Laura Thorburn, M.S., CCC-SLP
In today's dynamic and fast-paced work environment, the way we communicate matters. We’re surrounded by multiple sources of information, all day, every day. That makes producing a clear and compelling message more important than ever before.
Whether it’s with management, coworkers, clients, or customers, the ability to communicate clearly can greatly affect your professional success. It can make the difference in your salary, your relationships with coworkers, whether you close a deal, even the success of your company.
Communication is a broad topic. But there are 5 key communication skills that stand out in the workplace:
Active listening
Clarity and conciseness
Nonverbal communication
Communication style
Storytelling
Speech therapy for professional communication focuses on these skills, with coaching that helps you communicate with confidence and competence. Let’s take a closer look at each skill and the impact it can have on your job, as well as how speech therapy can help.
1. Active listening
We’ve all had an interaction with someone who doesn’t seem to be paying much attention. You could say, “...then I jumped off the building…” in the middle of your message, and the listener would be oblivious.
Put simply, active listening ensures you understand what’s being said to you. Active listening involves fully concentrating on, understanding, responding to, and remembering what’s said. At work, it's essential for collaboration, understanding instructions, and building strong relationships. When employees listen actively, they are more likely to avoid misunderstandings and respond appropriately.
Active listening is essential for collaboration, understanding instructions, and building relationships.
Here are a few tips to use in your next conversation to help build your active listening skills:
Ask clarifying questions: If something is unclear, ask for more information. You might say, “I believe I heard you were wanting…”
Maintain eye contact: Use eye contact to avoid being distracted by things around you.
Paraphrase: Repeat what the speaker said in your own words. This will confirm your understanding, improve your recall, and help you determine if there’s anything you didn’t understand.
Avoid interrupting: Allow the speaker to finish their thought before you respond. Make sure you’re not busy formulating your response while the speaker is still talking.
How speech therapy helps with active listening
Speech therapy can teach you various techniques to improve your listening comprehension. These include exercises to enhance auditory processing and memory, such as repeating back information and summarizing conversations. Role-playing and mindfulness training can help you focus and reduce distractions, which enables you to better recall the details of a conversation.
2. Clarity and conciseness
Your message is only as powerful as its clarity. Using brief, clear communication ensures that your message is understood and acted upon. It saves time and helps you avoid ambiguity. Communicating clearly and concisely is especially important when you’re giving instructions, making a presentation, and writing emails.
Tips to ensure clear communication include:
Be direct: Start with the point. Grammatically speaking, the subject is usually the most important element. Instead of saying, “I need the report by this evening,” try, “The report is due this evening.”
Keep it short: Keep your messages brief and to the point to avoid confusion.
Use simple language: Avoid jargon, complex words, and complicated sentences. For example, instead of saying, “I would prefer the former,” say, “I’d like the first choice.”
Plan before speaking: Know your point before starting to speak. Think of it as a GPS: You should have your destination plugged in before you begin driving.
How speech therapy helps with clarity and conciseness
A speech therapist can teach you exercises to improve your articulation, fluency, and voice modulation, ensuring your speech is clear and understandable. Speech therapy can also focus on language structuring, helping people organize their thoughts and express them succinctly. Role-playing can be used to practice presenting information, answering open-ended questions, or justifying a decision with clear logic.
3. Nonverbal communication
Many of us know how impactful nonverbal behaviors can be. If someone is crossing their arms and looking away while you speak to them, it sends a clear message!
Nonverbal communication includes body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. It plays a big role in conveying messages and emotions, since it reinforces or contradicts the words you’re saying.
Nonverbal communication reinforces or contradicts the words you’re saying.
Here are some ways to improve your nonverbal communication skills at work:
Think about your facial expression: Make sure your facial expression matches the tone of your message. This doesn’t mean you have to “smile at all costs,” but you should try to have a neutral or positive expression.
Control your tone: Make sure your tone of voice matches your emphasized points. For example, if you’re telling an employee about the value of their contributions, this should seem positive instead of negative.
Be aware of body language: Ensure your posture and gestures fit with your message. For example, leaning too far forward or too far back communicates different intentions and messages.
Observe others: Think of a person whose communication skills you admire, and look online for videos of them speaking. Watch them without the sound on to more closely observe their nonverbal behaviors.
How speech therapy helps with nonverbal communication
A speech therapist can coach you on appropriate gestures, facial expressions, and posture. Mirror exercises and video feedback can help you observe and adjust your nonverbal cues, ensuring they support your verbal messages.
4. Communication style
Everyone has a unique communication style. Your style is influenced by your personality, culture, and experiences. Learning to adopt a neutral communication style can enhance your interactions, reduce conflicts, and improve teamwork.
Some tips for ensuring you’re using an effective communication style include the following:
Be respectful: This applies both to yourself and your message, as well as to the way your conversation partner needs to hear the information: slowly, simply, loudly, etc.
Know your style: Understand your own communication style and its impact. Think about your way of communicating. Is it too indirect or direct?
Seek feedback: Ask your trusted friends or coworkers how your communication style comes across. Make adjustments if needed.
How speech therapy helps with communication style
Speech therapy is the perfect place to work on your communication style. Therapy sessions can coach people on becoming more aware of their communication style and how it affects others. Therapists may use role-playing and scenario-based training to help clients adapt their style to different contexts and audiences.
5. Storytelling skills
Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging and persuading others. Whether it's presenting a project, pitching an idea, or motivating a team, the ability to tell a compelling story can make a big impact in your career. It helps you share complex information in an understandable and memorable way.
If you’d like to grow your storytelling skills, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Be authentic: Share personal experiences to make your stories more relatable.
Use vivid details: Paint a picture with your words to engage the listener.
Structure your story: Have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Bonus points if you can explain how the theme of your story relates to the topic being discussed.
Practice delivery: Work on your tone, pace, gestures, and expressions to make your story compelling. This will help draw the audience in and build anticipation.
How speech therapy helps with storytelling skills
Speech therapy can focus on narrative structuring, helping you organize your thoughts into a coherent and engaging story. Your therapist might coach you on delivery techniques, such as using expressive language, varying your tone and pace, and using visual aids.
Take the next step toward stronger communication skills
Effective communication is a foundation of career success. Speech therapy offers tailored techniques to help people improve their professional communication. By investing in speech therapy, you can improve your interactions, build stronger relationships, and grow in your career.
Find out more about Expressable's communication coaching here. You can also schedule a free consultation call with one of our licensed speech therapists. We're here to answer your questions and help you reach your professional goals!
