Three Skills that Apply Across All Comm Jobs

If you work in public relations or the media, you need to remain consistently productive and interact effectively with other people. You also need to be able to identify and gather accurate info. Many other communication jobs have similar requirements for success.

In a nutshell, communication jobs are designed to tackle information. For example, as a media specialist, you need to obtain, condense, and deliver knowledge to others. With that in mind, one of the most important job skills is your effective reporting strategy. Accurate stories of any type depend upon reliable sources, regardless of whether you work in journalism. If you can pinpoint trustworthy intelligence and discard biased data, you can deliver dependable information to your boss, coworkers, and customers.

Regardless of what communication job you hold, organization is key. Increased attention to detail, constructive scheduling, and decreased stress are just a few of the positive side effects you'll experience as your organizational strategies improve. If you can find your car keys, you'll make it to the meeting on time; if you consistently exceed expectations, you could get promoted.

Finally, you need to be able to communicate effectively. Maybe you're naturally conversational and love exchanging information with others; if so, you're on the right track. However, if you have trouble connecting, don't worry: many individuals have to learn practical communication methods as adults. The key to learning lies in honest, thorough self-analysis. If you examine your exchanges with other people and identify problematic areas, you might find it easier to improve your tactics.

There are several key elements to keep in mind as you settle into your communication job and learn to interact with coworkers, clients, and the public:

• During successful conversations, both people get the opportunity to express themselves. Each individual pays full attention and listens to the other speak; that person receives the same respectful treatment in turn.
• Use clear, expressive, courteous language as you explain problems, convey messages, and ask questions.
• Ask for feedback from the other person.
• Use nonverbal cues and expressions to affirm your ongoing attention.
• If you're not sure about something, ask your conversational partner to clarify.

Other desirable job skills include an individual's oral and written dexterity, social media savvy, search engine optimization (SEO) expertise, software knowledge, digital marketing ability, and management experience. Thankfully, many prospective employers make their needs known to potential communication job applicants well in advance of the interview process.

Effective communication depends as much on your ability to receive—and correctly interpret—information from the other party as it does on your own articulation. Perhaps even more so than other positions, communication jobs demand conversational prowess, real organization, and a keen eye for detail. If you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, you can learn all of these skills and improve your existing talents.

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