Every year Bloomberg surveys recruiters hunting for top MBA talent to figure out what attributes are most valued in managers and how the latest crop of business school graduates stacks up. In their most recent survey, Bloomberg asked 1,251 job recruiters at 547 companies about the skills they want but can’t find. Guess which skill topped the list across industries? Communication! If you want to be more desirable to potential employers or first in line for a promotion, take the time to brush up your communication skills. Get started now with these three simple tips!
- Breathe for a Dynamic Voice: The quality of your voice can have an enormous impact on how others view you and receive your message. The foundation of a strong, dynamic voice is effective breathing. To get the most air possible with the strongest support, breathe from your abdomen, not your chest. As you take a deep breath, your chest shouldn’t rise; instead, your ribs and stomach should expand outward.
- Cut Out Fillers: Most people pepper their speech with words like “um”, “uh”, and “like” in professional situations much more than they realize. Filler words like these can create an air of insecurity and significantly damage your credibility. Try recording yourself during a phone call or presentation, and count how many times you use filler words—you should be using a maximum of two fillers every two minutes. Need help reducing your filler reliance? Check out our 4-step system for reducing fillers.
- Slow and Clear: One essential skill you can use to project confidence, clarity and professionalism is learning to manipulate your rate of speech. People often to rush their words when they’re nervous or passionate about a topic, two situations that come up frequently when speaking in the workplace. A controlled, even rate of speech will help you to appear confident and knowledgeable.
Would you or a colleague benefit from communication training or accent reduction services? Give us a call and see how Corporate Speech Solutions can improve your professional life! Call us at 212-308-7725 or send us an e-mail at info@corporatespeechsolutions.com to learn more. I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!