The following blog post is by Bob Rathbun, Emmy-award winning broadcaster and professional speaker. Rathbun, the voice of the NBA Atlanta Hawks, the WNBA
Atlanta Dream, SEC Football as well as Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball and baseball. has earned eight Sportscaster of the Year honors, nine Emmy awareds and received the Distinguished Service Award from the ACC. His alma mater, Catawba College, presented to him the distinguished Alumni Award and inducted him into their Sports Hall of Fame.
In the thoughtful post below, Rathbun talks about the one piece of advice he would give aspiring young professionals: making your communication skills first-class. See the post "Improving your communications skills to improve your career" online.''
main image courtesy of careerbright.com
In my speeches to youth and businesses, I am constantly asked one question: what advice would you give me to enhance my career (or get a job).
My answer is two-fold.
First, make sure that your communication skills are world-class. In this day and age, when there are hundreds if not thousands of applicants for the same position, what will make you stand out? Why would that HR person look at you rather than some of the others?
I believe that one of the very best ways to make yourself more attractive in the workplace is to have great communication skills. Let’s start with the basics. Do you have a firm handshake? Can you look someone in the eye when engaging in conversation? Do you have something good to say? Are you sincerely interested in that other person? Could you stand up in front of a small group and confidently tell a story about yourself, your history, your background?
If you feel that you might be lacking in this area, it’s time get this part of your professional life in order. There are many resources available to you to help in this endeavor. Building the self-confidence you need to stride into the marketplace unafraid is a prerequisite.
The second piece of advice I offer is to make sure that you can communicate effectively using the written word.
The advent of the “smart” phone has miraculously changed our lives in so many positive ways. The information available at your finger tips is truly remarkable. But one of the downsides to the advancement of technology is that we are losing the ability to professionally communicate with the written word.
Currently, email is almost passé for young people. Why e-mail when you can text? Why text when you can tweet? What this has done is create an environment where interpersonal communication is breaking down. Our collective writing skills are diminishing. For example, how r u doing? We can’t even take the time to spell out the words fully, using Twitter shorthand in a formal sentence!
I’m not bashing texting and Twitter at all. What I want to remind you is that in the marketplace, to be taken seriously as an astute businessman or businesswoman, this behavior is unacceptable. If this is a professional weakness, please take the time to refresh your writing skills and put them to use in the very next email or business proposal you make.
Want to make a great impression? Send a hand-written note. It will stand out. If you don’t think so, when is the last time you received a hand written note? A birthday card? The hand-written note is one of the most underutilized business keys out there today. When you actually receive one in the mail, you remember it.
These skills: how to speak well and how to write well, are major keys to your business success. Take the time to make a honest, self-evaluation and if your skills need polishing, get busy.