How do you improve your communication skills at work to become a better manager/grow your career?

HelenaGagern·Oct 18, 2021

Hi all, I'm quite early in my career (3 years of experience) and I got my first job as a product manager about a year ago. I often feel like I wish I was better at communicating at work as a manager and colleague. Some areas I feel like I would love to improve on are:

- being more confident when presenting

- improving my listening skills

- becoming more aware of unconscious bias when I talk

I'm curious how you deal with this in your jobs (any tips, good products, etc. out there)? And what other areas are you trying to improve on yourself?

Macauley·Oct 19, 2021

Hey Helena! I'm a public speaking coach/judge I'd be happy to do a (pro bono) session/chat with you on confidence strategies and exercises if you'd like.

sophiablistein·Oct 19, 2021

I feel like what's helped me most with soft skills like these is having a trusted colleague/mentor/manager who can help you identify situations in which you're falling short on your goals and nudge you towards them. You can illustrate to them "here are the areas I'd like to work on" and "here are the situations in which I know these skills come up and it would be great if you could keep an eye on me during those times and give me feedback". You can also ask for them to look out for other situations where you have the opportunity to improve. Having someone call me out did a lot to help break my behavioral patterns, as uncomfortable as it could be.

Briana·Oct 19, 2021

Hi Helena,Life Labs was recommended by a founder I know although I haven't tried it myself.http://lifelabsnewyork.com/individuals/

SMcCormack·Oct 19, 2021

Hi Helena, I am a very shy Engineer and presenting has always been a challenge for me. Lately I have been able to improve my presentation/public speaking skills and I am actually starting to enjoy it! A few things that have helped me:1. Practice, practice and practice - I know people always say to practice but I used to “practice” in my head and used to think that was enough. Of course it wasn’t and when I was actually presenting I had a hard time finding the right words. Now I do it out loud by myself a couple of times and then in front of a few people, usually my family.2. I like to write key words and most of the time a script on the PowerPoint “notes” section. I try not to read it, but it helps me being confident that if I forget, I have something there that will help me remember. 3. I try to include a story related to the topic at the beginning of the presentation. It can be something that has happened to me or can be a story I have heard. I feel that telling a story turns the presentation more personal and gives a sense of closeness between me and the audience.Regarding listening skills, I like taking notes. It forces me to pay attention to what the other person is saying and it is always a good tool to have. Otherwise I end up forgetting, even when I assure myself I won’t forget.Also, I try not anticipate and assume what the other person will say and try not to think about my response too much in advance. That’s not always easy but I try to be conscious and catch myself when I am doing it. Lastly, I like to ask confirmation questions. After a conversation I usually ask things like “just to confirm, this is what you need me to do, correct?” Or “what you just described means…, is that correct?”I hope these few tips are helpful! Best Regards,Sandra.

annamiller·Oct 20, 2021

Hi @HelenaGagern Nice to meet you on here. I support clients on improving their communication in the workplace, so happy to recommend some tips:- Confidence for presentation come from preparation and practice. Watch TED talks, read about how to give great talks and incorporate some of what you observe and read about into your own presentations.- Improving your listening skills takes practice and self-awareness. Practice to not interrupt/prepare your response while someone is speaking. Self-awareness to notice thoughts of comparison, judgement, etc that might get in the way of deep listening.- Becoming more aware of unconscious bias when you talk takes careful choosing of your words when speaking. You can often catch yourself operating out of assumptions, and that's when you can take a pause and ask questions to learn about the person instead of speaking in a way that assumes they think/are a certain way. Stay curious, this helps to limit unconscious bias.Happy to chat more on DM.