New Year's Communication Resolution

As I get older, I have taken to setting an alarm for 11:55pm on December 31 on the off-chance (seriously...100% chance) I’ve fallen asleep before the celebratory New Year’s countdown.

In those ensuing 5 minutes when I return to consciousness, I narrow down my overly ambitious list of potential resolutions to those that will ceremoniously make the cut. Things like: “I am going to read a dozen books...,” “I will commit to yoga 3x a week...,” and “I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day...,” make the annual list of options (don’t ask how many I successfully complete).

What will you resolve to do to have a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling 2022?

While personal New Year’s resolutions are wonderful, consider adding a professional resolution, as well. And if you do, consider resolving to enhance your communication skills.

Alright, I may be a bit biased here, but the recommendation has a chorus of support:

“There’s one area of professional development essential for success, no matter your industry or role: the ability to communicate effectively,” according to a 2021 Forbes article.[1]

“The ability to communicate is a vital ladder to all career and personal development,” according to a University of Chicago Press book entitled, Communication Skills: Stepladders to Success for the Professional.”[2]

And a comprehensive study of employer preferences explained, “What executives want the most when they’re hiring new people is strong speaking skills...Oral communication ranked higher than critical thinking, ethical decision making, and working in teams. It’s more important to company leaders than being able to write well, solve complex problems, or be innovative.”[3]

Additionally, enhancing your communication skillset is a great resolution because it's attainable. The one universal truth about communication is that everyone can get better. Like any skill, practice and training reap remarkable results.

Given the value of spoken communication and its accessibility, here are 3 tips to include in your 2022 Communication Resolution.

1: Develop your storytelling skills
Great communicators engage their audience with relevant and relatable stories that they tell in seconds, not minutes. To get 2022 off to a great start, construct succinct stories that convey the professional ideas you need to get across (e.g., your vision story, teamwork story, product possibility story, customer service story, market-fit story, project story, etc.). Having a repository of job-specific stories at your disposal equips you with the communication collateral for a wide range of circumstances and will prevent you from resorting to the dreaded bullet-point list that less skilled communicators frequently deploy.

2: Practice out-loud and on-camera
As a young graduate student, I remember having to present the findings of my research to the department. I built my slides, outlined my talk track, and mentally rehearsed...for days. I even envisioned the audience—professors, post docs, lab techs, other graduate students all staring down at me in the lecture hall with looks of skepticism on their face. Everything was set in my brain. I was ready. Or at least I thought I was ready. But when it came time to actually talk, my mouth and brain seemed disconnected. I struggled to find the right words, filler words crept in, and I found myself racing through the content. From that less-than-ideal experience I learned the important lesson of practicing out-loud, getting my brain and mouth in sync, and working out those kinks in execution that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Additionally, in my mind, my presentation persona is a non-issue. I rarely envision how I'm standing or sitting, whether I rock from side-to-side, swivel incessantly in my chair, play with my hair or clothing, or keep a hand in my pocket. Additionally, I don’t know if my gestures are non-existent, too small, too big, or too repetitive.

On the other hand, presenting out-loud and on-camera gives you tremendous insight into your public speaking mannerisms. And it doesn’t take much; think 5-10 minutes a week. The improvement that comes from awareness is well worth the investment.

3: Seek out communication opportunities
Former NBA star Allen Iverson famously noted the difference between practice and a game, and the same holds true for public speaking. Getting game-time experience is essential to developing your communication confidence, strategy, and skillset. So whether you volunteer to present at a company town hall, kick-off a team call, host a conference session, or lead a quarterly business review with a key client, embracing every communication opportunity should be part of your 2022 professional resolution. Not only will it help supercharge your skillset, it will also give you the publicity that is essential to your promotion and expanded professional opportunities.

So whether you need to set an alarm to catch the Times Square ball drop or have been eagerly awaiting a new start for months, consider adding a professional resolution to your New Year’s celebration. And if you want the assistance of an expert communication coach to make sure you capitalize on your resolution, call The Professional Communicators.

[1] Blaschka, Amy; “5 Ways to Sharpen the Soft Skill Every Leader Needs for Career Success,” Forbes, October 9, 2021

[2] Ellis, Richard; Communication Skills: Stepladders to Success for the Professional, Intellect, LTD, The University of Chicago Press, Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA, 2009

[3] Gewertz, Catherine; “What Do Employers Want in a New Hire? Mostly, Good Speaking Skills,” EducationWeek, August 28, 2018