How to Excel in Communication at Work

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you aren’t in the loop at work? Maybe you have a hard time understanding what your duties are at your job, or perhaps you just have a hard time dealing with coworkers and seem to always run into conflicts at work.

If any of these problems happen to you, you may need to take a look at how effectively you are communicating in the workplace. Communication is vital to any job, and without good communication, a lot of bad things can happen. Dealing with conflicts is a part of any job, and keeping yourself in the loop and knowing what’s going on is essential to excelling in any job or career.How can you improve your communication skills you may ask? There are several ways, of which I’ll name a few:

Remember to listen to people instead of trying to talk over them, especially when it comes to your boss or manager. If you don’t listen, you may miss critical information about how you’re doing, what your assignment is, or other critical knowledge that will really hamper your work performance. Take notes if necessary when listening, but make sure to learn this very important skill if you want to succeed in your job.

When you face a conflict in the workplace, resolve it with humility and honesty. Remember that conflict, like communication, is a two-way street, and both sides usually have something that they can improve on. If you’ve done something wrong, own up to it, apologize once if necessary, and then move on, resolving to do better the next time. Avoid apologizing too much, as that just makes you look like you want pity or attention. Also remember that everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect, no matter what they might say. Be prepared and ready for conflict, so that when it happens, you’re not caught with your pants down.

Another thing to remember is that it’s not good to communicate too much or not enough, and there is a balance that needs to be met in your communication with your boss. If you don’t communicate enough with your boss, he or she won’t know what’s going on with you and may question what you’re doing, as well as if you really care about what you’re doing. On the flip side of that, if you communicate way too much, then your boss may become annoyed and want to flick you out of his or her face like an annoying fly. In general, it’s better to communicate with your boss whenever an important question comes up and you really need help with it, or if you are low on work and need another assignment to work on. Use your own best judgment though, as every situation is different. Go with your instincts, and you should be able to tell with body language and verbal responses from your boss if you’re communicating too much or not enough.

Of course there are many other aspects of communication in the workplace that I haven’t gone into here, but one of the most important things to remember is that effective communication is essential to every job out there, whether you’re working from home, a part time job, or are in your full time career. Stay positive in your job, listen, and make yourself heard where appropriate, and you will be off to the right start when it comes to effective communication in the workplace.