5 Essential Skills for Communications Professionals
If you’re part of the exciting world of professional communications, you already know that being a jack-of-all-trades is the name of the game. Whether you’re a PR wizard, a content creator, or a social media whiz, there are skills that are essential to taking your career to the next level. In this blog post, we’ve got the details on five skills that every communications pro needs to master. So, grab a coffee (a tool of the trade) — we’re talking about adaptability, agility, listening, research skills, and writing skills. Let’s get into it.
Adaptability + Agility
Being open-minded, agile, and adaptable means being able to roll with the punches and adjust to new or unexpected situations as they come.
The communications field changes at lightning speed thanks to advances in technology. That's why pros need to be constantly learning new ways of working to get the most done. Take a social media manager, for instance — they keep a close eye on what's hot across various platforms to make sure their clients don't miss out on new opportunities to reach their target audience. As a communicator, you need to be good at finding — and creating — opportunities. Whether that’s finding the story angle that will capture hearts and secure you the media attention you need, dovetailing messages or piggybacking off other channels and departments.
Agility is just as important as adaptability. Communicators who are ready to help at a moment's notice will stand out from those who are less flexible. By embracing agility, communicators can serve their clients or organization and effectively navigate the ever-changing demands of the industry.
Want to be more agile and adaptable?
Keep up with industry news
Learn from your colleagues
Try out new tools and tech
Listening
Tuning in with active listening helps you better understand your audience and tailor your message to them, resulting in better engagement. If you want to keep your audience’s attention, first you have to listen up. Active listening involves consciously receiving and interpreting verbal messages, as well as paying attention to non-verbal cues like posture and tone. For example, a hesitant or difficult client might not be able to verbalize what they need in industry terms, but experience and active listening can help you interpret what they need — and what they need to hear.
To become a better listener:
Maintain eye contact
Observe non-verbal cues
Avoid interrupting
Research Skills
Research skills allow you to search out, discover, gather, and analyze information to create effective and impactful messages. Whether you’re crafting a press release, developing a social media campaign, or giving a presentation, research can help. Without research, you risk using inaccurate or irrelevant information which can damage your credibility and harm your ability to connect with your audience.
Pro tip: AI can be a helpful research tool, but you must fact-check to ensure your information is accurate. Try prompting it to provide sources (with links) to help you validate the information it provides.
To improve your research skills:
Remain open to information that may be different from your expectations
Keep things organized
Verify information from multiple sources
Writing Skills
It may seem obvious that writing skills are essential to the trade, but strengthening these foundational skills (grammar, spelling, rhetoric) will give you a leg up. Communication skills help you effectively convey messages across various mediums such as social media posts, newsletters, and strategic plans. Regardless of the task, the ability to write clear, concise, and relatable messaging is crucial. When you communicate well, people are more likely to understand what you’re saying and take action. The strength of your writing skills, and your ability to write a compelling message that grabs attention, will also help you stand out in the job market.
To improve your writing skills:
Periodically review your grammar and spelling foundations
Practice, practice, practice
Ask for feedback from writers and professionals you admire and trust. Brace for critique — you can’t improve without it
Mastering these five essential skills will set you apart in the ever-evolving world of professional communications. If you’re looking for guidance and support in taking your communications game to new heights, Formidable offers strategic PR campaigns, media relations, and brand development as well as media training.
Keep shining bright formidable communicators!
We offer coaching!
Looking to up your communication team's skills? We can help.
