Starting a New Job? Communication Tips for New Professionals

It is that time of year again. U-hauls are packed to the gills as college grads head out to new jobs and workplaces. In the next few months, many new professionals will receive a crash course in business professionalism. Since this blog is about business communication and writing, let me share a few communication tips to consider while you navigate your U-haul across the nation.

Put yourself in the shoes seats of your recipient. What impression do you want your communications to have on them? Thinking ahead of time about the impact you want to make can help you decide how you want to write that email, or how you want to speak up on that conference call. For example, what will your communications say on your behalf?

• Hey, I know A LOT about this topic, as evident by the never-ending details in my 3-paragraph email or Out of respect for your time/role, I am sharing the most pertinent details/exactly what you need to know.
• I may not have any all the answers, but I have a plan to go get some answers and can formulate a perspective or I don’t have the answers. In fact, I have questions. A lot of them.

Leverage the strengths of your Twitter habit: brief, collaborative conversations. My generation shared ideas and conversed the hard way – over email. I am still cleaning out my inbox from 2008.

• Communicate often and widely. Information is the lifeblood of the workplace, so when you can, give more of it than you receive.
• Channel Hamlet: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Actually, it was Polonius who said this, but the point still stands. Pick your words judiciously and work to make your point in less than 140 characters.
  
• Edit, edit and re-edit. Who among us comes up with great Tweets without trimming down long, complex and extraneous words?

Listen intently. This advice is for everyone, even the most seasoned professional.

Heather Nelson is a partner with PeopleResults, a consultancy that guides organizations and individuals to “start the wave” of change. Heather and the team have advised major clients including PepsiCo, McKesson, Microsoft, Frito-Lay, Hitachi Consulting and many others on how to realize results through people. Contact her at hnelson@people-results.com and follow her on Twitter @HeatherGNelson1.