Poor Communication Skills Are a Career Killer?

Recently I spoke with someone who has begun a job search. He is highly qualified and has a record of solid achievement. However, I did observe that his listening skills are not strong, and I thought about how this could affect his interviews and interactions. I will soon ask his permission to offer what I experienced during our interactions. Ideally, a new interaction will provide me with a couple of fresh examples and an opportunity to request permission to offer my observations.

His listening skill gap became obvious to me as we talked and he would interrupt before I completed some sentences. Such habits would not play well in an interview.

At times when I was responding, he appeared to be thinking about what he would say next and I would often have to repeat what I had said.

Cost of Poor Communication Skills

Poor communication skills can be costly during a job interview. Sometimes interviewers can’t pinpoint poor communication skills as their concern, but will simply feel that the candidate isn’t strong.

Our ineffective interaction made me curious about the cost of poor communication skills in general, and particularly poor listening skills.  I found some excellent case studies linked below that pertain to written content and poor communication as it relates to companies, but I’ve not found much about the costs to individuals.

https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/casestudy-costpoorcommunication/

Cost To Business

This article below further discusses costs to businesses

https://www.vantagepartners.com/insights/costs-of-poor-communication-skills

 

A “Career Killer”

A “career killer” is how this writer considers poor personal communication skills.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/silent-career-killer-how-poor-communication-skills-can-sadharajan/

 

How to Improve Personal Communication Skills

Communication is a skill. Skills can be developed. Skills can be taught, learned, and developed if someone is interested to learn the skill. The best athletes in the world practice basic skills such as making free throws, putting, dribbling, and fielding.

To be an effective communicator an individual will need some knowledge of effective skills and techniques, a regular opportunity to exercise the skills, and performance feedback on their effectiveness and opportunities for improvement.

For over 35 years, my Toastmaster club (www.toastmasters.org) has been my primary vehicle to develop and practice elements of strong communication.  Other interactions in many business and personal engagements provide me with additional opportunity, however, for me Toastmasters remains a regular occasion to plan, speak, listen, and receive suggestions for further communication and leadership development.

 

Practices of Effective Listeners

 The most common advice to improve listening results is to exercise “active listening.” A key for me in active listening is to paraphrase and repeat, and avoid formulating a response. When you begin formulating a response, you become eager to offer your thoughts, and you disconnect from the work of listening.  

Paraphrasing or simple repetition demonstrates that you are listening, and further invites the speaker elaborate.

Avoiding a response causes the listener to organize what she has heard and to ask further questions of clarification.

For more on effective listening see https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-active-listening-3024343

If Told You’re Not Listening

Here is a point of view on how to manage when you’re informed that you’re not listening

 

https://kellblog.com/2020/02/08/what-to-do-when-someone-says-youre-not-listening/

Conclusion

Poor communication skills can be costly to people and businesses. Communication is a skill, and with intention and practice, skills can be developed.