The ability to communicate is necessary for a successful career. You need to brush up on both your verbal and written communication skills if you want to make a good impression.
While it is true that writing is not the main aspect of your job, you will have writing tasks. Remember that people will judge your abilities based on your writing style. Emails, reports, memos, and proofreading may fall under the assistant’s domain.
Improve Writing:
- Spell check: Run a spelling and grammar check on everything that you write.
- Proofread: Typos occur after a spell check. Proofread for grammar and spelling.
- Be professional: Use a professional tone in your writing. Avoid slang and informal terms.
- Use mistakes: Do not become offended if someone points out a mistake in your writing. Learn from the mistake and do not repeat it.
Writing is a skill that you can easily improve. Take a class from time to time to hone your writing and improve your communication technique.
Assistants also need excellent verbal skills. You will need to demonstrate proper phone etiquette, plan events, and inform your manager about important topics. You may also have opportunities for public speaking.
Improve Verbal Communication:
- Think: Consider everything you say. Do not simply respond.
- Speak clearly: Annunciate and speak slowly to be understood. Do not rattle off as fast as you type.
- Be confident: Make eye contact and monitor your body language.
- Get to the point: Do not ramble; speak concisely.
- Be sociable: Remain professional while making others feel at ease.
- Share the conversation: Dominating the conversation will make people feel uncomfortable.
- Listen: Practice active listening skills.
We are not always aware of how we communicate verbally. You can ask friends and family for feedback and model your verbal communication on others.