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What Are Communication Skills? Top 10! - YouTube
Channel: Communication Coach Alex Lyon
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- We are going to answer the question,
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what are communication skills?
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And we'll do it by explaining
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the top 10 communication skills
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that hiring managers
say they are looking for
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for new employees and emerging leaders.
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So let's do it.
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(upbeat rock music)
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I'm Alex Lyon, and this
channel has almost 200 videos
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on communication and leadership.
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I also have a free course
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on the essential communication skills
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that all professionals should have.
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And I'll put a link to
that in the description
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below this video, and I'll
tell you more about it later.
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So to answer this question,
what are communication skills?
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I'm going to give you
the skills that employers
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are looking for
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that I distilled from
several online sources.
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I'll put those references
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in the description below this video.
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These top 10 skills are the
ones that appear most frequently
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across those lists.
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So these are in no particular order,
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and some of them overlap.
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I just listed them in a
way that made sense to me.
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But I'm still going to count
it down for dramatic effect.
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Collectively, the list
answers the big question,
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what are communication skills?
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Number 10 is public speaking
and presentation skills.
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This is probably the most
recognizable communication skill
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of all time.
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It could be a big presentation or speech,
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but it could also mean
standing up to share
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a three-minute message
in front of a small group
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at a meeting.
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It's unusual that entry-level
employees are great at this,
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unless they majored in
communication and college.
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But on the flip side, if you
are a strong stand-up speaker,
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you will instantly separate
yourself from the crowd.
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People see good public speaking,
and they say to themselves,
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"That's a leader."
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Number nine is persuasive skills.
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Persuasive skills are crucial
because we are constantly
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making requests for approval and support.
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The most effective persuasive
communication usually involves
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explaining to listeners that
there is some need or problem
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and then asking them to
support your proposed solution.
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This certainly happens while
you're standing up presenting,
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but this could happen one-on-one as well,
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or in a group meeting, even in
an email or written proposal.
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Number eight is interpersonal skills.
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This is that type of
one-on-one communication
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we do with our friends
and significant others.
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At work, we interact
one-on-one with colleagues,
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supervisors and subordinates.
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There are constant demands on
task related communication,
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like dealing with facts,
figures and spreadsheets,
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all while working under pressure.
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This context makes it
all the more important
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that we take the time to also interact
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in supportive and respectful ways
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to create mutual understanding
and satisfying connections.
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Number seven is listening skills.
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This is perhaps the most
underrated communication skill
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I know of.
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Good listening is a hidden superpower.
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This involves removing
distractions, tuning in
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and preparing yourself to absorb
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the other communicator's message.
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This could be listening
carefully to learn a new skill
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or important information.
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Or it could be listening
to be a supportive ear
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and build genuine relationships at work.
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I have heard it's said that
good leaders are good listeners.
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Closely related is number six,
communicating with empathy.
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This cuts across all
communication contexts.
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Empathy is our ability to put ourselves
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in the other person's shoes to feel
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what they might be feeling.
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That empathy helps us understand
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where people are coming from,
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and it builds trust.
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When we care and keep other
people's interests in mind,
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we are very likely to create
more helpful outcomes.
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Five is providing and accepting feedback.
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As a supervisor, you will
have to provide your employees
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with feedback to help them develop.
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And we can't just point
out their mistakes.
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Constructive feedback should
include some specific coaching
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to help people make improvements.
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It's equally important to
hear and receive feedback.
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It's easy to get defensive,
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especially when feedback is
not explained in a helpful way,
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but if you can learn
to be open to feedback
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and find something helpful in it,
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others will count it as a
valuable communication skill.
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And fourth is teamwork and
collaboration in groups.
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Working in teams is
exponentially more complicated
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than working one-on-one.
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People who are good in
groups have good task skills,
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like asking good questions,
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providing helpful information,
offering a point of view.
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And relationship dynamics
are also important,
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like encouraging, and supporting others,
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and staying positive.
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Nowadays, it's hard to
picture getting promoted
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if we aren't good with groups and teams.
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Three is nonverbal communication skills.
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And this isn't a separate skill,
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it overlaps all the
others we've mentioned.
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Still our nonverbal communication creates
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a powerful impression on others.
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Our non-verbals give off a
vibe that shades everything
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we say and do.
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I know a guy who
frequently rolled his eyes
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and made frustrated facial
expressions at meetings,
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and his supervisor finally
talked to him about it.
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And he honestly didn't even
realize he was doing it.
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Our nonverbal communication
and body language
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can be so automatic, but
like the others on the list,
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we can make improvements
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with some self-awareness and practice.
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And number two is phone skills.
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Since we are not
face-to-face on the phone,
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we notice other people's
tone of voice and timing
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much more than usual.
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If somebody pauses for too long,
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it can create the impression
that something went wrong.
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So somebody with good phone
skills might fill that pause
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with helpful information and say,
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"Give me a moment, I'm
looking something up."
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People with good phone
skills make small adjustments
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in their words and their
tone to create a helpful,
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more well-rounded interaction.
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And number one, and remember,
these are not in order,
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I'm just counting it down for fun.
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Number one is written skills.
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This could be emails, reports, a proposal.
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People will give you credit
for good written skills
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if you're organized, clear and concise,
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just like the other communication skills.
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Now, unlike the other real
time communication skills,
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you can put a written message aside,
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and come back to it later, and
revise it before sending it.
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So a word to the wise,
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never send the first draft
of an important message.
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Set it aside and revise
it before you click send.
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Let's look at this whole list.
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Yes, there are certainly
other communication skills,
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but when people ask the question,
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"What are communication skills?"
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this list gives you the top 10
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that employers believe are most important.
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So question of the day,
which skill do you think
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is the most important for you to work on?
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And as mentioned, I have a free course
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on the essential communication skills
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that every professional should have.
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In fact, I narrowed this
down to the top five
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in that course.
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It's free.
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I encourage you to take a look at the link
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in the description below this video.
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Until next time, thanks, God bless.
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And I will see you soon.
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