How to use effective communication in the workplace

- Communication is one of the top soft skills requested by companies and searched for by recruiters When determining qualified new hires for organizations. Whether you're leveraging for your interview or in your day-to-day work in the office, here are three simple tips on how effective communication can help you position yourself to become a stronger leader. Let's call them the 3Cs. Number one, be clear. One way to ensure that you're clear is, whenever possible, write out what you want to say in advance. This doesn't have to be a script, but it can help you think through what you want to say. What are the three top things you want to make sure that this person walks away from the presentation or the conversation knowing? Number two, be concise. Don't waste words or over complicate things unnecessarily just to show off how smart you are. We already know that. Your goal is to make sure your message is received and understood. Give people information in small bites so they can have time to process what you said and allow them space to ask questions if needed. You may want to blurt it all out to get it all out at once, but once you start to ramble and lose people, you might as well consider them gone. And number three, be curious. Ask clarifying questions for anything you're uncertain about or ask the speaker to elaborate on a specific point they've made. This demonstrates that you're paying attention and that you value the speaker's insight. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.