How effective communication skills in the workplace can lead to success

Effective Communication Skills can go a long way in the workplace, especially when you're chock-full of wonderful ideas that will make you, your Boss, and the company shine, but no one will listen. Or worse yet, you feel as though your boss, with whom you just spent an hour talking, was barely listening and doesn't grasp the magnitude of your idea.

More often than not, this is because of poor communication skills.

When it comes to communicating within the workplace, effective communication is key if you really want to succeed at your job and be a candidate for promotions, raises, bonuses, and awards. Below are six tips to help you become a more effective communicator within the workplace.

1. Speak clearly and concisely

Don't beat around the bush, or use hyperbole to paint a pretty picture before arriving to the reason for the conversation. Your boss' time is precious, and he or she is far busier than he or she looks. The five minutes they set aside for you are quite possibly the only five minutes they have that day.

Make the most out of them and give your boss the bottom line right up front. They will be more likely to engage you in conversation by asking questions than sitting there and listening to you babble. Also, be concise. Don't stutter or pause for long periods of time while you attempt to think of how to say something. Once again, their time is precious, so go in knowing what you want to talk about, be confident, and know exactly what you are going to say.

2. Arm yourself with knowledge

Never approach your boss if you don't have all the information he may ask of you.

Try to think like them: if you are going to offer a more productive or efficient way to run a program, your boss will probably ask a question like, "How many man hours will this save?" Try to have the answer before starting the conversation.

They may not ask any questions, but it's always better to be over prepared than not.

3. Set realistic goals but exceed expectations

If you know you can deliver something in one week, but a two week goal could also be realistic, then give a deadline of two weeks and surprise your boss by delivering in one week. Always strive to exceed his/her expectations, but don't back yourself into a corner. Things can come up, and sometimes you have to re-prioritize your workload. The two-week deadline allows for that. If you can turn it in early, it shows you are proactive, and can effectively manage your workload.

4. Ask for feedback

Allow your boss to be a coach and mentor. Do not turn him/her into a crutch and constantly rely on him/her for everything.

Instead, ask for his/her input on ways to improve and looking at the problem, or any other ideas.

Listen to him/her and acknowledge what he/she tell you, after all, your boss did not get to where he/she is without learning some valuable lessons along the way.

5. Keep your immediate supervisor informed

If you have a supervisor, a level of leadership between you and the boss, keep him/her informed of your work, deadlines you've set, and any meetings you have with the boss. Often times a boss will ask the supervisor about your progress before they ask you. Keeping your supervisor up to date makes both of you look good, and shows your boss you can be a team player and you understand the value of the chain of command.

If no supervisor exists between you and the boss, then keep your boss up to date directly.

6. Make your boss and the company look good

Everything you do at work should benefit the company and your boss in some fashion. We all want to be recognized for the things we do, and the best way to do that is to strive to always improve, not just yourself, but the company as a whole. Your work, ideas, and innovations, should make you, your supervisor, and your boss look good, all while keeping in mind the bigger picture of improving the company and helping it succeed.

effective communication skills in the workplace is the cornerstone to a successful career. Poorly communicated ideas can be overlooked, put on the back burner, and ultimately become unrealized. But, hopefully these six tips offered some help in how to better develop effective communication skills in the workplace.