. Your audience will thank you for it and your message will receive more attention.
Types of communication skills
In the previous point we have named some of the most relevant skills to achieve effective communication and now we want to show you how all of them are classified:
- Verbal communication skills
This is the type of communication that uses words to express a message through oral, written and sign language. In this type of communication it is very important to learn to express your ideas clearly and make sure that your audience has understood what you wanted to say by asking them for feedback.
- Non-verbal communication skills
What we say with words is only the tip of the iceberg. Actually, we complete the information with the messages we send through our physical appearance, our gestures and our tone of voice. Therefore, a good communicator has the ability to control this type of language as well.
- Written communication skills
It is also a form of verbal communication, but more thoughtful because it allows us to carefully choose each word and edit its content to fit what we really want to say in the way we intend to say it.
- Visual communication skills
This is the ability to synthesize content or express ideas through images. It is often used to support verbal and written communication, but it can also be a form of communication in its own right. As in the case of works of art.
Why are communication skills so important?
In both the professional and personal worlds, it is as important to be as it is to look like. In other words, it is not very useful to have a lot of knowledge if you don’t know how to express it or to achieve a great success without having anyone around to celebrate it with.
Training your communication skills will help you to make your ideas known and improve your relationship with clients, colleagues or family.
There are a multitude of situations in which you will need to put these skills into action. Here are some examples:
- in the presentation of a project
- to convey information to your clients and/or colleagues
- in personal relationships or networking
- to write an apology email
- in a meeting or job interview
- to identify your clients’ concerns
- in a business negotiation
- to obtain financing
- and many others.
Being able to communicate effectively will not only facilitate the work processes, but also living together with other people. And that’s why communication skills are at the top of the ranking of the most In-Demand Soft Skills in the world of business.
5 ways to improve your communication skills in CIS University
At CIS University we not only care about your academic preparation, but also about how to improve the soft skills that will make your life easier, such as communication skills.
Do you want to know how we do it?
1 – Creating the CIS Debate Club that allows you to train verbal and non-verbal communication with other students.
2 – Fostering empathy among peers through our mentorship program.
3 – Enhancing social relationships thanks to our language exchange program.
4 – Offering support workshops to improve our students’ written communication skills.
5 – Showing how to manage one’s own emotions and those of others through our coaching service.
Would you like to improve your communication skills?
Choose the university degree that best suits you and let yourself be carried away by our 360º educational system.
