Tag Archive for: effective communication

WiseNetAsia Knowledge Center
Copyright © 2022 WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd.  All Rights Reserved.

The widespread use of artificial intelligence in many organizations undoubtedly made the way we live and work more efficient, but this efficiency comes with the need of eliminating human jobs across many different industries, the highly impacted fields would be manufacturing, retail and customer service. Jobs that are mundane and repetitive are highest at risk to be automated away.

Hence, it is crucial that fresh graduates and professionals should start developing skills that automation can never replace, and they are – soft skills. These are the type of skills that will make an individual employable regardless of how the job market and circumstances turn out to be.

It is true that technical skills are important in the workplace and far more learnable than soft skills, but not all hope is lost as any individual can start building or polishing their soft skills such as the ability to communicate effectively, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  These are all significant leadership traits and they are key to a professional’s success.

As time goes by, it is evident that the job market is constantly changing and jobs are ever evolving. In today’s workforce, having one skill or capability is insufficient for an employee to guarantee a successful career, one must possess at least three or more skills in order to survive in this ever-competitive job market.

Here are five soft skills that are most advantageous in the workplace and cannot be automated away:

  1. Effective communication

Effective communication can be challenging between individuals because we translate messages differently neurologically. Communication is a two-way street; it is about relaying and receiving information. How do we make it effective? The objective of effective communication is ensuring that the intended meaning of a message is being comprehended correctly by the sender and receiver.

We have to acknowledge that we all have cognitive biases. An individual’s perception of reality by nature, is bias. We need to be open to the possibility that in reality, other individuals possess different perspectives and perceptions – in other words, not everyone think like us, that is where effective communication comes into play. The more we have the ability to communicate with different mindsets, the more effective our communication will become.

  1. Critical thinking

Employers are always on the lookout for individuals who can analyze situations and make informed decisions that are supported with rational and logical thinking. Critical thinking is also useful in data analysis, coaching and mentoring of juniors as well. Studies have shown that employees who often think critically have a strong sense of self awareness and reflection, more independent, competent and efficient in their work.

A critical thinker not only accumulates information well but they are able to deduce important facts and outcomes by connecting ideas to logical thoughts. By conceptualizing outcomes, critical thinkers are said to be better at solving problems than those who just blindly memorize information.

  1. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage our and others’ emotions. The skills that are correlated with emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-reflection, self-regulation, empathy, interpersonal skills, motivation and perseverance. It is beneficial if everyone in the workplace starts to embrace the nuances of human emotions in the workplace. When an organization has employees that embodies emotional intelligence, they are better in collaboration, prioritizing team work, better ways of conflict resolution which leads to a more conducive working environment.

Emotional intelligence is intricately blended into the decisions and actions made in the workplace. It could be in a basic instruction for the team, or in a massive organizational/structural change. Therefore, individuals with higher emotional intelligence can easily navigate the workplace more effectively, build and drive successful teams to be agile and responsive than those who have lower emotional intelligence.

  1. Active listening

The best communicators are not just good at articulating their own thoughts, they are also superb listeners. Active listening can be defined as “giving your complete, intentional focus to what someone has to say, not interrupting someone midway through, and having the ability to hear what isn’t being said by watching facial and body language or reactions.

Active listening is the key to getting the most out of a conversation which allows a person to reap personal and interpersonal relationships. A study conducted by York University found that individuals who “listen to understand” are able to forge better and happier relationships with their peers, colleagues and direct supervisors.

  1. Great work ethics and moral compass

Work ethics are generally defined as “well-founded fundamentals and principles of an individual”. Ethics are used to determine right from wrong, and it usually dictate our course of action throughout our daily lives.

Characteristics such as honesty, discipline, respect, integrity and accountability are highly sought after by employers. In the long run, having a workforce that encompasses these traits will improve the company’s business and reputation while raising the overall morale compass of employees which will subsequently result in positive returns.

This would lead to increased employee performance, job satisfaction which would shape the organization’s culture and behaviors to include altruism, conscientiousness and courtesy.

Those who wish to become un-automatable should have the ability to communicate their domain effectively and understand the context of who they are communicating with, be it with their team members, direct supervisors or colleagues in the company.

These days, companies look for individuals with strong emotional intelligence as it is essential to develop strong interpersonal skills if they want to succeed in any industry.

Having the right soft skills in the workplace enables employees to communicate effectively, problem solve, work together in teams and organize successfully. The modern employee will have to work on developing soft skills in tandem with strengthening their technical capabilities.

Furthermore, professionals should also strive to be effective leaders, coaches and mentors and build a large network of human connections, in and out of the workplace. Possessing a moral compass will be crucial when artificial intelligence machines start to make morally weighted decisions, but as the saying goes “It is never too late to start now”.

—End—

 

 

 

 

 

WiseNetAsia Knowledge Center
Copyright © 2021 WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd.  All Rights Reserved.

Poor business professional language creates confusion and misalignment when what is being thought in one’s mind is not conveyed accurately, resulting in reduction of work efficiency that could be short term or long term if the gap is not being closed.

 Many countries have their own official and national language but one cannot deny that the English language is the universal language of the world as it is one of the widest spoken languages. If all of us did a quick recollection of the past, the time taken to learn the English language seems like a memory of the past – from adolescents to adults, we have invested years in picking up the language to reach our desired fluency level.

Nevertheless, learning the English language from scratch is not an easy feat if it is not your native tongue. Surely, one could learn the language during their times at school but if constant practice is not put in place to master the language, one’s proficiency level in the language would deteriorate in due time. Therefore, it is important to make it a habit to express, communicate and convey our messages in English, with family members at home, friends during outings, and colleagues at the workplace.

However, not everything is as picture perfect as we envision it to be like in the movies. Poor language proficiency is prevalent in the workplace, primarily in the English language. Many employees struggle to convey their points across either verbally or written in a business setting, when responding to a client or colleague, business professional language is not being exercised thoroughly.

This creates confusion and misalignment when what is being thought in one’s mind is not conveyed and expressed accurately and appropriately through the above-mentioned mode of communication. This results in ambiguity in the workplace, with constant back and forth communication from one party to another just to get the initial points across, if ineffective, misunderstandings might occur, employees might perform duties that are not required, project milestones are being pushed back and not achieved – all in all there would be a reduction in work efficiency and productivity, be it short term or long term if this gap is not being closed instantly.

In today’s fast-paced, globalized and digitized world, a person’s proficiency in English gives them the window of opportunity to enhance their professional and personal growth, and gain better job prospects. When an employee has a good command of the English language, not only would they have an upper hand in negotiating for a higher salary but it also helps them build trust with their peers, colleagues and clients which in turn further empower an organization to achieve their visions and goals.

According to a study by Pearson where an analysis is conducted on the return on investment on good command of English particularly on communications, employees that are effective communicators have a higher total return to shareholders of 47% over a five year course in comparison to those who were not effective in this aspect.

Another research done by the McKinsey Global Institute found out that nearly two-thirds of jobs are at risk of being automated away. As innovation progresses and jobs shrink, employees will be required to move to new positions and roles, and skills such as English language proficiency will be vital for adaptability.

Though having poor English language proficiency is an obstruction at work, it shouldn’t be seen as a workplace crime as there are many ways to work through communication barriers and to improve a language that is not an employee’s native tongue.

Here are some suggestions on how an employee can hone their proficiency in the English language and how employers can help them along the way.

  • Employers should mandate a rule whereby employees are only able to communicate in English with all stakeholders at the workplace. This has proven to be one of the most effective methods (and cost free) to sharpen the English language. Take this analogy for an example: the more you drive a car, the better driver you will be. As cliche as it may sound but it holds ample truth, the short idiom of Practice Makes Perfect.
  • Employers should take the initiative to invest in online or offline classroom-based training for all employees that require a boost in the English language. For instance, a crash course for employees during initial job training and ongoing learning classes thereafter would be beneficial. The sales team needs to understand the input and output of the products they’re offering to the public, the marketing team needs to understand the value of their products and relay that in a meaningful way to end users. There are various open online course providers that offer English classes such as Linkedin Learning, Coursera, Khan Academy, Udemy and more.
  • Utilize visual methods of communication. In this day and age of instant gratification, short attention span and various easy modes of learning; lengthy paragraphs and sentences often fail many. Therefore, online learning companies pivot into images and visuals that are more compelling and effective than reading and telling. The usage of simple charts, diagrams and pictures to explain complicated concepts have been a tremendous win for many companies as visual cues are one of the simplest forms of getting everyone to be on the same page.
  • Repetitions of sentences and words on a daily basis at the workplace is more valuable than one may think. Sometimes, employees need to hear a sentence or a word more than once to actually remember and comprehend it. Employers should not expect anyone to remember something that is being said once. Making repetitions of a useful phrase, line or word regularly is vital for communication in the workplace.

Based on a 2021 research by Statista, approximately 1.35 billion people on earth have English as their native tongue or second spoken language, however, there are still aplenty who are unable to speak the language fluently but not all hopes are lost. Though language barriers in the workplace or in general can be a hindrance to effective communication, with sufficient tools, resources and one’s drive and perseverance to hone the English language, it is not an impossible but attainable feat.

—End—