In today’s forward-thinking business climate, you may be surprised to learn that the most under-developed and understated skills are, in fact, effective, interpersonal communication skills.
And with everyone and their sister going live on social media videos, the gap between those maximizing communication soft skills and those hiding in the shadows is wider than ever before.
In fact, a November 2018 LinkedIn study ranked Oral Communication as the #1 Top Skills Shortage in the San Francisco Bay Area. Immediately following as numbers 2 and 3 respectively were Business Management and Leadership. This is a poignant example that further illustrates the disparity between those with the expected acumen – or moxie, if you will – and those lacking.
In case that isn’t convincing enough, consider the fact that large US businesses lose an average of $47 billion yearly in productivity as a result of inefficient knowledge and lack of soft skills training.
With communication driving business in all sectors, it presents an exciting opportunity to elevate your organization into the exclusive pack of leaders wielding these skills.
In reality, your organization’s success relies on skills that most employees today admittedly don’t possess. But here’s the good news – learning communication skills is not only important for (and to) your employees, but can also be an opportunity for building company-wide connections.
Here’s why you should invest in a corporate communication skills training as soon as possible:
UNIFY COMPANY MINDSET
No matter how collaborative the workplace, employees generally learn and grow at different levels and paces. Additionally, they are often trusted to make decisions and think on their own. How can you be sure they are operating with the core values and goals of your company in mind?
In corporate communication skills trainings, employees have the opportunity to come together and learn based on a training that is planned with your organization’s objectives at the forefront. Not to mention, you can customize the experience by sharing with your trainer any pressing issues for particular teams. You can even point out certain personalities that are causing disharmony before the employees even know the date of the training. In short, you get to decide what is important for your workforce to learn as the core values of your company are considered and integrated.
While your employees are excited about growing their soft skills and having fun with their coworkers, they will also be unified by the company’s mission.
Additionally, this can help future leaders to fully understand the business and think of the bigger picture, leading them to potentially contribute outside of their job description. This kind of growth benefits both the employee’s personal career path while simultaneously boosting productivity in your organization. Win, win – yes!
UNTANGLE CROSS DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION
Similarly, when teams and even people are working as their own islands, communication can be missed or misunderstood. Bringing employees together to target either specific or general communications shortcomings will turn the entire workforce to the same page.
IDENTIFY AND GROW YOUR LEADERS
Communication trainings are an incredible place not only to grow your leaders, but also to observe the future leaders as they are stepping up. Because they are interacting with their coworkers in a natural and more relaxed way, it is a perfect scenario to notice who is demonstrating emerging leadership traits and abilities in your workforce.
BUILD MORALE
Building self-confidence in each individual employee ignites a confidence that sweeps throughout the organization.
Jerry Seinfeld has famously observed,
“People’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than delivering the eulogy.”
As your employees step out of their comfort zones and support one another in an environment of camaraderie and inspiration, not only will their confidence improve as they overcome communication hurdles, but this feeling of goodwill and trust will last long after the training.
And don’t forget – elevating your leaders to upskill their communication abilities will enable them to truly inspire, motivate, and encourage their teams. This, too, builds a foundation that holds firm long after the training and improves morale across the organization.
IMPROVE RETENTION
Not only do your employees crave the opportunities to improve and grow their skills in a competitive market, but they are expecting your organization to provide them. Your strongest contributors and future leaders have made a commitment to themselves to pursue personal and professional development. They will be looking for learning opportunities within the company, and if this desire is not met, they will begin looking to new companies that will prioritize investing in their growth.
As you know, the investment in onboarding a new employee can be staggering. It generally takes more than six months for that new employee to fully perform in the capacity of their contracted role.
You can’t afford not to invest in keeping your current employees happy, growing, and thriving.
INFLUENCE STAKEHOLDERS
Often, those presenting information to board members, clients, or other employees are focused on information delivery and facts. When they are trained to speak with persuasiveness, power, and verve, while truly commanding the room, however, it transforms the information from boring to memorable.
The best communication skills trainings teach not just how to give a presentation, but how to rise to delivering an inspiring performance.
Could your organization benefit from more persuasive and purposeful communication?
STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION
When your sales team is able to communicate better, they will also build stronger customer relationships. Why do your clients decide to work with you? Typically, it’s because they enjoy talking to you and they trust you.
Confidence is what makes the difference between an exciting sales presentation and the one that simply presents similar facts (and prices) as your competitor. Having a sales team that crushes that presentation by truly connecting with the customer can make the difference between yes and no.
Strong communication skills also make employees more comfortable and confident in their negotiations, expanding business development as a whole.
And sales aside, excellent communication skills lead to the pride and confidence that pushes your representatives to go forth and network, further spreading the awesomeness of your brand into the world.
33 million business presentations took place today. Isn’t it time to ensure that your company’s are among the best?
Fia and Gregg Fasbinder
CEO and President
www.MoxieInstitute.com
hello@moxieinstitute.com
(858) 771-6827
