Effective Language Skills in the Workplace

A basic understanding of language skills is important for inter-office communication as well as connecting with external clients. Four core skills are used to expand and develop your native language and others. They can also be useful in the workplace when deciding how to best approach coworkers and customers. In this article, we take an analytical look at the four common language skills and how to use them effectively at work.

What are the four common language skills?

The four common language skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Mastering these skills could make you a more thoughtful communicator who understands the needs of those around you.

In the workplace, effective communication is vital to achieving goals. You can develop each of these language skills to assist with your workplace communications:

Listening

A passive skill, listening is the earliest common language skill most people develop. Approaches to improve listening skills include the practice of active listening, in which you respond while others are talking with affirmations like “I understand what you’re saying.”

Speaking

Speaking is a productive skill in which your body works in tandem with your brain to voice language. If you want to develop your speaking skills, you can practice public speaking in front of a group or expand your knowledge of a new language.

Reading

Reading tests your ability to comprehend information visually (or sometimes audibly with the advent of audiobooks). You can develop this skill by reading often and using resources like a dictionary or thesaurus.

Writing

Finally, writing is a productive skill that allows you to visually communicate information to others using the alphabet, phonics and grammar. You can practice blogging or journaling to become a stronger writer.

Related: 4 Types of Communication (With Examples)

How to use effective language skills at work

Communicating better at work can make you a stronger employee. Here are some practical techniques for using effective language skills at work:

1. Use a dictionary and other resources.

2. Learn a new language.

3. Know your language comprehension strengths and weaknesses.

4. Improve your public speaking skills.

5. Practice writing professional emails.

1. Use a dictionary and other resources

If you want to improve reading comprehension, consider keeping a dictionary and thesaurus available to ensure you clearly understand statements and directions from those around you at work. Ultimately, you can improve your core reading skills and avoid making errors by using these resources.

Most jobs today offer internet access, so using a dictionary or thesaurus could be as simple as accessing your favorite search engine. That also saves you from carrying around physical copies, although it could be beneficial to have a pocket dictionary or thesaurus for those times you aren’t near a computer or don’t have cell phone reception.

Ultimately, using a dictionary, thesaurus or online search engine to understand language better can expand your vocabulary, which benefits all four core communication skills.

2. Learn a new language

Learning a new language requires some degree of dedication, but it’s also a very feasible way of improving all four core language skills. In the workplace, being able to communicate in multiple languages can also be an asset, making it easier for you to work with employees or customers who don’t speak English as a first language or at all.

Today, there are several online resources and even mobile applications that make it more accessible to learn a new language. As you start to feel more confident in your ability to communicate, you can try achieving more challenging goals, like reading a dual-language book or finding a conversation partner who can help you immerse yourself in that language.

Learning a language fulfills both personal and professional development and improves your ability to communicate with others by increasing your understanding of the four common language skills.

3. Know your language comprehension strengths and weaknesses

Anytime you develop a new skill for the workplace, a good starting point is to consider your strengths and weaknesses at the start of your professional journey. This does two things:

• It allows you to measure your results by providing a clear starting benchmark.

• It helps you focus your efforts on the areas that need the most improvement.

For example, you may consider your inter-office communications and discover that you are very good at communicating with people via email, but struggle when it comes to speaking in front of a group. In that case, you may want to focus your learning on public speaking versus email communications.

Read More: Communication Skills: Definitions and Examples

4. Improve your public speaking skills

In some cases, having a high comfort level speaking in front of groups is a learned skill and not a natural one. If you are someone who would like to get better at speaking confidently in front of others, enrolling in a speech class or joining an improvisation group can help you hone these skills.

There are many ways to find groups in your local community that offer you a chance to speak in front of people. For example, you can use social media to find an opportunity to talk in front of a group that aligns with your personal interests.

5. Practice writing professional emails

Drafting practice emails is a simple way to improve your core writing skills and become a more effective communicator at work. Emails pose a unique communication challenge because your reader has to infer your tone and meaning using only text and punctuation. Written communication is most effective when it is brief, concise and clear.

One easy way to practice writing stronger work emails is to look at communications that you’ve already sent and break them down into the simplest terms. You can copy and paste an email you sent to a coworker or manager into a document and strip it down to key points. This practice helps you become better at clearly communicating your objective via email.