This is how you’ll have a good conversation at work. 5 essential skills

If you are skillful at communicating, half the suffering is done. You suffer less resistance, you are better able to explain what is intended, and your interlocutor experiences the conversation as meaningful. Having a good conversation is therefore a basic requirement for the professional who frequently comes into contact with colleagues and clients.

These are the 5 communication skills that every professional can apply immediately in their work.

1. In a good conversation, you avoid roadblocks

It is of no use to your conversation partner if you respond to a (sensitive) subject with an opinion, advice or solution. However tempting it may be to do so, these are downright blockades and actually inhibit your conversation partner. Your colleague needs more of a listening ear.

Realize that you can get it wrong with immediate advice. You don’t know exactly what the situation is yet, and you may be underestimating someone’s intelligence.

2. You listen and mirror

What about your ability to focus completely on the other person in a conversation? Distractions lurk: other thoughts, another appointment, a tricky project you also have to deal with, your smartphone. When you are able to focus completely on the other person, you notice that this attention does the other person good.

You show that this colleague is important to you at that moment. Urge your conversation partner a little bit and a silence in a good conversation is fine. In addition, mirroring can strengthen the connection in a conversation. Mirroring means giving back what you hear and perceive from the other person. Good listening also includes refraining from giving unsolicited advice.

3. Pay attention to body language

Empathize faster if you pay attention in a conversation to what is happening on the other side of the table. Be genuinely curious about your conversational partner’s nonverbal cues. People sometimes reveal their hidden feelings through body language.

Do they look the other way? Does a twinkle come into their eyes? Does their voice rise with enthusiasm? These are all good opportunities to better connect in a conversation.

4. Guts and daring

If your backpack is big enough, then I encourage you to make variations in your responses and encouragement. But watch out for doing “just pretend” responses, such as so-called “warm interest,” for example. Or pretending to understand the speaker, when your mind is actually in Timbuktu.

No big deal if that happens, but just say, “Sorry, I was distracted for a moment. Could you tell me that again?” or “Sorry I can’t quite follow you, could you explain that last part?”. Sincerity always works best and keeps your conversation from going off the rails.

5. Assertiveness is useful

No interlocutor is waiting for submissive (sub-assertive) or aggressive responses. Through a nice combination of soft and resilient, or heart and hard, you remain yourself and can still express what you want. Example: Not, “You should keep your appointments better!”, but “Not keeping that appointment results in me being accosted by that customer. I don’t like that.” That’s feedback you can better deal with as a recipient.