Communication is an exchange of meaningful information between two or more individuals. Good communication skills mean that you can speak appropriately with people while conveying information. It is rightly said that no matter what job you have, your success will be determined by 5% of your academic credentials, 15% by your professional experiences, and 80% by your communication skills. Good communication is the ticket to success in so many fields of employment generation.
“The Art of Communication is the Language of Leadership” – James Humes
However, business communication is different than regular communication. Communication is done to achieve a common goal for the employee and the organization.
When the interviewer asks this question, he wants to know how versatile you are with your communication skills and what your perspectives are on your communication skills. An interviewer, without a doubt, would prefer to hire a candidate with excellent communication skills who can express his/her thoughts clearly and effectively. It is not one of the most common questions asked in the interview, as the interviewer will learn about your communication skills by how you conversate with him during the interview.
But still, to have a catch on your opinion, he may ask you this question.
Importance of Good Communication Skills
- Some jobs depend entirely on an individual’s communication skills, like telecommunicating, call centers, marketing pitches, salesman, service sector, etc.
- It is essential to make a good impact on your superiors or subordinates.
- Good communication leads to a healthy environment in the workplace between employees.
- It helps in effectively completing tasks.
- It helps you ace that interview and pass the selection process.
- Good communication skills are essential for being understood and understanding others as well.
- Effective and accurate exchange of information.
- It helps in building rapport.
- A good communicator gets better listeners.
- It helps to overcome diversity in the workplace.
Answers to “How Would You Describe Your Communication Skills?”
Sample Answer 1
“I would describe my communication skills as a mixture of being a great listener and a great negotiator. Last year, I did a course on Business Communication Skills, which taught me the importance of being a great listener because when a person listens better, he understands better and communicates better. Listening is an aid to both personal and interpersonal communication.”
Sample Answer 2
“Since my school years, I have been a bit of an introvert, so to be very honest, my communication skills are good as I am aware of my weak points, and I am working hard on improving them by expanding my network, meeting new people, talking to colleagues by making the first move to talk.
I think I will get better at it with time and practice. I have also read Dale Carnegie’s book “How to make friends and influence people.” It has excellent insight into how one can improve communication skills and networks. So far, my writing skills are way better than my communication skills”.
Sample Answer 3
“I would rate my communication skills 9/10, as there is always room for improvement. I have an excellent vocabulary and can find the right words at the right time. I can handle conflicts by negotiating and coming to a conclusion; I know how to talk to people and convince them. I can also deliver an excellent speech during a pitch. I keep reading different genres of books to improve myself.”
Sample Answer 4
“In my previous job, I got along well with my co-workers and managers. Even when some conflict arose, I used to sort it out as I understood my colleagues quickly, and it is entirely normal for a conflict to arise in such a diverse environment of people. This is why I think I am a good communicator when it comes to communicating effectively.
I am sure even you could describe my communication skills as we have been long enough in this interview, and my former manager could also describe it to you in a much better way than I ever could”.
Sample Answer 5
“I am an extrovert, and I have a friendly nature; I am good at communicating with others; I have developed my public speaking skills over time through participating in various debating competitions, presenting elocutions and different speeches, etc. I feel whatever I convey is understandable to another person. I sound confident enough when I communicate my thoughts. I am also a good influencer as people listen when I speak in a way that makes people want to listen to what I have to say; in my opinion, that is a quality of an excellent communicator.”
Types of Communication Skills
Different types of communication skills are essential for our jobs, businesses, etc. And interviewers look for these skills in an ideal candidate. The two major types of communication involve verbal communication and non-verbal communication.
Verbal Communication Skills
These skills at the business level mean when an individual successfully conveys his/her thoughts to another person effectively while sounding confident. The interviewers hire those candidates whose verbal communication skills are excellent.
It is a much-needed skill in businesses like marketing and sales department. Interaction in business meetings and interviews, even on a phone call, is impossible unless and until the candidate inherits these communication skills.
To build work relationships, it is essential to have good communication skills. These skills can involve
- Speaking in meetings
- Presentations
- Performing a workshop
- Telephonic or Personal Interviews
Non-Verbal Communication Skills
These are the skills that a candidate on a business level acquires over time. The hiring process nowadays does not solely depend on your verbal skills; it has a broader scope now. Now the interviewer tests an individual based on his non-verbal communication skills too.
An interviewer observes the candidate’s overall personality and body language with the gestures you use while talking, the eye contact you make with every interviewer, and the sitting posture with your walking style. Getting hired in an interview has a bigger picture to it now, and it seems a lot, but these are some basic skills that an individual can learn and develop over time to make a good impression in front of the employer.
Writing Skills
Another mode of communication that is widely used in almost all sectors of the business world is written communication. On the job level, people, through writing, communicate in various ways like newsletters, notice letters, notices, notes, and making PPT presentations and memos. One should also develop writing skills. Knowing how to write all these things is essential because it helps you communicate with people within and outside your work.
Reading Skills
Being an avid reader helps me to communicate better. These reading skills are developed over time by reading different books of different genres like fiction, non-fiction, finance, and self-help books. Being a successful employee requires excellent reading skills for business communication. You may read physical or electronic books to enhance your reading skills. If you are a beginner at reading, start with fiction books to develop focus.
Listening Skills
A good listener is always a good communicator, and not everyone can become a good listener unless you master listening by practice, practice, and practice. A good listener understands other person’s perspectives on things well and hence communicates better.
On a business level, when a job candidate listens well, he can take better feedback from superiors. A good listener creates a healthy work environment open to ideas, suggestions, innovations, and actions.
You can work on your listening skills by listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
There are so many online platforms that help you to learn these skills and get better at it.
Conclusion
Before going for that interview, make sure you work on all these skills to give a good answer to ‘How would you describe your communication skills?’ Good communication skills can work wonders for our career; it can improve our work life in so many ways that you could not imagine; not only will the conflicts reduce but also you will be successful in getting that job.
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All the very best for your interview!
References
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.