No matter what other skills you have,
communication skills rank the highest among employers seeking quality employees. That goes for accounting
and finance professionals as well, according to a recent survey by Accountemps.
The reason for this, says Terry Phillips,
vice president of Robert Half International
in Akron, is that managers realize the
wide-reaching impact of communication
and the dozens of interactions employees
have each day with other people.
Smart Business spoke with Phillips
about what people can do to improve
their communication skills
Why are communication skills more important than ever before?
Managers realize the wide-reaching
impact of communication. Every day,
people have dozens, if not hundreds, of
interactions with colleagues, managers,
customers, investors and others.
How high do communications skills rank
among employers when hiring for management positions?
They rank quite high, actually.
Managers rely on soft skills every day in
their interactions with staff, senior management and clients, so proficiency in all
types of communication is essential to
success. Since senior-level responsibilities include motivating and retaining
employees, strong ‘people’ skills are as
vital as financial expertise.
What can employers do to sharpen their
employees’ communication skills?
Employers can take a number of steps
to help improve their staff’s communication and other soft skills. Some things
other companies in our area have done are: developing a mentor program, providing tuition reimbursement for employees taking courses in business writing
and public speaking, and encouraging
staff to volunteer for team leadership
roles. Each of these is an excellent way to
help employees become more effective
communicators.
What can business professionals themselves do to sharpen their skills?
Like any other skill set, soft skills can be
learned, practiced and improved upon.
Those willing to improve on these skills
should observe others, taking a close
look at people in their organization who
present their thoughts well at meetings
and can write detailed yet brief e-mail
messages. They should also invite constructive criticism, informing trusted coworkers of their desire to improve and
asking for suggestions to act upon. They
should seek opportunities to improve.
There are a number of courses individuals can take to heighten listening, negotiation and public speaking abilities.
Also, the capacity to perform under
pressure, make good decisions in a time
crunch and project a professional image
can be enhanced with practice.
Another thing they should do is give
attention to the details, making it a habit
to double-check all of their e-mails for
accuracy and clarity. A clean, error-free
e-mail speaks volumes about your attention to detail.
Being an active listener is also important. The savviest communicators do
more listening than speaking. They pay
attention and look directly at the person
speaking. Instead of thinking about their
response, they focus on what’s being said.
They’re also aware of their body language. Poor posture, drumming fingers
and tapping feet can break the connection between them and the speaker. They
also avoid distractions, refraining from
using their computer while talking on the
phone.
You’re guaranteed to tune out a portion
of the conversation if you’re engaged in
another activity. They take thorough
notes, bringing a pen and paper to every
meeting they attend but not letting their
note-taking interfere with the flow of conversation. They don’t interrupt, realizing
the temptation to break into the conversation but always letting the speaker finish. Interrupting runs the risk of short-circuiting specific information or ideas.
Finally, they ask questions. Agreeing
with everything you hear doesn’t mean
you’re a good listener. Active listening
means asking questions to clarify salient
points.
TERRY PHILLIPS is vice president of Robert Half International
in Akron. Robert Half is a specialized staffing firm headquartered
in Menlo Park, Calif. Reach Phillips at (330) 253-8367.