3 business communication skills to get future-ready now!
Sure, as a professional you want to embrace change and tackle the new challenges instigated by the rapid growth of the digital economy. But, how do you navigate a constantly evolving business landscape? With digital activity surging across e-commerce and social media platforms, communication and engagement have taken centre stage. That’s why Communication is the master key you have to get your hands on to build lasting and meaningful connections. In this post I single out 3 in-demand Business Communication Skills that can help you reach your expanding and increasingly more diverse digital audience.
The 3 hottest business communication skills.
The skill set I have handpicked and urge you to master, should you aspire to gain access to the global market, lies at the intersection of Business Communication and English Language Skills. Not surprisingly, your competence in English does not only allow you to express yourself more fluently in any work-related context, but most importantly can determine the overall effectiveness of your business communication goals. Find out below what the 3 hottest Business Communication Skills are all about and why you should invest in developing them.
#1 Develop Content Writing Skills
Want to bring your business to life? Content uses storytelling to do just that, making Content Writing a red hot Business Communication Skill. It involves longer forms of writing like blogs, articles and white papers. The main purpose is to inform, educate and engage the reader in an attempt to get your audience to know, like and trust you over time. And since no one knows your business better than you, why don’t you get down to writing and give it a go?
Why?
- An interesting article or post on social media draws your audience’s attention which can ultimately lead to a sale.
- Content turns your audience into active participants willing to engage with your brand.
- Great copy builds trust and establishes loyalty that improve customer retention.
- What can you do to boost your site’s search ranking? Write and publish consistently targeted content that is optimised for search using SEO best practices.
#2 Refine Your Business Speaking Skills
Whether you address colleagues, partners, or clients, effective Business Speaking Skills entail a good command of language and an ability to adjust your speech for different audiences. For example, you might want to give a powerful business presentation to a potential investor, establish rapport with stakeholders through small talk, negotiate a deal with a supplier or give instructions to your team that are clear, specific and concise. As your audience is becoming more and more diverse, refining your Business Speaking Skills emerges as an absolute necessity.
Why?
- Oral communication is convenient as it saves time, money and effort.
- You get feedback instantaneously and spontaneously. Speech is a dynamic interaction between two or more people who reach conclusions, consensus or co-create value using dialogue.
- It is more flexible and informal compared to written communication. You can correct or rephrase what you are saying or even change your utterances as you go along.
- Spoken communication fosters understanding since there is ample room for clarification and explanation.
- Excellent speaking skills are key to building and maintaining successful business relationships. This is because speech conveys emotional information apart from linguistic messages.
#3 Adopt Full-Spectrum Thinking
The future rejects binary oppositions. It embraces “bothness”, multiplicity and oscillation in how we live and work. Hence, tweaking your thinking and language skills in such a way that they promote inclusivity is imperative. Spectrum Thinking, to my mind, is the cornerstone of business communication that aims to cross borders. The reason for this is that Full-Spectrum Thinking moves away from binary choices and examines multiple options, alternatives and possibilities. Consequently, this type of thinking is more suitable for the professional, like you, who operates in the inherently dynamic and evolving international marketplace.
Why?
- Spectrum thinking encourages connectivity as it seeks patterns across the full range of possibilities.
- It is a cross-culture focused way of thinking that goes beyond any boxes or categories.
- As opposed to binary thinking, Full Spectrum Thinking is open and outward facing.
- This kind of thinking boosts agility and flexibility since it provides you with more options and more solutions to choose from.
- Full Spectrum Thinking allows for multiple roles and more fluid and multilayered identities which is crucial as we all exist and interact both in the physical and virtual space.
Go global now!
On your way to achieving readiness and results in the digital business world, Content Writing, Business Speaking and Full-Spectrum Thinking skills will be you trusted allies. They all have across the board, long-term outcomes and constitute tools for effective Business Communication. Take the first step and get future-ready now!
Read about Why learning English is key
https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200629-which-lockdown-changes-are-here-to-stay
https://www.ag5.com/21st-century-skills/
https://ozchen.medium.com/binary-vs-spectrum-thinking-f7bbd719e9ed