Professional Communication
If you’ve applied for a job, you’ve probably seen a job requirement that says something like:
“Excellent professional verbal and written communication skills required.”
But what are professional communication skills? How do we know if we are speaking and writing professionally? When should we be communicating in a professional manner?
Typically, we will use professional communications in formal, academic, and work settings where clarity, respect, and civility are important. How you communicate with supervisors, professors, colleagues, fellow students, clients, and customers can have a big impact on how they perceive you and can enhance your credibility.
Some common situations where professional communication will be essential:
- School/Workplace Communication
- Job Interviews
- Client Interactions
- Formal Correspondence
- Meetings and Presentations
- Networking Events
What steps can I take to seem and communicate more professionally?
- Check your tone, word choice, body language, and demeanor – are you maintaining a level of formality and treating others with respect?
- Respond promptly and thoughtfully, address concerns respectfully, provide clear and accurate information, check your sources
- Always proofread your work before sending it off to make sure you are using proper grammar, spelling, formatting, and punctuation.
- Consider your audience – who are you communicating with, what are their titles and credentials?
- To share your ideas effectively you’ll need to be prepared in advance, stay on topic, be concise and receptive to feedback.
- When interacting in person, ensure that your attire is appropriate for the situation, arrive on time, and account for things that can make you late, like traffic.
- Demonstrate engagement by listening actively to others, using appropriate eye contact, taking notes, and developing thoughtful questions.
- For written communications, discern which type of written correspondence is best, such as emails (more informal) versus messengers like Teams or Slack (more informal).
