We always hear that communication is one of the bedrocks of business success — but how can you achieve it if people don’t have proper communication competencies?
What can you do to help them communicate better, share their ideas, give feedback and assertively express feelings?
Let’s explore the phenomenon of communication competencies, discover how one can develop them, and find out how communication competence impacts performance.
Communication competencies refer to a person’s knowledge of verbal and non-verbal communication cues and grammar, syntax, and lexicology rules. Listening skills are a critical component of communication competence, as they enable individuals to understand, adapt, and respond appropriately in various contexts. They also show how well a person uses all of those elements in different social and cultural contexts. The important thing is that everyone can improve communication competence with proper training and guidance.
In short, there are four different levels of experiencing communication competence. These include the following:
- Unconscious incompetence. This happens when a person does not know they misuse communication and needs to learn how to change it.
- Unconscious competence. This happens when a person communicates correctly, even without realizing that.
- Conscious incompetence. This happens when a person realizes they communicate incorrectly but intentionally does not want to improve communication skills.
- Conscious competence. This happens when a person realizes their communication competency is good, but an individual is also leaning toward improving written communication, verbal communication, listening, and reading.
These four levels of communication competence are a great starting point for understanding how to improve communication skills and where to start.
Understanding communication Competency
Communication competency is a vital aspect of effective communication, encompassing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to communicate effectively in various contexts. It involves understanding the rules of grammar, syntax, and nonverbal cues, as well as being able to adapt to different social settings and situations. Developing communication competence can help individuals achieve their communication goals, build trust, improve relationships, and minimize conflict.
Communication competency is not limited to verbal communication; it also includes nonverbal elements, such as body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. Effective communication involves delivering information in person, in writing, and in a digital world, making it essential to develop a range of communication skills. The National Communication Association (NCA) has identified many aspects of competence related to communication, including knowledge, motivation, and skills.
By honing these skills, individuals can communicate more effectively, ensuring their messages are understood and their communication goals are met. Whether in a professional setting or personal interactions, strong communication competency is key to building meaningful connections and fostering a collaborative environment.
How to help employees develop communication competence
There are five aspects to consider when it comes to helping employees improve communication skills and develop communicative competence.
Flexibility
The first step for employees to develop communication competencies is creating flexibility. This includes six factors: experience, composure, confirmation, disclosure, articulation, and wit. Once people become comfortable with these elements, they will easily adapt to any given communication scenario.
Involvement
Improving communication competence depends on the degree of involvement. Interpersonal communication is the best way to boost your conscious competence and experiment with it in different social and cultural contexts.
Conversation management
The next aspect of developing communication skills is linked to the quality of conversation management. In short, this shows how well a person can handle the conversation or communicate affects competence.
Empathy
Another significant aspect of developing behavioral competence is empathy. Empathy is about one’s ability to read, understand and connect with the emotions of others. Besides, offering empathy as a part of written communication or verbal communication is vital for establishing trust.
Appropriateness
The final step in developing communication competence depends on a person’s specific choice of words and nonverbal cues. Non-verbal communication skills are an integral part of overall communication competency. Every context requires a different approach and a person has to be able to recognize this and adjust the communication style accordingly.
Now knowing how to develop communication competence, let’s discuss how to discuss communication apprehension and show how speaking and listening competencies impact individual and collective performance.
Overcoming Barriers to Effective Communication
Effective communication is often hindered by barriers, including communication apprehension, language barriers, and cultural differences. Communication apprehension, or the fear or anxiety experienced by a person due to actual or imagined communication with another person or persons, can lead to ineffective communication. To overcome this barrier, individuals can develop strategies such as systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, and skills training.
Language barriers can also hinder effective communication, particularly in multicultural settings. To overcome this barrier, individuals can develop their language skills, use interpreters or translators, and be aware of cultural nuances. Cultural differences can also affect communication, making it essential to be aware of different communication styles and adapt to different cultural contexts.
By recognizing and addressing these barriers, individuals can improve their communication skills and ensure their messages are conveyed clearly and effectively. Understanding and adapting to different communication styles and cultural contexts can lead to more successful interactions and a more inclusive environment.
How can communication competencies and communication skills improve individual and team performance?
When used correctly, communication competencies are a direct way to double down on performance. They can help teams with:
- Achieving communication goals. Accomplishing communication goals leads to better team communication, positively affecting group performance. In addition, people can easily communicate their concerns and insights.
- Detecting and avoiding misinformation. Incorrect communication and misinformation thwart performance. However, with communication skills and communication competence, employees can avoid misinformation and move directly toward team goals.
- Avoiding prejudices. With developed communication competence, you can detect and avoid prejudice in time. It will make communication better and boost overall performance.
- Group conflict management strategies. Almost all team conflicts take place because of incorrect communication skills and prejudices. In interactions where an individual holds more power, such as a supervisor over an employee, the standards for what is deemed competent communication can vary significantly, highlighting how power affect competence. While cultural contexts and psychological characteristics affect competence, understanding these factors is achieved through better communication competence.
With the abovementioned factors, you can double down on employee performance by improving their communication skills, eliminating prejudice, avoiding misinformation, and managing group conflict. Besides, these aspects improve critical thinking, help deal with communication challenges, and aid in directing various communication behaviors.
Developing a Communication Competence Plan
Developing a communication competence plan involves identifying areas for improvement, setting goals, and developing strategies to achieve those goals. To develop a plan, individuals can start by assessing their current communication skills, identifying areas for improvement, and setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals.
Individuals can then develop strategies to achieve their goals, such as practicing active listening, using clear and concise language, and being aware of nonverbal cues. Seeking feedback and self-reflection can also help individuals develop their communication skills and achieve their goals. Additionally, individuals can develop a plan to continuously learn and improve their communication skills, staying up-to-date with the latest communication concepts and technologies.
By developing a communication competence plan, individuals can improve their communication skills, achieve their communication goals, and build trust and improve relationships. Effective communication is essential in personal and professional settings, making it crucial to develop a plan to continuously improve communication skills.
Conclusion
Communication competence brings many opportunities. It can be developed through flexibility, involvement, conversation management, empathy, and appropriateness. Besides, for communication competence to improve employee performance, it is important to focus on the fact that the phenomenon helps achieve communication goals, allows a person to avoid misinformation, aids in eliminating prejudices, and assists in mitigating group conflict. Communication competence is a major tool in improving organizational culture when used correctly.
