4.3 Communicating with others

A key skill often mentioned in a person specification in the voluntary sector is ‘being a good communicator’. What does that really mean and why does it matter? There are many different ways of communicating at work: speaking to others on a day-to-day basis, at appraisals and in supervision meetings; consulting volunteers individually or in a group; writing clear reports, letters, concise emails, texts and social media messages; and, just as important as speaking and writing, listening to others.

Developing your personal communication skills in a variety of contexts and with different audiences (such as service users, volunteers, trustees, staff, other organisations, funders, public meetings, politicians) can help you work more effectively with other people. Furthermore, good communication skills are part of accountability, in terms of how you inform, consult, negotiate and –where necessary – influence others.