Your terrible communication style is killing your career...

If you’re a business professional, then communication is key to your job. If you work in Marketing or the Creative industry, it literally is your job.

Honing the skill of becoming an effective communicator will be transformative for your career. 

A few weeks ago, I was on a call with someone interested in joining my Creative Career Level Up programme. I asked him, “What’s going on RIGHT NOW that made you feel it was a good time for us to have a chat?”

For the next 20 minutes, without pausing once, he told me his entire career history - campaigns he’d worked on, bosses he didn’t like, and grievances he had with colleagues. 

At the 20-minute mark, I stopped him and said, “Do you remember my original question?”

“No,” he said.

If you’re rambling like this in interviews, it’s why you're not getting hired. 

If you’re rambling like this at work, it’s why you're not getting promoted.

The Importance of Clear Communication

In our industry, you MUST learn to communicate ideas, stories, and narratives in a clear and concise way. It can literally change the course of your career.

When I was at Nike, I gave a presentation at a Marketing All Hands meeting. As I spoke, I could visibly see the senior leaders changing their view of me. The presentation was so effective that they decided I was ready for a promotion - just from one presentation!

If you want to level up your career, clear communication is a non-negotiable skill. 

Here are some tips on how to improve it:

Practice Your Presentations

Presenting is a huge part of our industry, and if you want to get good at it, you have to practice. 

When I started, I would write out my entire presentation and rehearse it until I had most of it memorised.

Why? Because I knew that if I didn’t practice, I’d ramble. 

Eventually, I could present without a script, but until then, scripting was the best way to get ahead.

Record Yourself

One great thing about working from home is the ability to record yourself during meetings. 

Set up a tripod and place your phone on it to record important conversations.

Then, watch them back. It might be uncomfortable, but it’s so valuable to critique yourself. 

You’ll be amazed at how much you can improve just by watching and learning from your mistakes.

Plan Out Conversations

Have you heard of the STAR method for interviews? It stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It’s a simple structure that helps you answer interview questions in a clear and concise way.

You can use a similar structure for important workplace conversations. If you need to speak with a client or a senior leader, plan your conversation. Create an acronym - like the inventor of the STAR method did - to ensure you’re delivering your points effectively and impressing those around you.

Clear communication is one of the most important skills you can master. Start practicing today and watch your career take off!

Looking for a new role? Want something you are really going to love? The Creative Career Level Up can get you there.