JOB SKILLS:
COMMUNICATION SKILLS LESSON
PART 3
Accuracy
The previous point
related to the WAY you
communicate. Here you must look
at WHAT you are communicating.
Make sure that any information,
facts, and figures you provide
are completely correct and make
sure that facts and opinions are
clearly distinguishable.
Nothing ruins your image quite
as quickly as inaccurate
information, whether it’s
accidental or intentional. Never
be afraid to say, “I don’t know,
but I’ll check on that.”
Sometimes, mistakes do happen,
though, and accidental
misinformation is often simple
to correct – you just apologize
and explain that you made a
mistake. But, right now, you are
probably also thinking, “I would
never intentionally give false
information!” And that might be
true, but what about
exaggerating a little bit? What
about that line on your resume
that says you are virtually an
expert with a particular
computer program, when you are
merely familiar with it? Once
you start exaggerating to make
your points, to convince someone
of something, it’s difficult to
draw the line; it’s much easier
to present accurate information
in the first place than to try
and explain why it wasn’t
correct later.
Thoughtfulness
Of course we all know we are
intelligent, and we are sure it
comes across in our
communication abilities – not
book smarts, but common sense.
Not so! Most of us, at some time
or another, write or speak
without thinking much about what
we are trying to say, much less
how we say it. But taking the
time to think before you write
or speak can make a world of
difference in the above points.
The key is to consider both the
purpose of and the audience for
your communication. If you are
speaking to a coworker about a
technical glitch, standard
industry jargon can be helpful.
However if you are trying to
write a web page giving
information to customers about
the glitch, chances are that
same jargon is only going to
confuse them. So think, first,
about the person with whom you
are communicating, and combine
that with some thought about why
you are communicating with them
in the first place. And then
move on to the next point!
Reciprocity
That’s just a fancy word for
following The Golden Rule. It
may sound corny, but in your
written and verbal
communications, treat others the
same way you would want to be
treated in a similar situation –
it fits every instance listed so
far in this lesson!
If someone is disappointed or
unhappy with your or your
company’s product/services,
don’t snap at them. Instead try
to understand his or her point
of view – whether you agree with
it or not might be another
matter, but at least understand.
Although you should – almost –
always follow company
procedures, try not to offer
silly clichés and platitudes.
These might include telling a
coworker, “that’s not in my job
description!” Or it might be
nothing more than telling a
customer, “sorry about that!”
Whether you are trying to
lighten the atmosphere with a
joke or, in the second example,
offering a sincere apology, make
sure you do it in your own
words, not with a flip response!
Although the two types of
communication have many
similarities, they also have one
big difference:
• Written communication does not
usually have a sense of urgency
to it – it’s not required
immediately, while verbal
communication is often quick,
even unanticipated at times.
Each of these qualities has its
own pros and cons.
The slower response factor for
written documents usually allows
you time to think about what,
how, to whom, and why you are
writing. Thus, written
communication often allows you
to plan ahead, to revise, to get
all of the points listed above
right, BEFORE you send it.
However, written business
documents have more usage
conventions relating to grammar
and punctuation, and they often
depend upon just what type of
document you are creating.
On the other hand, verbal
communication is much more
forgiving – no punctuation! And
you can immediately explain
anything that is misunderstood.
Because of that same immediacy,
you might need to plan ahead for
anticipated responses and
questions whenever you are
planning a business discussion.
If you can anticipate a possible
question and develop its answer
ahead of time, you will be that
much better prepared!
All in all, remember that
communication, whether written
or verbal is a two-way street.
In order to communication, you
must not only convey
information, thoughts, and
ideas, but you must listen to
them as well.
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