Your Communication Skills Matter for Every Job

No matter what job you have or what industry you work in, you need strong communication skills—i.e., the abilities, traits, and knowledge that help you give and receive information. Whether you’re calling potential customers, having a meeting with clients, emailing your boss, writing a press release, chatting with your coworkers, or doing anything else that requires you to convey or take in any sort of message, your communication skills make it happen.
“Communication is everything,” says Terry Rubin, cofounder and co-owner of The Professional Communicators, a consulting firm that focuses on workplace communication and public speaking coaching. “People judge your competence, ideas, strengths, weaknesses, and your potential based on how you communicate.” For example, a skilled software engineer who can’t communicate a plan or problem to the rest of their team or their managers could lose credibility due to a misunderstanding, Rubin says.
Strong communication ensures that members of your team or company work well together and achieve their goals. “It’s important to remember that organizations are, at their heart, a group of individuals working together and making decisions with the goal of achieving a common mission,” says Akhila Satish, CEO of Meseekna, which advises businesses on decision making and company culture. “Without communication, individuals may not understand each other or the goals of their organization.” Even if you’re self-employed, you still need to speak to clients or customers to achieve your own business goals!
“Bottom line: Good communication ensures that expectations are clear, points of view are heard, people feel respected, and relationships and job performance stay healthy,” says communication expert Julie Quinne, a leadership strategist and coach with over 20 years of experience in HR.

What Are the Most Common Types of Communication?

Communication can happen in a number of different ways and via a number of different mediums. “There isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ form of communication that’s going to work for everyone on your team,” Satish says, “so I would suggest getting to know your teammates and [learning] more about what works best for them.”

Here are the four most common forms communication you’ll need in your job:

Verbal communication encompasses the words you say and hear from others—primarily in person, over the phone, or on a video chat. In other words, it’s speaking and listening. (Hint: Listening is often the more important one!)
Nonverbal communication involves the messages we convey without using our words—everything from what our body language and vocal tone imply to how we position ourselves in space relative to our conversation partner to how we dress or otherwise present ourselves.
Written communication is the transmission of information through text. This article is written communication, and so are your emails, texts, and Slack messages; the copy on a social media post; and comments on a Google Doc, project management software, or computer code—to give just a few examples. Writing skills are vital to succeeding in the workplace, no matter what your job is.
Visual communication refers to the use of pictures, tables, graphs, or other images to communicate information. If you need to give a PowerPoint presentation or create a data visualization, that’s visual communication. Design is another form of visual communication that can send viewers less explicit messages about your brand or company values.

You likely use all four of these forms of communication, but depending on your job, you might depend on some more than others.

8 Key Communication Skills for the Workplace

1. Active Listening
2. Clarity
3. Audience Awareness
4. Communication Method and Tone Choice
5. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy
6. The Ability to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback
7. Body Language Awareness
8. Presenting and Public Speaking