Good Communication Skills in the Workplace – 5 Deadly Mistakes

It does not matter how good you are in your profession; if you are a poor communicator, you are likely to run into many work-related problems. It may surprise you, but 90% of these problems would not be there in the first place if you could communicate clearly to and with your peers, superiors and subalterns. Good communication skills in the workplace are not a ‘nice to have’ but a requirement. Many unknowingly commit deadly mistakes in communication that result in having them completely cut off. Recognize and avoid these mistakes and your professional and personal life would take off: * Too busy to listen – communication means information sharing. In other words, it means you give and take information. Most of us just give information and when the time comes to take in information we shut off. The result is a huge communication gap, which in turn can create chaos. Good communication skills require you to listen. Talk. Stop. Listen. * Reacting with anger – no matter what the other person says, do not react with anger or insults. This cuts off the communication. The person or persons will stop communicating with you fearing your reaction and you will become the loser in the end. When you are angered by what others say, learn to control your feelings and steer the conversation to neutral grounds. Emotional outbursts kill good communication. Control your emotions. * Assuming you know it all – everyone would have come across a know-it-all and everyone knows how deeply annoying it is to keep hearing, ‘Oh! I know that!’ When someone else is talking empty your mind of bias and prejudice, which by the way includes assuming you know what the person is talking about. Try to catch the talker’s point of view; you will be often surprised how different the subject is from what you thought it is. Good communication skills demand that you never assume anything. Stay unbiased. * Telegraphic communication – so many times, you might be talking on a certain subject and thinking about it at the same time. With that background in mind you say something cryptic and expect the listener to understand exactly what you mean. When you say something you need to say it clearly, in complete sentences and ensure that the person whom you are addressing is on the same page with you. Talk clearly. * Being rude – rudeness is perhaps at the root of many major in-house disasters. No matter how much you feel the other person deserves it, you should never be rude. Politeness goes a very long way in communication. Always be polite.