5 Key Communication Skills for Career Success

In a digital world, traditional communication skills are in high demand

While generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and others are becoming increasingly prevalent in workplaces of all kinds, employees are finding that soft skills like communication are becoming more important and more valued than ever.

It’s not just new employees who are looking for help developing these skills; seasoned workers are as well. I’m frequently asked by audiences of all ages and types what I believe are the top communication skills that can position people for success.

Here are my top five. They’re not newly important. They’re evergreen. Master them and you’ll position yourself for success in whatever field you’re in.

Top 5 Communication Skills  

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Finding the Right Balance Between Standard Processes and Variation

Women considering yes, no, maybe optionsI was playing Solitaire on a flight recently and was struck by how much I like developing and following standardized processes, yet how likely I am to vary from a process when I think it’s appropriate.

The trouble is Continue reading “Finding the Right Balance Between Standard Processes and Variation”

10 Tips to Help You Commit to Constant Prospecting

Hiring marketing or content marketing talent?One of the key lessons I remember from a time when I did a lot of writing about consulting and had the opportunity to interact with dozens, maybe hundreds, of consultants, was the importance of focusing on prospecting even when you’re very, very busy.

It’s wisdom that I was well aware of when I started my business, Strategic Communications, in 2008, and at first was very easy to do. I wasn’t that busy after all during the early days (especially since this was 2008 and the beginning of a recession!). But as many consultants warned me what I’ve fallen prey to over the years was slacking off on prospecting when my workload became too heavy. Continue reading “10 Tips to Help You Commit to Constant Prospecting”

5 Ways to Harness the Power of LinkedIn for Your Job Search

Job seekers can think of LinkedIn as a search engine. Their goal should be to show up in searches that recruiters, HR pros, and hiring managers use to find talent. There are five primary things job seekers need to do to increase their odds of showing up on these searches (without their current employers or colleagues knowing they’re in job search mode).

Here are our top five recommendations for effectively harnessing the power of LinkedIn for your job search. Continue reading “5 Ways to Harness the Power of LinkedIn for Your Job Search”

My Favorite Question to Ask When Hiring Marketing Professionals

Throughout my career I have hired a number of people into marketing roles, and have also aided other companies and organizations in finding, interviewing, hiring and onboarding marketing staff. It can be challenging to effectively assess job candidates for any role—when hiring for creative roles it can be even more challenging. How can you determine whether applicants have both the aptitude and the innovative chops to be a valued member of your team?

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Answers to Five Common Questions About Becoming an Effective Communicator

Hiring marketing or content marketing talent?Effective communication is critical in today’s business environment. Arguably, perhaps, even more critical than it has been in the past—and more challenging. Interacting with others in a remote or virtual environment is different than interacting in person. But regardless of how or where you’re connecting with others, some common questions come up frequently. Here we offer a look at “5 Common Questions About Becoming an Effective Communicator.” Continue reading “Answers to Five Common Questions About Becoming an Effective Communicator”

What You Should Be Looking For When Hiring Freelance Talent

Throughout my career, I have both been a freelancer, and have worked with various freelancers, initially in my role as director of corporate communications/marketing in the education, energy and healthcare industries and, since 2008, as owner of my own content marketing firm, Strategic Communications.  I have also researched and written a few blog posts on the topic, including input from other sources who have worked with freelancers:

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Must-Have Skills for Today’s Marketers to Excel

The field of marketing is vastly different today than it was even three to five years ago. While the basic principles and concepts of effective marketing, from an academic standpoint, really haven’t changed much, what has changed is the ways marketers do their work and the kind of work they do.

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3 Steps for Gaining Traction as a Thought Leader

So you want to be an expert? Seems like just about everybody does these days, and social media makes it relatively easy, and very inexpensive, to take steps to gain expert status, or thought leadership. We work with a wide range of clients, primarily in business-to-business (B2B) related industries, many who are business consultants wishing to establish themselves as thought leaders in various industries. Here are “3 Steps for Gaining Traction as a Thought Leader”: Continue reading “3 Steps for Gaining Traction as a Thought Leader”

Mining Your Junk Mail Folder for “Hidden Gems”

Open Black Mailbox Filled with Mail Isolated on White Background.

I was having lunch with a friend recently when the topic of email – and difficulty in getting that email to its intended destination—came up. She was surprised to learn that some of the items that might be going to her “junk mail” or “spam” folder might actually be Continue reading “Mining Your Junk Mail Folder for “Hidden Gems””