High-school students are constantly told to work on their communication skills. Eye-roll, right? But building these skills makes sense. Being able to express ideas and make an argument, orally and in writing, are integral to academic success. Most school curricula, including the IB, assess students on these skills directly.
Communication skills are also proven to be increasingly important to career success, since so many jobs require collaboration within and across teams, presentations to clients and colleagues, and (on those non-remote days) workplace interaction. An engineering executive I know places a premium on her employees’ communication skills because, as she says, it’s simply how they do their jobs. Every one of them needs to be able to explain their decisions and have effective conversations with a supervisor or client. And of course, communication skills are necessary to exercise leadership in any context, because without them, no one will succeed in getting their message across.
But what do we mean by communication skills??? It’s generally understood that the term relates to the ability to speak or write effectively to transmit a thought or idea. But it’s more than that. Most importantly, since communication takes place between people, it’s also about interaction. It's like an equation. That means it’s as much about the person(s) receiving the information as it is about the one conveying it.
Here are some aspects of the communication equation that highlight its interactive and interpersonal qualities. Students can work on these skills starting right now to improve their effectiveness inside, outside, and beyond the classroom.
Active listening. Focusing on what you say is only one half of the communication equation. Learn to pay close attention to what is being said and expressed to you to understand other speakers’ intentions and perspectives.
Clarity. Everyone loves jargon. It shows you’re inside the circle or part of a group. But it can also be incomprehensible and even alienating to others. Especially in a more formal setting, or in an interview or essay, or when you don’t know your audience, use clear and simple language instead.
Nonverbal communication. Another term for this is body language. In other words, apart from what you say, your facial expressions, posture, or tone of voice can communicate what you mean. There's nothing more effective than the "eye-roll" or looking at your phone to show you're not interested. There are also many ways -- yawn -- that other people can show they're not interested in what you're communicating, or they don’t understand you or don’t agree. The cues work both ways. Be mindful. Pay attention.
Eye contact. This is also a form of nonverbal communication, and it will strengthen your interaction. Making eye contact is an effective way of acknowledging another person or audience, and may help you focus.
Feedback. Asking for feedback is a powerful way to show another person or audience that you care about what you’ve communicated and how it's understood. It's also a way to show respect. The responses you get may provide you with useful information about whatever it is you're communicating about, and may give you clues to make your communication more effective.
Confidence. The most effective communicators communicate with confidence (not arrogance), whatever the platform. It’s a superpower that comes with knowledge and practice, and the good news is that students can work to build it through their conversations and interactions every day.
What good is a thoughtful question or an interesting idea or an important opinion if you can’t communicate it? Developing your communication skillset will make you a stronger and happier student, applicant, and colleague. And it will make you a better human.
>> University Bound can help.
Contact us at joanna@universitybound.io
Comments