Core Soft Skill 1: Communication

Communication is a topic that is worth paying attention to, simply because it underpins all the soft skills you find on this website. Think about it: when you work in a team, you communicate. When you manage conflict, you communicate. When you go for a job interview, you communicate. Many experts argue that you cannot ‘not’ communicate; we always send out signals that others pick up and attach meaning to, so in this sense even if we say nothing, we actually say something! Smell the coffee? This is a biggie!

Check out the Basics of Communication [pdf] to get a general feel for what you should pay attention to when communicating at work, from your first ever interview to the moment at which you have made enough cash to tell your boss to get lost and stuff himself!

The EEC Model [pdf] is a great tool for giving effective feedback. Giving and receiving feedback at work is regarded as important in most organisations, since it is a vital part for ensuring high performance, and getting it right will help you score career boosting points.

Read up on Influencing Skills [pdf], particularly if you have been invited to attend an assessment centre. Especially when sweating away in group exercises, you will thank the Lord that you checked this out.

You might want to learn about Questioning Skills [pdf] before attending job interviews. Yes, it's their job to ask the questions. But knowing about some of their techniques won’t hurt. The more familiar you are with something, the more control you tend to have over it.

Up your Active Listening Skills [pdf], again, particularly if you are about to go to an assessment day. Think about it; effective listening accounts for 50% of being an effective communicator.

Finally, know the rules for Electronic Communication at work [pdf], such as the dos and donts for using email and other electronic ways of communicating.