Communication Skills Examples: 15+ Essential Skills for Career Success

Strong communication skills in the workplace are the backbone of a successful career. Effective communication improves productivity, provides quality customer service, and is crucial for leadership roles. Comprehensive understanding of each skill and its use will launch a career in any industry. To help your mastery, we’ll discuss various types of communication skills examples and how they apply in interpersonal, written and verbal communication. 

We’ll begin with a few of the most important communication skills:

• Clarity and Conciseness
• Active Listening 
• Adaptability
• Volume and Vocals
• Nonverbal Communication
• Empathy & Respect

Professional Communication is Clear and Concise

Being clear and concise means communicating with simple, easy to understand language. It’s demonstrated by communicating comprehensively using a few carefully chosen words. Good structure and organization are key. Avoid using jargon, complex sentences, and technical terms whenever possible.   

In the workplace, time is valuable. By communicating in a concise manner, time is saved, both in the delivery and understanding of a message. It improves productivity of a team and the customer experience. 

How to improve:

The Power of Active Listening

Active listening involves the technique of fully concentrating on and committing a communication to memory. It requires identifying nonverbal cues and understanding what is being said in the moment. This allows for efficient communication in the workplace and has the power to eliminate the need for repetition. 

Careful listening will help you avoid asking questions or inquiring on a point that's already been discussed. It will also help you understand the other party's motives and goals, giving insight into how best to reply. 

How to do it:

Provide undivided attention by eliminating outside distractions, put your devices on silent for the duration of a meeting or discussion. If online, attend in a quiet space where you will not be interrupted. Indicate your attention by responding with nonverbal cues such as smiling and nodding. Resist internally formulating a response until after the speaker has concluded.

Adaptability in the Workplace

Adaptability is the ability to adjust your actions and thoughts in response to changes in the workplace. Keep your thinking flexible and positive. Listen and observe a matter, then alter your approach to suit. Work to solve problems. Keep learning. Embrace change. 

The ability to adjust quickly maintains productivity. It also helps when transitioning to, or interacting with a new industry. Ask yourself questions such as ‘Is this term familiar?’ ‘How is this task done in that field?’ ‘What can I learn from this situation?’ 

How to do it:

When applied, you will become an asset to your team. Adaptability will help you excel, even in an interview that took an unexpected turn. 

Volume and Tone: A Key to Effective Communication

Often a listener hears, not what is being said, but how. Volume and tone refer to that difference in delivery. Is the message friendly or stern? Demanding or requesting? They convey emotion and intent. Good delivery can prevent misunderstandings and bruised feelings. Consider, how do you want your message to come across? What does the situation warrant? 

Using Volume

Increasing volume expresses excitement. However, do so in moderation; raising one's voice can seem confrontational or argumentative in many situations. If you feel your point is not being heard, try lowering your voice. A calm and confident message will convey authority. 

Use Tone to Enhance Your Message

As with volume, higher pitch or tone expresses excitement and curiosity, this can encourage engagement from your audience. Lowering your pitch conveys confidence and seriousness, an effective way to cool a situation. 

Speaking without variation can cause listeners to lose attention and concentration on your message, so avoid speaking in monotone. 

Use Pacing to Call Attention

Pacing refers to the speed of delivery and pausing throughout. Enthusiasm and excitement are shown by speaking at a more rapid pace. However, to be clear and understandable you may need to slow your speech, this is especially important in tense situations when a listener is overwhelmed. 

Help listeners remember your message by pausing at strategic moments to emphasize key points.  

Practice 

Listen to yourself, pay attention, and decipher how you may be coming across. If there is a need, adjust to the situation. Another technique: listen to the person with whom you are speaking and adapt your tone to match, this will create connection. 

Understanding Nonverbal Communication

Humans can convey emotion and information without words. A few nonverbal communication examples include body language such as posture and gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Just as a mother can give her consent in one look, so these same methods are used in the workplace. 

Often used in a complimentary manner, nonverbal communication can enforce a message. It builds trust and enhances credibility. Reading nonverbal communication properly helps avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. 

How to do it:

Empathy & Respect

Empathy is understanding and sharing another's emotions and/or point of view. Respect is recognizing the worth and rights of a person and treating them with consideration. Empathy and respect are demonstrated when an individual takes the time to listen and validate the thoughts and opinions of others. Empathy and respect for another is shown through actions and treatment. 

These qualities create harmonious teams and safe and enjoyable environments. The type of environment that fosters quality work and productivity. 

Show Empathy by:

• Actively listening without judgment
• Acknowledging all feelings, even those you disagree with
• Having an open mind to other view points
• Showing kindness
• Using your emotional intelligence

Show Respect by: 

• Actively listening
• Showing appreciation 
• Remaining professional in your speech (maintain clean language, free of gossip)
• Fulfilling commitments made 
• Showing your interest with appropriate words and gestures

Continue Building:  Additional Communication Skills List 

Giving and Receiving Feedback

To give feedback successfully, first consider the content. It should be specific and understandable to the individual. Provide a goal, a way to act on the advice, this provides a sense of accomplishment to come. 

When receiving feedback, listen carefully and ask questions to ensure understanding. Requesting specific examples can also provide you with a defined way to improve. Additionally, don’t be afraid to request feedback, this shows honesty and a desire to improve.

Choose the Right Communication Medium 

In a professional workplace you must use the right method of communication to ensure a seamless process. The method must align with the needs of a message. To decide, ask:

Further Application: Written Communication Skills Examples

The skills discussed apply also to written communication such as emails, reports, proposals, and resumes. When working to improve or evaluate these areas, some of the most important skills include proper grammar and spelling, voice, clarity and conciseness. 

Demonstrating Good Communication Skills in a Resume 

Good communication skills are demonstrated in a resume by careful word choice and situational examples. The resume should be easy to read with good structural organization. 

Mention specific instances of proficiency in this skill, such as “Authored 50+ technical reports”, “Presented weekly project updates”, or “Conducted client meetings with a 70% success rate”. Another expression of good communication skills is the use of action words such as resolved, negotiated, presented, advised, etc. 

The content should be tailored to the industry and prospective employer. Applicable communication skills such as negotiation, presentation, report writing, and team collaboration should be listed. 

Recap: How to Improve Workplace Communication Skills

Practice, Practice, Practice

Whether by observation, or using techniques and strategies outside the workplace, practice ensures improvement. Make goals for yourself, reaching them will strengthen your resolve to continue. Volunteer for projects and tasks that will help you grow. 

Seek Feedback

Put trust in those around you, their experience and wisdom are invaluable. A mentor is a wealth of knowledge. 

Prepare

Before an important meeting, conversation, or interview prepare ahead. Outline key points that you want to make, this will help you stay focused. Practice your tone and volume by considering what your situation will merit. You may even consider recording yourself before a presentation in order to fine-tune your delivery, a benefit of pre-recoded interviews.