The Importance of Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace

As part of Adria Solutions’ 20 Years, 20 Lessons series, our article analyses the importance of effective communication skills in today’s digital workplace and the different aspects of communication. We also offer insights on developing your communication skills to avoid misunderstandings in your professional and personal life.

Why are effective communication skills so important in a workplace context?

Effective communication is at the root of almost every aspect of business operations. It allows information to be shared efficiently across different roles and departments and reduces misunderstandings and errors. That’s why we at Adria believe effective communication skills are essential in the workplace. 

Developing an effective communication strategy should be one of the top priorities of business leaders. Good communication improves productivity, motivation, morale, and collaboration, favouring empathy and mutual understanding. In contrast, poor communication leads to misunderstandings at the workplace, tension and frustration among coworkers.

Nick Derham, C-Suite Level Recruitment Specialist

Effective communication skills improve your business relations, too. For instance, when you maintain eye contact with another person, you tell them they have your full attention. The right gesture or a simple smile can be more important than many spoken words; that’s why non-verbal forms of communication are especially relevant in one-to-one conversations (or job interviews!).

When leaders succeed at their communication skills, they can better influence the company’s decision-making process and enhance the response from all stakeholders involved in the company’s strategies. 

How to improve communication skills in the workplace

Communication is the most demanded skill in the workplace. But what is the true meaning of effective communication? 

When looking for technical professionals with good communication skills, many candidates believe we mean verbal communication, maybe because verbal communication is a skill we can easily analyse while chatting over the phone with a candidate. However, other aspects are equally important, such as speaking clearly and concisely, for example, listening to the stakeholder requests or being empathetic and adaptable when working on a project as part of a team. 

David Berwick, Senior IT Recruitment Consultant

Below are a few essential aspects to consider if you want to improve your communication skills at the workplace: 

• Improve the clarity and conciseness of your communications with managers, colleagues and stakeholders to prevent misunderstandings. 
• Practice active listening to understand messages as intended and respond appropriately.

“Sometimes, we’re too eager to explain our ideas that we ignore what the other person is saying. We all should make an effort to listen more” 

Nick Derham, C-Suite Level Recruitment Specialist

• Be more empathetic: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others can significantly improve interpersonal relations and be a helpful tool for conflict resolution at the workplace. 
• Pay attention to your non-verbal communication: Your body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and tone of voice can be as important as the message you transmit. Take the example of META’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg’s robotic appearance has put him in the public eye. He even openly admitted he was working on his non-verbal communication skills. 
• Provide constructive feedback and be open to receiving it. Feedback is essential for personal and professional growth and improvement.
• Adapt your communication style to your audience, the context, and the medium to ensure your messages are more effectively received and understood. 

Software Engineers often have to explain a project implementation to non-technical colleagues, so they must adapt their language if they want those project implementations approved. In today’s digital world, technical and non-technical teams work together, which is why communication is the most demanded skill in a working environment.

David Berwick, Senior IT Recruitment Consultant

How to demonstrate effective communication skills

Are you looking for a promotion? Are you thinking about applying for a role? Or are you seeking ways to demonstrate your communication skills on LinkedIn as a business leader? 

You can learn to communicate effectively to improve your face-to-face and written communication. Below are some of the aspects we evaluate when we speak with candidates: 

• Does the candidate listen and respond thoughtfully to feedback and discussions? 
• Does the candidate use specific examples of where their excellent communication skills led to positive outcomes in projects, teamwork, or conflict resolution?
• Does the candidate display their ability to lead and motivate others through clear and inspiring communication? 
• Has the candidate tailored their communication to align with the company’s values and the specifics of the role, showing their ability to adapt their communication style? 
• Has the candidate actively worked to improve their communication skills through courses, workshops, or activities? 

Let’s focus on better communication, not more communication!

“Communication is leaving workers overwhelmed” after seeing an increase in frequency and variety of channels in the last year due to the boom of Gen AI solutions. That’s one of the findings in Grammarly’s 2024 State of Business Communication Report, which encourages businesses to focus on better communication, “not more communication”, to reduce stress and improve productivity at the workplace. 

At Adria Solutions, we genuinely believe in the positive power of effective communication strategies when working with our partners and candidates. Is your company struggling to attract executives, IT and Digital professionals with the right communication skills? We can help you! Get in touch with our team to start working on your recruitment strategy.