If you are looking for a new job or hoping to improve your chances of progressing in your career, it is extremely important that you have good communication skills. You need to be able to converse appropriately and clearly in job interviews as well as in meetings or on the telephone with a prospective employer.
At GPW Recruitment we have a vast amount of knowledge and experience, which allows us to help jobseekers and ambitious professionals to boost their communication skills. If you are among those wondering how to develop your communication skills then check out our handy list of tips below. This blog will show you how to showcase effective business communication skills when you attend interviews and meetings in a professional environment.
Concentrate to Communicate
Every time you talk to a prospective employer it is imperative that you concentrate fully throughout the duration of the conversation. If you switch off you may misunderstand what has been said, which may lead you to say something that is not irrelevant to the topic being discussed.
Concentration is also key in helping you remember as much detail as possible from your interview or meeting – you don’t want to miss any important information.
Have Positive Body Language
A lot of people say all the right things at the right time. They are, in effect, the perfect candidate in how they answer questions and scenarios put to them by an interviewer. However, their body language does not reflect their answers and therefore puts a dampener on the words they have said.
Throughout the interview make sure you adopt a relaxed, yet assured, body language to allow everyone you communicate with to know that you are at ease and you are confident in what you are saying. If you display negative body language in an interview a prospective employer may see it as a lack of confidence – Maintain eye contact and adopt a warm, welcoming approach towards everyone you meet.
Be Assured and Interesting
Chances are that other people will be interviewed alongside yourself. If you have something interesting that you feel would benefit the conversation, make sure that you communicate it to the interviewer. You should also ask questions when the time is right but do not interrupt the interviewer or the person who is leading the conversation.
Another way to boost your communication skills is through non-verbal communication. Make sure to greet people with a smile, a steady handshake and then introduce yourself. First impressions are important so make sure you get off on the right foot, especially when it is somebody you have not met before.
Plan Ahead
If you know you are entering into a situation where you need to display strong communication skills then it is vital to plan ahead. Consider who you will be speaking to, the topics you will be discussing and the age and gender of the people involved. You may have to adapt your approach depending on the individuals you come across so do your research!
By researching ahead you have a much better chance of being able to build a rapport, which in turn makes communicating a lot easier. The outcome of the interview or the conservation is more likely to be positive if the rapport and communication has been to a good standard.
If you are looking for more information on how to develop your communication skills even further you can contact our knowledgeable, friendly team by calling 01744 454 300 or by emailing jobs@gpwrecruitment.co.uk. The GPW team will be happy to provide you with any additional details you require. You can also browse our jobs board to check out latest vacancies.