Here are ten basic skills for effective communication: listening, empathy, agreement, empathy, honesty, directness, assertiveness, honesty, truthfulness. Each one of these has many shades and nuances, but can be mastered by working on each one consistently and paying attention to your own behavior. Some people are naturally good at some or all of these, while other people need constant practice and training. But by working on each skill consistently and deliberately, anyone can learn to effectively communicate.
Listening. One of the fundamental elements of effective communication is good listening. Those who cannot listen to someone talking do not listen to what he or she has to say, and thus do not communicate effectively.
Empathy. The ability to feel another's pain or desire is a key element of interpersonal communication, as well as a crucial skill for writing creative pieces. When you are writing a creative essay, a good guide to developing your skills for empathy is to imagine how the reader will feel if you miss a single word here or a particular choice there. By being aware of how you are writing, you can avoid cutting yourself out of the equation entirely.
Cooperation. Another important skill for written communication skills is cooperation. Cooperation also takes many forms, including teamwork, as well as working with co-workers or students. When working with co-workers, remember that every issue has a solution, or a way to resolve it other than through conflict. A great place to find information about cooperation is "The Wisdom of crowds," by Louis Pasteur. It's an interesting read and one I recommend for anyone who wants to improve their skills for effective communication with others.
Critical thinking. Although interpersonal communication skills might seem simple, they do require certain skills, such as the ability to come to a meaningful conclusion based on evidence, and the ability to apply that conclusion to a situation. Communication requires the ability to think critically, so be sure to spend time focusing on this core foundational skill.
Persuasive. Even though I begin each article with "I have a question," in truth I don't have an opinion on the issue, but I do know how to speak persuasively about it. That's what persuasion is. The ability to persuade is one of the foundational skills for effective communication, and one that need to be worked on constantly. If you lack persuading skills or aren't sure what to focus on to develop your skills for persuading others, be sure to spend some time focusing on this skill.
Visual Communication Skills. Even though I begin every article with "I have a question," in truth I don't have an opinion on the matter, but I do know how to communicate effectively using visual images. Being able to successfully communicate through images is one of the key skills for good communication skills, so pay attention to this core skill.
Empathy. No one likes to be judged, and being able to effectively communicate your thoughts and feelings to another person can make you unpopular at times. However, if you are not emotionally intelligent, you won't be able to effectively connect with another person, so always have some empathy skills working. Having some empathy is key to effectively communicating.
Data Visualisation. For many people, their call handling skills are the thing they focus on best when it comes to their CV skills. They are good at identifying patterns, determining why something happened, identifying relevant factors, summarising the data and creating effective scripts. However, not all people are good at this. In this section of your CV you should demonstrate your skill in identifying and using relevant data visualisation.
Your call handling skills are a combination of several other important skills for effective communication. You'll need to be knowledgeable about your industry, you'll need to know how to communicate effectively using text and visuals, you'll need to be able to interpret and present data and you'll need to be a good communicator. It's important that you display all these skills in your CV as well as you'll find it easier to land your dream job
You can't put everything you want on your CV. That's why it's a good idea to highlight some of the areas you're good at using effective communication skills, whether it's in your role as a manager or as a member of a communications team. It's important to highlight specific skills rather than just listing them. This way you stand out from the rest and you'll get the job.