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Communication: Most Important Soft Skill

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Communication: Most Important Soft Skill

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Why Effective Communication Is the Most Important Soft Skill

Humans are built for connection. Whether that connection is brief (asking a sales associate for a price), constant (bonding with your coworkers), or deep (such as the relationship with your spouse), truly effective communicators can find a way to bridge the gap between themselves and any person they come in contact with.

Learning how to communicate effectively is not only a way to sharpen your soft skills; it will positively influence your career, relationships, and problem-solving abilities.

Why is communication so important? Let's dive deep into why mastering this soft skill can become a life-changing event.

Communication: A Break-down

Let's bring it back to the basics for a moment. Communication is divided into two parts: the giving of information and the receiving of information.

In any conversation, you are switching these two hats back and forth with at least one other participant. In order to communicate effectively, the giver must communicate information so that it can be understood easily, and the receiver listens, digests, and acknowledges the information that is being given to them. Sounds simple, right?

The principal of this soft skill may sound peaceful and transactional, but many mistakes can happen along the way. The giver of information may be angry, snappy, missing information, or unclear in their delivery; therefore, the receiver may react negatively to the attitude onset, stop listening, stop digesting in order to interrupt, or become misled due to incorrect perception.

And what about the other soft skills, such as organization and time management? Are these considered important as well?

Although they're all good to have, the ability to communicate effectively still holds the high card.

If you get hotheaded each time your boss asks for a report, will he really care that your emails are divided into 20 colored folders?

Will your punctuality record really matter if you are disengaged on your phone during each business meeting?

The importance of communication goes beyond being an extroverted public speaker or a skillful writer; it is mandatory for any human to succeed!

Communication: Your Coworkers

As a business person, you probably spend more time in a day with your coworkers than you do with your family and friends. Learning how to communicate effectively in a workplace setting is vital, because information transmitting between you, your boss, your subordinate, or an associate is often attached to overall company success.

As the sender of information in a place of work, you have to make sure your information is correct, includes all relevant detail, and is delivered in a tone that encourages urgency but not aggression.

If a manager is constantly barking orders angrily, how will the receiver respond? They may appear stressed out (therefore, more errors are made) or offended (they may neglect work intentionally); both responses create a large, unnecessary mess that could have been avoided if both parties knew how to communicate effectively.

With the exchange of information, in a healthy workplace, the delivery is everything. The receiver has the responsibility to ask follow-up questions if they are unclear, and to let the sender know that the message is understood. Offices that support open-door communication between all members are often the most successful at achieving their goals. You know the saying: teamwork makes the dream work!

Communication: Personal Relationships

There is a statistic floating around that about 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. Regardless if that number is accurate today or not, the reoccurring error leading to divorce is often-you guessed it-communication (or lack thereof).

Some of the most common communication problems between two partners include defensiveness (flaring up the second you are challenged), criticism (constant challenging and nit-picking), and a heart of stone (caring very little of the outcome). The soft skill of how to communicate effectively in a personal relationship is often lacking on the receiving side; this means actually listening to your loved one's concerns instead of instantly reacting.

Ask any elderly couple: The secret to longevity is more than financial stability and a happy bedroom life; it's listening to one another, and realizing it's often you versus the problem, not one versus the other.

Learning to be an active listener is vital as a parent of a pre-teen kid, when providing information of any kind may result in an unwanted reaction. Realizing the importance of communication is key in any personal relationship, from maintaining closeness with your friend who lives in another city, to maintaining daily conversation with your partner who is constantly in your space. The ability to communicate well often removes hostility and defensiveness, which are sinking ships in any form of relationship-business or otherwise.

Communication in Everything

At virtually every stage of life, you'll find that learning how to communicate effectively is the cornerstone in every life event.

We teach small children to use their words accurately and encourage them to speak their minds, just as we encourage both positive and negative communication during the tough teenage years. Effective communication results in good grades during group presentations, and is later evaluated during a first job interview. We tell someone we love them for the first time, and we offer our opinions at work meetings. The importance of communication is indispensable wherever we go and whatever we do.

And what are the benefits to honing in on this soft skill?

We build strong relationships within the office and within our personal lives, we find better success at work ( effective communicators make fantastic bosses and leaders), and we create a healthier state of mind since information is sent and received clearly.

Just like riding a bike or starting a new hobby, learning how to communicate effectively requires time and practice in order for it to become muscle memory. When we build relationships through strong communication, we build a foundation for success in every endeavor.

Have you ever wished you communicated in an experience better? Comment down below and share your best story and if this post has taught you something, share it and help those around you!

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Effective Communication Is the Most Important Soft Skill-And This Is Why

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Humans are built for connection. Whether that connection is brief (asking a sales associate for a price), constant (bonding with your coworkers), or deep (such as the relationship with your spouse), truly effective communicators can find a way to bridge the gap between themselves and any person they come in contact with.

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Enthusiasm and Attitude Soft Skills Video

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Enthusiasm and Attitude Soft Skills Video

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10 Tips for Enthusiasm and Attitude in the Workplace

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10 Tips for Enthusiasm and Attitude in the Workplace

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Enthusiasm and attitude play a significant role in getting and keeping a job. Understanding the effects and impact that these have in the workplace is important.

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines enthusiasm as "a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and eagerness to be involved in it," and attitude as "a feeling or opinion about something." According to the United States Department of Labor, "Enthusiasm can mean the difference in not just getting a job but succeeding in a job and even advancing in your career."

Following are 10 tips for demonstrating enthusiasm and a positive attitude in the workplace.

Review the "10 Tips for Communication in the Workplace," FCS-2602 on the Alabama Extension website.

Nonverbal communication

Smile when interacting with others.

Sit up straight.

Practice direct eye contact.

Be mindful of facial expressions.

Verbal communication

Be upbeat.

Speak positively of experiences.

Refrain from using negative words.

Respect others.

Encourage colleagues.

Serve as a motivator.

The ways we interact with others in the workplace can influence the workplace environment. Our attitude and enthusiasm can change the workplace environment and affect the workday. Production will increase if the workplace environment is positive. A negative attitude can cause a decrease in the effectiveness and productivity of employees.

Your attitude and enthusiasm also play a role in whether you get a job. A positive and enthusiastic attitude will get you further with prospective employers and increase your interview success. Keep these 10 tips on enthusiasm and attitude as reminders to maintain a positive attitude, demonstrate enthusiasm, and make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Alabama Extension provides educational opportunities to help empower the residents of our state. The Financial Resource Management and Workforce Development Human Sciences team provides research- based educational classes on soft skills, job search preparation, and financial literacy. Contact your
county Extension office for more information on these educational opportunities or visit www.aces.edu. Information can also be requested at aceshse@auburn. edu or (334) 844-7560.

Emily Hines, Human Sciences Regional Extension Agent, Financial Resource Management and Workforce Development, Auburn University

New November 2021, 10 Tips for Enthusiasm & Attitude in the Workplace, FCS-2603

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10 Tips for Enthusiasm & Attitude in the Workplace - Alabama Cooperative Extension System

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Enthusiasm and attitude play a significant role in getting and keeping a job. Understanding the effects and impact that these have in the workplace is important. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines enthusiasm as "a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and eagerness to be involved in it," and attitude as "a feeling or opinion about something."

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Teamwork skills are the skills that enable you to work well with others. Candidates with strong teamwork skills are sought out by employers for many reasons-they demonstrate leadership, collaboration, and good communication.

Employers expect employees to be team players. Teamwork is required for almost every industry, ranging from business solutions to information technology to food services.

This is true even if it seems like your job is best suited for an independent worker. You may perform the bulk of your job duties alone, but you should be able to think of your work in the context of the company's broader goals and communicate your accomplishments to other people within the organization.

Learn what teamwork skills are, types and examples of teamwork skills, and ways to develop your skills.

What Are Teamwork Skills?

Teamwork skills involve your ability to work cooperatively with others. Regardless of your role, you need to be able to work well with others and convey your teamwork skills to hiring managers, recruiters, and prospective employers.

Scan any job listing, and you'll see that even ads that seek "self-starters" also inevitably use the phrase "team player." Those who have teamwork skills like communication, collaboration, leadership, and a positive attitude can help a team be more productive.

Alternate Names: cooperation, collaboration

Note

Examples of Teamwork Skills

Here are some examples of on-the-job teamwork skills:

Working as part of a team to achieve company goals.

Working well and developing effective relationships with diverse personalities.

Developing and maintaining good relationships with co-workers and managers.

Maintaining open lines of communication with others.

Observing and coaching other employees.

Assisting with training.

Leading, Influencing, motivating, and persuading others to achieve goals.

Looking for ways to help others and provide assistance.

Showing interest in others and their concerns.

Dealing with a wide range of people with flexibility and open-mindedness.

Listening to and considering the viewpoint of others.

Types of Teamwork Skills

There are a variety of different teamwork skills, but they are all related to your ability to engage and work well with others. Being a successful member of a team requires excellent communication, listening, and conflict management skills.

Below is a list of the most important teamwork skills that employers seek in candidates.

Communication

Being a good team member means clearly communicating your ideas with the group. You must be able to convey information via phone, email, video, and in person. You want to make sure your tone is always professional but friendly. Both verbal and nonverbal communication are important when working within a group setting.

Advising

Collaboration

Contributing

Coordination

Creativity

Creative Thinking

Give Feedback

Goal Setting

Guidance

Influencing

Language

Management

Persuading

Research

Team Management

Teaching

Verbal Communication

Visual Communication

Written Communication

Conflict Management

An important teamwork skill is being able to mediate problems between team members. You need to be able to negotiate with your team members to settle disputes and make sure everyone is happy with the team's choices.

Another important part of communication is listening. You must be able to listen to the ideas and concerns of your peers to be an effective team member. By asking questions for clarification, demonstrating concern, and using nonverbal cues, you can show your team that you care and that you understand their ideas or concerns.

Reliability

You want to be a reliable team member so that your co-workers can trust you with time-sensitive tasks and company information. Make sure you stick to deadlines and complete any assigned work. This will help you gain your colleagues' trust.

Commitment

Community Building

Confidence

Confidence Building

Dependability

Flexibility

Helpfulness

Honesty

Leadership

Multitasking

Participation

Perform Tasks

Responsibility

Team Oriented

Task Management

Trust

Respectfulness

People will be more open to communicating with you if you convey respect for them and their ideas. Simple actions like using a person's name, making eye contact, and actively listening when a person speaks will make your team members feel appreciated.

Acknowledging Others

Encouragement

Expanding Ideas

Interpersonal

Motivation

Opinion Exchange

Oral Communication

Patience

Positive Attitude

Relationship Building

Sensitivity

Sharing Credit

Support

Team Player

Tact

Understanding Feelings

Value Diversity

More Teamwork Skills

Here are additional teamwork skills for resumes, cover letters, job applications, and interviews.

Ability to Build Rapport

Accountability

Creative

Decision Making

Delegating

Encouraging

Influential

Innovative

Instinctual

Organizing

Persuasive

Project Management

Project Planning

Receiving Feedback

Presentation

Respect

Self-Awareness

Supportive

Time Management

Trustworthy

Highlight Your Most Relevant Skills

When you're applying for jobs, be sure to emphasize the specific skills that are mentioned in the job description, but feel free to round out your application by mentioning others that may apply.

How to Make Your Skills Stand Out

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Teamwork skills are the skills that enable you to work well with others. Candidates with strong teamwork skills are sought out by employers for many reasons-they demonstrate leadership, collaboration, and good communication. Employers expect employees to be team players. Teamwork is required for almost every industry, ranging from business solutions to information technology to food services.

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The best careers are built around the best networks. Great connections can provide you with learning opportunities, promotional opportunities, jobs, and more. The wrong connections, on the other hand, can drag your career down to their level of mediocrity. This makes it essential to develop strong networking skills so you can build the right network for your career.

In this guide, we will explore the most essential networking skills to develop for a successful career. We'll also take a look at how you can develop each of these skills. If you need practical, step-by-step guidelines, you're in the right place!

Essential networking skills for every professional:

1. A focus on building genuine, long-term friendships

The first thing you need to do is shift your mindset to focus on people, not opportunities. People can tell when you're only approaching them for your own personal gain. You might get the specific thing you wanted, but they will remember your self-centeredness and be less likely to pass future opportunities on to you.

There are two key strategies you can use to develop this mindset:

Live in the moment. When you're at a networking event, focus on being fully present. If you catch yourself thinking about future opportunities, notice the thought, then release it and shift your focus to what is happening around you. Practice doing this in your day-to-day life so it's easier during networking events. You can also become better at this by developing a mindfulness meditation practice.

Create opportunities to learn about people outside of work. Ask people about their families, their homes, their hobbies. People love to talk about themselves, and experts love to talk about things other than their professional expertise. As you learn more about them, you will also find it easier to see people as more than the opportunities they provide-and that is when you create space for meaningful connections.

2. Active listening

Active listening is the act of fully concentrating on what another person is saying. This helps you retain information and fully participate in complex discussions. Active listening also shows people that you value their opinions and expertise.

The key here is to practice active listening all of the time, not just during conversations about work. Pay the same amount of attention to people's stories about their personal lives as you do to their professional insights.

This shows them that you see them as people, not opportunities. You might also learn something interesting or find shared interests that can serve to deepen your relationships.

The practice of active listening can be broken down into five steps:

Pay attention. Look directly at the speaker, release distracting thoughts, pay attention to body language, and resist the impulse to prepare your response while the other person is still speaking.

Show that you're listening. Acknowledge the other person with nodding, facial expressions, and the occasional "yes" or "uh-huh".

Provide feedback. Reflect on what the person has said and summarize what you believe they meant.

Defer judgment. Consciously push away your default assumptions. Wait until the other person has finished speaking before you form judgments. Don't interrupt with rebuttals.

Respond appropriately. Be honest, respectful, and open.

3. The ability to frame things in a positive way

Language has a huge impact on how we see the world. Therefore, it stands to reason that the language you use will influence how people perceive you. If you constantly use negative words and phrases, people will think of you as a negative, possibly even defeatist person. On the other hand, if you use positive language, people will see you as a positive person, always ready to tackle new challenges.

The use of positive language is particularly important in text communication, where you don't have body language to help convey emotions. For example, take a look at these two sentences:

"I recently discovered your work in the WordPress sphere and am writing to invite you to participate in an interview on my podcast."

"I am a huge fan of your work, and I would love to have you on my podcast to discuss WordPress."

Both of these sentences convey your intentions, but only the second one really conveys your enthusiasm. And that enthusiasm is what makes people want to respond. Whenever possible, use overtly positive language to display that enthusiasm.

4. The ability to focus on others' needs before your own

One of the most effective ways to build strong connections is to do something meaningful for the people you want to connect with. This requires you to step outside of yourself and focus on what the other person needs.

So how can you figure out what someone else needs, even before you meet them? Use one of these strategies:

Pay attention. Follow the person on Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe to their blog, podcast, or YouTube channel. When influential people need something, they often turn to these channels first in the hopes of getting their needs met by someone in their fan base. This can provide the perfect opportunity for you to reach out with an offering.

Research. Is there something this person has always wanted to do or see that you can help them with? Do they often do a certain type of collaboration? Is there some way you can help them improve their online presence? Something you can do for their business?

Remember their humanity. Everyone has the same basic needs. Food, water, sleep, socialization. Look for ways to help people meet these needs. This is particularly powerful at physical events, where you can offer to get a person a drink or bring them snacks.

5. Confidence

Confidence can benefit every area of your life, but it has a particularly powerful impact on your networking efforts. If you are offering something to someone, you need to demonstrate confidence in your ability to provide that something. Even if all you're doing is introducing yourself, people want to see that you are confident in who you are and what you do.

Unfortunately, for many of us confidence is also one of the most difficult networking skills to develop. This might be due to struggles with impostor syndrome or an inability to forget when colleagues or previous employers have put us down. You can, however, build confidence through the intentional use of these strategies:

Use affirmations. These are positive phrases about yourself, such as "I am good at my job". You can say them out loud or write them down. Repeat your affirmations every day, either in the morning or before bed.

Care for your physical appearance. Even when you're working from home, take the time to shower, wash your hair, and wear something professional. You want to be able to look in the mirror and say "now there's somebody who is prepared to do a great job!"

6. The ability to cope well with feedback and rejection

This could be considered an aspect of confidence, but it is important enough to discuss on its own. Negative feedback and rejection are inevitable side effects of putting yourself out there. You need to be able to respond professionally and move on to the next opportunity.

This skill can't be learned from a textbook or a blog post, but there are some things you can do to make dealing with feedback and rejection easier:

Prepare a standard response. Create a stock phrase, like "Thank you for noticing, I will consider your points in the future". You can then turn to this phrase any time feedback or rejection leaves you feeling flustered. This allows you to respond professionally even if the comment does hurt emotionally.

Separate yourself from your work. Many people fall into the trap of thinking that their productivity and their worth are the same thing. To be able to accept professional rejection, you need to create some separation between yourself and your work. This can be done by enforcing strict boundaries between your work and your home life and pursuing creative hobbies outside of work.

7. Consistency

Networking should be a constant part of your life, not something you only do when you are actively looking for professional opportunities. In fact, your focus should be on building a network before you need a professional opportunity.

The good news is that there are regular events for professionals in almost every industry. The best events are often held in person, but there are also many events held online. Find two or three events you can attend every single month and make them permanent dates in your calendar.

Another good way to build networking into your schedule is to block off some time each week for reaching out on social media. The key here is that you must use this time on social media to reach out to specific people. Comment on their posts, share their content, maybe even send them a private message to ask about something they've created. Limit yourself to these interactions so you're not wasting time.

Finally, you want to make sure that you set aside time to strengthen old relationships. Once a month or even once a week, get together with colleagues on a conference call or over lunch. Reach out to say happy birthday or wish folks well over the holidays. Remind people that you exist.

8. Interviewing skills

Interview skills are great networking skills for two reasons. First, a series of interviews is a great way to expand your network. Second, many interview skills can be helpful in any social situation, not just during interviews. For example, the skill of active listening is essential to conducting good interviews, and it is also one of the best networking skills you can develop.

Some other interviewing skills that double as networking skills are:

The ability to thoroughly research interview subjects

Body language management

Professional speaking patterns

The best way to develop these skills is to practice. Run a series of interviews on a blog, podcast platform, or YouTube channel. Start with people you already know to build confidence, then reach out to people you admire.

9. Email etiquette

Regardless of how you meet people in your network, communications will eventually turn to email. You want to make sure your emails look professional and express any information you share in the correct way.

Email etiquette varies from one industry to the next, but there are some basic rules you should always follow:

Use a clear, direct subject line

Use a professional email address

Use positive, professional language

Proofread everything

If you're unsure of the exact meaning of a word, look it up before you include it

Resist the urge to use emojis

Only use "Reply All" if it is absolutely necessary

Use BCC to protect others' privacy where appropriate

Mention any attachments, and the purpose of said attachments, within the body of the email

You also want to let your connections set the tone of your communications. If a colleague uses less formal speech in their responses, you have the option to also use less formal language.

10. A solid elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is a short pitch, one that you would be able to deliver in the time it takes to share an elevator ride with someone. In other words, this is one or two sentences that you can use to get people interested in what you do.

The key to writing a good elevator pitch is to focus on the emotional core of what you do, not the functional details. You can see how this works when you compare these potential pitches for my freelance business:

"I am a freelance SEO writer and consultant who specializes in working with WordPress-based blogs."

"I write content that ranks well on Google and converts readers into customers."

The second pitch doesn't mention anything about WordPress or consulting, but it conveys a higher level of confidence in my work. This pitch also reminds people why they need an SEO writer: to improve their website's ranking on Google. And it's shorter than the first pitch, making it easier to deliver in a rush.

Your elevator pitch is something that will develop over time. Experiment with different phrases and ask for feedback on your pitch from trusted colleagues. Like most of the networking skills we've discussed, there is always room to improve your elevator pitch.

Final thoughts

Networking can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be difficult. You can make it much easier by developing the following networking skills:

✅ A focus on genuine, long-term relationships

✅ Active listening

✅ The ability to frame things in a positive way

✅ The ability to focus on others' needs before your own

✅ Confidence

✅ The ability to cope well with feedback and rejection

✅ Consistency

✅ Interviewing skills

✅ Email etiquette

✅ A solid elevator pitch

With these networking skills in place, you are sure to build the kind of network that will in turn help you build a great career!
What is the one networking skill that's key in your portfolio? Feel free to share in the comments below.

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10 Most Valuable Networking Skills for Every Professional

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The best careers are built around the best networks. Great connections can provide you with learning opportunities, promotional opportunities, jobs, and more. The wrong connections, on the other hand, can drag your career down to their level of mediocrity. This makes it essential to develop strong networking skills so you can build the right network for your career.

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Problem Solving & Critical Thinking Image

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Problem Solving & Critical Thinking Image

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Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Video

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Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Video

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Soft Skills--Critical Thinking And Problem Solving

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10 Tips for Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

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10 Tips for Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

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10 Tips for Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking in the Workplace - Alabama Cooperative Extension System

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The United States Department of Labor describes problem-solving and critical thinking as “the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve problems.” Problem-solving and critical thinking play a crucial role in the workplace.