Last week, I was a guest on the Marketing Study Lab Podcast hosted by the engaging Peter Sumpton. Peter is passionate about providing guidance and insights to help students who are studying for various professional marketing exams. As an expert in marketing, he also tutors students and shares best practices to prepare them for success.
Our discussion focused on effective communication. We analysed how communication skills could become the differentiator in this cutthroat age. Peter was a gracious host who gave me ample opportunity to answer in-depth questions when our conversation began.
Below is a summary of our conversation, with extra insights to consider.
1) Good communication skills will amplify your profiles
Peter wanted to know why being a good communicator was critical to students’ success.
I gave a simple answer: superb communication skills will distinguish a student from the pack.
One way to beat the impact of automation, artificial intelligence, and other (possibly) more experienced or qualified peers is to speak persuasively and write convincingly. These two skills will amplify your profile and place you at the forefront of those who make decisions – from supervisors to hiring managers.
2) Excellent public speaking skills are a game-changer
Warren Buffett is the third richest man on the planet in 2019, according to Forbes. He’s stated to be worth $82 billion. He famously declared that public speaking was the one skill that could increase your value by 50%. Yet, it’s listed as the number one fear.
Peter asked a valid question: Why do many people fear public speaking?
I gave two reasons for this development:
(I) We are wired to avoid anything uncomfortable
Experts believe that this is a natural predisposition – some evolutionary wiring of the fight-or-flight response, designed to keep us safe from a perceived threat. Since speaking in public is often viewed as a stressful experience (hence a threat to our wellbeing), few people relish the experience of being ‘set up’ to be (unfairly) judged or critiqued. Therefore, we avoid speaking as often as possible.
II) We are often ill-prepared
And it won’t matter if it’s a speech, presentation or an address. Thus, we become less confident and engage in self-defeating thoughts. Such negative feelings increase our dread and worsen our delivery.
These two reasons notwithstanding, we can drastically reduce our anxiety by preparing thoroughly and practising as many times as possible. The more we practise, the easier it comes. Practice begets confidence.
Interestingly, students who can speak more convincingly will be chosen over peers who possess similar or higher qualifications. Carmine Gallo, the author of several communication books, including the bestseller Talk Like TED, recently explains this trend in a Forbes article.
Therefore, as ambitious students, amplify your oral communication skills to enjoy more opportunities.
3) Impressive oral and written communication skills can be learned
This point is one of the most reassuring aspects of communication. Even if you feel your oral skills are laughable or your writing skills are below par, you must be convinced that you can improve, regardless of your talent or lack thereof. Until you change your woe-is-me mindset, nothing meaningful can occur.
The good news is that tools and resources exist – primarily free on the internet, which you could use, test and apply to boost your public speaking skills and to sharpen business writing ability.
a) For public speaking
As students, avail yourselves to TED talks, YouTube videos, and to the great wealth of knowledge available on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an incredible social media platform for following thought leaders and connecting with public speaking experts, authors, and coaches.
To build your competence in this skill, learn best practices but test them with different groups. When you learn practical techniques and styles, use them consistently and tweak your delivery as you evolve.
One concern in public speaking for students is the use of ‘fillers’. These are little words such as er, em, ah, so, by the way, and anything repetitive that we tend to say when struggling to find the right words or expressions. As I mentioned in the podcast, fillers are not necessarily harmful when used occasionally. However, the excessive use of these words would distract listeners from your important messages. Therefore, one tactic to combat this problem is to force yourselves to speak slowly and loudly. This might seem unnatural at first but persevere. Also, liberally use pauses because they help you articulate your thoughts better and allow your points to ‘marinate’ in the minds of your audience members.
Despite all the advice you’d receive on public speaking, note that the best way to improve your speaking ability is actually to speak more regularly. Adopt the insights you’ve learned and seek every opportunity to talk. Volunteer to speak in programmes if you must. Public speaking does get better with time.
I promise.
b) For business writing
I’ve written about this theme in different blog posts over the years. Nevertheless, the techniques for improving your writing skills haven’t changed much.
To begin, knowing the three rules of effective business writing will help you in the writing process:
- Consider your audience since the audience will determine the style you’d use and the vocabulary you’d chose
- Prioritise the three beacons of simplicity, brevity, and clarity
- Edit thoroughly and proofread ruthlessly
The next step is to update your grammar. Good grammar lays the foundation for clean business writing. The University of Bristol has a helpful grammar page that deals with critical aspects of grammar. Explanations given are easy to understand, and you can test your knowledge by doing some grammatical exercises. Start with the segment on ‘punctuation marks‘. Then study the ‘common confusions’ and ‘other pitfalls and problems’ sections before moving on to other parts. Use this resource frequently as a quick study or a trusted reference for future applications.
Now as students, you may know the answers to questions or might have great ideas to share in the broader context. But unless you’re able to thoroughly edit your work so that your content flows logically from paragraph to paragraph (in exams) or to proofread ruthlessly, so that your best ideas are clearly communicated, you won’t produce exceptional writing. Often, the beauty of a well-written piece is contingent on powerful editing and proofreading. For extra help with editing, Grammarly is an invaluable app, which works with a Chrome extension for the free version. It can also be linked with your Microsoft Office suite, Outlook and web content and is available whenever you write in these formats. Grammarly is the open ‘secret’ for editing assignments and take-home examinations for students. Professionals also benefit from this priceless resource.
Other practices to try when apps are unavailable or not permitted are reading your content word-for-word slowly and audibly (so that you catch more errors) and reading backwards.
Since we live in the digital age, you must be aware of both the good and negative effects of technology on your communication skills, especially on your writing ability.
With technology, free applications can enhance your skills. For example, Twitter initially forced us to communicate in 140 characters. That rule obliged us to become creative and concise in our messaging.
However, like a double-edged sword, technology makes us lazy and complacent. As a result, we liberally use slang, abbreviations, and informal language on some social media platforms in our communication. Over time, our spelling deteriorates. Some informal expressions also seep into our writing, thereby weakening our content. Be mindful of this trend so that you constantly stay abreast of conventional business writing practices by reading well-written content in different formats such as in articles, magazines, books, etc.
Just like public speaking, you’d become more competent in your writing capability by writing more often. Starting a personal blog and writing there regularly will also boost your writing chops.
Conclusion
So despite what you’ve read or been told, remember that effective communication skills can be learned, so become disciplined in practising your public speaking and business writing skills.
Then pass your exams, share your insights to advocate for change, and achieve great things.
The world’s your stage.
And now, over to you:
Students, what other communication tips have helped you?
If you enjoyed this post, don’t rush off just yet. Please remember to:
- Share this article in your social networks by clicking on the icons below.
- Sign up for email updates so that you are immediately notified via email when a new blog post is published. Don’t miss any more articles!
- Fill the ‘Contact’ form on the drop-down menu to let us know how we can help you solve your communication problems.
—————————————-
N.B – First image is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net. Second image is courtesy of Salvatore Vuono via freedigitalphotos.net. Third image is courtesy of Stuart Miles via freedigitalphotos.net. Last image is courtesy of Supakitmod via freedigitalphotos.net.
One Reply to “Students: Beat Your Competition With Effective Communication Skills”