April 1, 2025 • 43 mins
The National Association of Colleges and Employers developed the list of competencies that illustrate whether someone is career ready. The competencies illustrate different aspects of ourselves that need focus as we become professionals and maintain a professional career. The competencies are very intertwined, but they each have their own individual characteristics.
In this episode, we're going to focus on competency communication. My guest for this episode is Erin Pederson. Erin is one of my colleagues in the Office of Career Development, and I enjoyed discussing this topic with her because she has a wealth of experience and teaching communication. Throughout our conversation, you will hear us discuss communication as a topic skill, and we share a few specific tactics for students to employ that will help develop communication skills. Please see below for several resources mentioned in the episode.
Further exploration:
Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast
Talk Like Ted, by Carmine Gallo
How to Talk to Anyone, by Leil Lowndes
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]Welcome to Career Connections. I'm your host, Kevin Folger.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers developed the list of competencies that illustrate whether someone is career ready.
For more information on how they came up with their list of competencies, I have shared a link to the report in the show notes.
The competencies illustrate different aspects of ourselves that need focus as we become professionals and maintain a professional career.
(00:28):
The competencies are very intertwined, but they each have their own individual characteristics.
In this episode, we're going to focus on competency communication.
My guest for this episode is Aaron Peterson. Aaron is one of my colleagues in the Office of Career Development,
and I enjoyed discussing this topic with her because she has a wealth of experience and teaching communication.
(00:49):
Throughout our conversation, you will hear us discuss communication as a topic skill,
and we share a few specific tactics for students to employ that will help develop communication skills.
All right. Aaron, thank you so much for joining us on Career Connections.
Uh, before we get into really talking specifically about, uh, communication as a career readiness competency, um,
(01:15):
can you just share with listeners just a bit about your background and then and
then also answered the question of what does career readiness mean to you? Oh, thank you, Kevin, for this, um, this opportunity.
So starting back with my background in communications, I think it first started in college.
So I started at the University of South Dakota, and I came in as an undecided, undeclared student.
(01:38):
Um, I didn't know what I wanted to study at that time.
And it was through in, uh, in the humanities elective course that my advisor had recommended a course called
Interpersonal Communication that I really found that you could actually study communication.
Um, looking back, kind of prior to that, I enjoyed speaking, I enjoyed writing,
and through this interpersonal communication course, I was able to do that.
(02:02):
And not only do that through small group discussions, one on one discussions with my classmates or presentations,
and then writing components because it was a college class.
But then I was also able to see that you could study how and why people communicate and how they can be effective in that.
And since I really enjoyed speaking and writing, I thought this might just be a really good fit for what I enjoy learning about,
(02:26):
and then even hadn't even thought of the professional skills that would be, uh, how useful communication would be as a professional skill.
So um, continued on with communications and was able to, uh,
graduate undergraduate degree in communication studies after, um, that undergraduate degree, um, our department chair,
(02:46):
a wonderful mentor and visor of mine throughout my undergraduate years had shared with me the
opportunity to continue studying communication at an even deeper level through graduate school.
And I really, um, am so grateful for that opportunity because I was able to earn a graduate teaching position where I was able to not only study,
uh, more communication,
(03:06):
but also teach it, um, which I found that I really enjoyed working with college, um, age students and really helping them develop their communication.
Also, at that time, I was already beginning to see how important, um, communication was in their success,
but also coupled with their confidence as young adults, young professionals.
So, um, that was just a really a wonderful opportunity.
(03:29):
And then after, um, graduating, um, from graduate school, um, I'd been at USC for a while and I felt I just needed a change.
So I took a few different, um, teaching positions since I had found that that was really just a connection I really enjoyed doing.
I liked the writing side of teaching, but then also that presentation side.
Um, so I was given the opportunity to, um, teach the Introduction to Public speaking course at Montana State University.
(03:57):
So I moved out to Bozeman, Montana, where I was able to teach that course, um,
develop some different components of it over the next kind of 5 to 6 years.
Um, after, um, being out there, um, I, a family really brought us back to the area where we are now here in Brookings.
And, um, throughout all that, I guess I do want to point out that I was able to, um,
(04:21):
to remain active in teaching and still do to this day as an adjunct instructor for the University of South Dakota.
The course that, um, I'm teaching online was the one that I taught that it can graduate school,
but it has been through several, um, iterations of the course where it really started more as a speech course,
but now is developed to a Foundations of Communication course,
where we're able to introduce the concepts of communication embedded in theory
(04:45):
for students to give them a wide perspective of all that communication can be.
So I really enjoy still being able to remain active in that teaching.
When we moved to Brookings, um, well, I did look for a teaching position here.
There was not those opportunities, but what opportunity I did see was my current position in the career education
(05:05):
coordinator position and reading that job description and the skill set needed for it.
I remember having a huge smile on my face, telling my family that I think I found a great fit form for me,
and so really embedding or utilizing those communication skills that I developed as really,
um, one I think helped me to, um, be given the opportunity to be a career education coordinator, but also has helped me to be successful in this role.
(05:32):
Um, in this role, I get to utilize my communication skills, right.
Those one on one appointments where I'm meeting with students, using those interpersonal communication skills to work with them in that way,
um, we also give class presentations or organization presentations.
So that allows me to use those kind of those bigger public speaking skills, um, that I, that I really have got to teach,
(05:53):
um, well, at Montana State University and then embedded in kind of all of that is that written communication.
And that's from seeing students through the writing in on a resume all the way.
Through personal statements for graduate school.
So I get a really utilize those communication skills that I've been working on for all of my professional career,
while also helping to teach students about communication and how they need to have those skills in order to,
(06:19):
um, you know, really find jobs and apply for jobs and receive jobs, but also help those.
That's really an important professional skill that they will use for the rest, rest of their life.
So, um, it's just been really, really wonderful to see those communication skills.
Um, there I see how I can use that experience that I had, that education, that background and support students through this particular role.
(06:42):
As I just mentioned, that confidence piece was so important also in my development as a communicator.
I know my confidence has grown, um, as I've gotten more opportunities to communicate, um, and various, um, in various facets.
And so really finding students ways that students can find confidence in themselves,
(07:03):
and particularly their communication skills has been so critical for me,
seeing my students can be successful in their career readiness and their career, um, career development.
Um, right. That confidence is being self assured in your skills and ability.
So whether that's those communication skills or a different skill set that a student brings.
(07:23):
Being able to communicate their confidence in those skills, um,
is very important for students to do when they're applying for jobs and promotions throughout their career.
So really, when I think of communication and all the skills that I've been able to develop myself, but that I want to share with students,
um, communication is critical to their career development, to their leadership, and ultimately to to their career success.
(07:49):
So kind of building on that career success, how you get there is by being career ready.
And so to me, career readiness means that you have that ability to use your skills within a job or in a career.
Um, that means having those hard skills, those hard skills that, that typically come through that, uh, that kind of formal education or training.
Um, right. That, that students are doing, um, through their college education,
(08:13):
but also having those soft skills with communication being one of those skills that can really transfer to,
um, a variety of careers or positions in our career readiness is having those skills.
But, uh, a huge piece is not only having those skills is that you have to know when and how to use those skills.
So I think that that career readiness piece has to embed that ability to see and know when
(08:38):
and how to use those particular skills that you'll bring to a position or to an employer.
Yeah. Great. Thanks. There's a lot of as you're sharing your background, there's a lot of questions that pop up for me.
Is that thinking about that. And, um, yeah. In terms of.
Your your story on getting into communications specifically as a thing to study.
(09:00):
I think it's really important for students to want to highlight this,
because I think it's it's one of its fundamental questions students have is like,
how did you get to where you are and when you started college, did you plan on studying communications and teaching communications?
No, not at all. Like I said, I started college because I wanted to learn.
I enjoyed learning, always have, have learned. So going into college, um, that was kind of my purpose behind it.
(09:26):
And in my head I thought, okay, I'll kind of figure out what I would want to study now.
Unfortunately, that back then, uh, they didn't necessarily have a career services center.
I would I would have benefited. I think having that background of being undecided and not having someone also allows me to,
to really bring that perspective and that experience into to my role, my current role as a career education coordinator.
(09:49):
Um, but taking it a step back as to your question of if I knew I wanted to study communications.
Absolutely. Absolutely not. I didn't even know you could study communications.
Okay. Um, we go to that. I knew what my parents did. I knew what some of my friends parents did.
Um, some relatives. But I hadn't even began to envision all the different careers that could be out there.
(10:10):
Um, still learning all the careers that are out there.
Um, and so I'm really grateful to the advisor to the professors that I've had that really showed me that you can find your interests in,
in college and be open to what those could be.
Don't think that you have to have a certain career. Don't, um,
think you have to have a certain major really allow yourself to develop all the skills you can learn all that you can while you're in college,
(10:37):
and see where those opportunities can take taking, um, you know, having a chance to move out to the mountains,
I would not have gotten I don't think if I wouldn't have or I would have gotten in a different way, I guess if I hadn't,
you know, taken the opportunity and said, yes, I want to study communications and yes, I want to study even more communication.
Um, so I think it really, um, goes back to some of those, those big questions that we often get with our students is,
(11:01):
how do I know what I'm supposed to study or what am I supposed to study?
And so really, being self-reflective, um, and who you are and what your interests are,
I often think if you find those interests, those opportunities will come, those jobs will come, a career will come.
It may change even a few times in a in ways. Um, right.
I thought you'll still be teaching um, um, fully and only teaching.
(11:25):
But now I can see that my skill set really does allow me to enter into this career services, um, type of, of of profession.
So, um, and going back to that for students, don't be afraid to explore your interests and build those,
those various skills, um, and see where those, those interests can take you because they can take you places.
(11:48):
Yeah, yeah. Great. Thank you. Uh, so so I'm thinking, you know, big picture about, like, late career readiness competencies.
They articulate communication as one of those, you know, specific ones. And I think it's really interesting.
Uh, a really interesting report came out last year. We discussed this quite a bit in our office, but, uh,
as a survey of students and employers and we talk a lot in our world these days about how, uh, how many disagreements there are.
(12:18):
And it's hard to find common ground and everything.
But this report is really fascinating because students rank the top three career readiness competencies as, uh, teamwork,
critical thinking and communication,
and employers rank the top three greatest competencies is is is the same teamwork critical thinking, communication.
And I think I'm actually saying it backwards I think both of them. But students and employers rank communication is as the top one.
(12:43):
And I think that's just really important for all, all of us to acknowledge and understand.
And, uh, you've already shared some your perspective on why you think communication is as important as a competency,
but maybe you can speak a little bit more about about that as a, as a whole.
Yeah. Um, kind of going off some of that data, I think that really can data helps kind of drive some of the decisions,
(13:07):
some of the work that, um, we're doing in our office that universities are doing.
Um, so I think it really is important to, to really touch on that.
So, yeah, looking at that latest report from Nace, the National Association of Colleges Employers, um,
they found that communication was the top competency recorded from both employers as well as students.
Um, I think of that that statistic. Yeah.
(13:29):
Well, in the mid to upper 90s, both of those kind of populations identified communication as the most, um, critical or most important competency.
Where the data gets really interesting. Next is looking at the student side students.
And about almost an 80% rate say that rate themselves as very or extremely proficient in communication.
(13:53):
Now let's contrast that with employers who are at at a 55% rate, students as very or extremely efficient in communication.
So there is that discrepancy. So I think that's where the work that we're doing or how we're approaching college students to let them see that,
(14:14):
to help students see how important communication is and really see where they can find opportunities to develop that,
communicate those communication skills.
And so I think it's, um, really interesting that, yes, it is so important employers and students agree with that.
But there is a discrepancy in what employers are seeing from students, as most of those young as those young employees then.
(14:37):
So, um, so yeah, just want to take a moment to kind of look at that data and really show that,
okay, there is work to be done, but really more so opportunities.
Um, and so looking at those other Nace competencies, every other one,
when I was looking at all those other eight in total, but so the additional seven ones,
all within the sample behaviors that they would recommend for developing those competencies, embedded some elements of communication.
(15:02):
So there was ones that refer to building relationships, to motivating, to advocating, to persuading.
And all of those are communication types of concepts.
So if we can help students to be competent in their communication, that is going to impact the other competencies.
And employers can then see those students as more marketable, as more skilled, more qualified,
(15:24):
more able to, um, meet their expectations and be successful in their careers.
So kind of thinking about why that competency important, um, why is embedded in all of those?
Why is communication important and embedded in all of those is because, um, kind of goes back to the basic idea of communication.
We are always communicating, um, communicating something and whether we're speaking or not speaking,
(15:45):
um, whether whether we're in our writing or in our, um, reading or our communication.
So communicate. We are constantly communicating. Communication is embedded in everything we do.
It's how we share ideas. We gain, um, information from others.
So in careers and in our workplaces, we have to communicate.
We have to communicate with our supervisors, with our colleagues, with other departments across our business.
(16:11):
Yeah. We have to communicate, um, with our supervisors, our colleagues, our, um, uh, our patients, our clients, our customers, whatever that might be.
In a workplace, we have to communicate with someone in some way.
So that is why communication is just so critical as a competency, as a skill that we all have to have to be successful in, in our, um, our careers.
(16:38):
Yeah thank you Eric. I, I couldn't agree more. And I think it's just that that idea.
You know, anybody listening to this, any student that is, you know, really curious about this, I do want them to really understand that idea.
We are always communicating and, uh, it is a skill that can be developed.
And, uh, there are a variety of ways that we can we can do this on campus.
(17:02):
And I think one thing I want to just mention, when we talk about the career readiness competencies, it becomes a list of of things.
And it can be really easy to kind of compartmentalize these ideas like, okay, well,
today I'm working on my leadership and today I'm working, and then tomorrow I'm working on my critical thinking.
It's like, well, it's not how it works. It's all so intertwined.
(17:24):
And we are constantly working on these, these skills.
It's important to take time to really unpack them and define them.
But, um. You know, for example, I,
I've heard students complain about having to take a speech class when they don't think it's related to what they're studying.
And, uh. So getting in to actually developing this communication skills and connecting the dots to why it's relevant.
(17:50):
Uh communication studies 101 is required course.
And. Maybe speak to the importance of that.
Why do you think it's it's required. Yeah.
So here in South Dakota and here South Dakota Board of Regents students to graduate from one of those universities.
Students are required to take the communication studies 101 Foundations of Communication course.
(18:16):
And I think this speaks to. What?
Um, institutions. What? The board of regents.
What they're hearing from employers, and also what they see in what would be successful as a student.
Right. They're taking data from I mean, there's many sources.
Maybe there's been one of those where they see that employers who want students who can communicate,
(18:38):
whether that's those students that can listen, that can speak, that can write, whatever that communication might be needed.
What communication skills are needed in any workplace?
So I think that really comes down from just that,
the understanding from those in leadership that this this is an important skill set that our students have.
Again, going back to, as we both have just mentioned, that it's embedded in everything we do.
(19:00):
It's not that this is my only skill. This is my skill. They are all connected.
Skills and communication is one of those embedded into all all of those competencies from these, but then also other skills, right.
When we think about collaboration, when we think about problem solving, those involve communication.
So I really think that is such a foundational skill set. And we do want to, you know, applaud, um, those in leadership that recognize that.
(19:27):
And yes, I've heard it too, as one that has taught that introduction, um, those introduction, um, speech courses.
Why do I have to take this? What is the purpose of it? So then that really is my responsibility as an instructor, um,
to convey to students why this is important and sharing some of this, of this data about that.
(19:47):
Employers are looking for those that communicate. And if you were in another student or in the same degree, what could set you apart?
Your communication skills?
When I was at Montana State, while the, um, introduction public speaking course was not required for all students to graduate from the university,
specific majors or colleges required that class.
(20:10):
Two that came to mind was the engineering colleges as well as nursing the other.
Many of the others strongly encourage students to take that course, because they also felt that the ability to speak, um,
the ability to write, the ability to listen, the ability to communicate is so critical skill set for their students.
So really, when I see a requirement for these type of courses, um,
(20:35):
it really is the university taking its stance or a broader institution taking a stance that say,
we recognize these are important skill sets for these as young professionals, young adults to develop.
And here's a way that you can develop it is through this specific course or these set of courses.
Yeah, right. Thank you. Um, there's other ways we can work on our communication skills, too.
(20:59):
And, uh, the specific way that I'm thinking about my background with music, we would do a lot of work with,
with each other and, you know, bring out, bring a classmate in the practice room and say,
hey, can you watch me perform this piece to see see if my nonverbals are if my face is matching the music,
you know, my body language is matching and that kind of stuff. I think with our smartphones any more, we can record ourselves so easily.
(21:24):
We can practice a speech, we can practice a presentation, we can practice interactions.
And I think that that's an important thing that I want to really.
Point out to students that are trying to develop their communication skills that a lot of this does take practice,
takes active experimentation, and we can do that so easily with with technology that we have at our fingertips.
(21:47):
Um, I always I joke that, you know, the pets that I have at home are absolute experts at, uh, the research that I've done,
of course, my career, because they have heard my presentations, I practice in front of them.
You know, it's, uh, it's something that we do as professionals.
I think that's maybe students might not be aware of how much practice actually goes,
(22:10):
goes into lectures and goes into those presentations that they see and stuff like that.
Um. Can you speak to that? What? What do you think about that individual for prep?
Not. Not sort of the formalized class, but the outside of the classroom.
I do want to take a step back and say, in addition to here at Sdsu or at many universities,
an introductory type of communication class, there are other ones offered.
(22:34):
Right? So as you're going to be self-reflective, maybe you're identifying some area.
So maybe that's for you to look for an opportunity to take a public speaking specific class,
or an interviewing class or an interpersonal communication class.
Or maybe you want to take more of the English types of classes to really develop those writing skills.
So the formal part of that, um, the formal part of communication development, um, through those courses, I would highly recommend, uh recommend those.
(23:02):
Um, and then even within the communications field kind of find what areas of communication you, um,
are interested in right there sports communication, health communication, organizational communication.
So really allow yourself to explore and be immersed in those types of courses or topic
areas can be really helpful because it can make communication interesting to you,
(23:23):
um, which can help you, um, to develop those skills through kind of that area of interest particular to you.
So there is so much value in those formal courses.
But aside from that, Kevin, um, you are exactly right.
The ability to practice right as you get right into it.
I also mentioned it that communication is a process.
(23:43):
It's a skill. Um, we can adapt our communication, we can develop it, we can change it, we can refine it, we can strengthen it.
Right. So it as a skill, it needs to be practiced.
So think of any opportunity that you have to communicate.
Right. Maybe that's a simple partner discussion that your instructor gives you.
(24:04):
If that is communication, you're speaking um, in an an impersonal way with a peer during one of your classes.
Well, that's a communication skill. So being able to contribute to a discussion with a partner or a discussion in a small group type of class.
So looking for those opportunities. Many university classes require some type of presentation.
Yeah. Um so that is an opportunity for you to speak publicly.
(24:27):
Oh you're thinking I, you know, to say, oh, that's just in front of my classmates.
No, that is a public type of speech, um, that you can be giving and a lot of the same skill sets,
whether you're speaking to your class of 20 or a class or a large presentation up to 100,
you're going to want to use those same types of skill set, great eye contact.
Um, using your changes in your rate posture, those different elements of public speaking can be developed and practiced in a small group setting.
(24:54):
And college is a great time to practice and experiment so that you can work
on your communication skills and find out what works and what doesn't work.
Other great ways out, kind of outside of the classroom are to get involved in clubs and organizations.
Right? Often those, um, allow you to connect and talk with those peers that are also in the club or organization.
(25:14):
There are often leadership opportunities officer type of roles that require you to speak, um, more formally in a group.
So that's another opportunity to practice your communication.
Um, here in the Office of Career Development, we host career fairs, a great opportunity to practice your professional speaking to talk to employers,
(25:35):
um, again in that one on one setting or even a small group setting,
um, looking for opportunities to network, seeking out opportunities if there's speakers on campus to also watch,
um, communicators, there's a lot of great opportunities while students are here on campus.
And so really embracing those, putting yourself out there, kind of going that extra step to develop, um, those communication skills is so critical.
(26:01):
Then when you're doing all these things you're presenting in your classes, you're contributing to discussions,
you're listening to a speaker on campus, you're going to a career fair and talking to potential employers.
You then want to be self-reflective, right?
What were things that you did well in that presentation or in that, uh, that introduction you made with, uh, with an employer?
(26:22):
What were things that could be improved? And so being really reflective, you brought up a great point.
We live in a very, in a very, um, easily recording way.
And we live in a way that there's always a recording device with us so briefly
before presentations that might be an opportunity for you to record yourself.
Yep. It's a hard thing to do.
Not many of us like that can be really, um, informative and really help you to kind of see where your strengths lies a speaker as a communicator,
(26:49):
and where those areas of improvement can be. In addition to being self-reflective.
Ask others for feedback. Um, as your classmate, even if even as like maybe a simple, you know, ten minute presentation in your class.
But don't ask one of your peers, um, or your friends that what did you present?
What did I do? Well, what could I have improved on and really ask for some thoughtful feedback?
(27:09):
Asking your instructors for that feedback, asking your advisors or other mentors that you maybe know around campus or in.
Your communities for that. Feedback on your communication would be so critical.
And then thinking, if you can use that over these, you know, next years in college,
that you can really develop those skills to find out where your strengths are.
Because contrary to what some of my students think they do have, speaking public speaking skills, they do have communication skills.
(27:35):
They do have interpersonal communication skills, right. So being able to find those strengths, build on those, really solidify those.
But then also look for those maybe areas of improvement and focus on working.
What can work on focusing with those? Um, through each next opportunity a student has to communicate.
(27:56):
Nice. Yeah. Thanks, Aaron. I think the the reflection piece is so important.
And then self reflection, just taking those little moments of like, you know,
you leave the career fair in your car or you're walking back to your dorm room or whatever it is just thinking about,
okay, did I show up the way I wanted to today? Um, was I able to really express my interest, my career path, those kinds of things?
(28:18):
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. What do I want to do differently next time? You know, those very brief moments, but very impactful and very important.
And then just seeking. Yeah. Seeking feedback from your peers and others.
Um. I cannot overstate the importance of that, because it's how you build your confidence,
(28:39):
and it's how you actually experiment with with this whole process.
Oh, yeah. Thanks for talking about that here.
So we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't really highlight how our office helps students develop these skills, right?
You already mentioned, uh, career fairs, and we also do career fairs.
We, you know, provide those opportunities. But, um, are there some other ways that you feel like we show up for students?
(29:01):
Uh, in terms of the skill development piece? Yeah, definitely.
So as we said, communication, um, is needed for for workplaces and in careers in anyone you're going to be speaking,
you're going to be listening, you're going to be writing, um, to others.
And so in that process, employers can start assessing that before a person is even in that position.
(29:25):
Right.
So when we're meeting with students for our appointments, for our presentations, we already are having them practice their communication skills,
the job application process, how we all get to where we are requires communication from writing a resume.
So already seeing that written communication there on a resume potentially expand it in a cover letter if that's required.
(29:49):
For students considering graduate school, there is almost always a personal statement.
In addition to additional essays that are required for those committees to assess the,
um, the writing, um, the written communication skills of an applicant.
So we see that written communication very much in the application process.
(30:10):
Additionally, with that, we see through particularly the interviewing process that students have to be able to communicate their skills,
their stories, um, to an employer.
Um, so where they've been, where they're at and where they want to go and how they connect with that position and that opportunity.
So we are working with students and assessing their communication skills throughout the whole process.
(30:36):
We're supporting them as they apply for positions.
Even taking a step back, I'd even say in that process of looking for a job or an internship, there's communication.
We'll be talking with students about understanding a job posting and what's communicated on that job posting,
typically in written text or possibly through a career fair,
have been employers able to verbally communicate some of the responsibilities or
(30:59):
the requirements for a position that communication starts with the employer.
So we're helping them understand, um, read and listen to that communication and then see how they can communicate their skill sets and their
experiences to match that position through those written and then also verbal application materials.
So, um, really our job is to help support students in refining those skills.
(31:24):
So in those one on one appointments particularly, we're able to give that real time feedback to students and say, okay, this is um, great, right?
Or if we're just communicating, let's say, the formatting of a resume, to use that as an example.
Right. What is this resume communicating about you?
If it is a ten page resume with four different font sizes, some different spacing throughout, um,
(31:50):
some paragraphs, some short bullet points, we want to ask the student, what is this communicating value?
Okay. This is going to be an employer's first impression of you. And you want to communicate professionalism.
You want it through. You want to communicate your attention to detail your organizational skills.
So there's a lot that is communicated just by how even a resume looks to an employer.
(32:11):
Okay, that's a first impression that first introduction.
So we want to help students be really proud, to be really confident, to feel that their application materials are professional.
So we talk through some of that formatting piece and why that is so important in those appointments when we're meeting with students.
Also so important then is also that content and how a student is communicating their skills,
(32:33):
their experience, their story through their resume and or their cover letter.
So we're really helping the students kind of tell that story of themselves in sometimes only one, uh, page resumes.
Um, so it's it's really exciting. It's really fun to hear students kind of find their skill sets and say, what really did I take from this job?
(32:54):
And what are those?
The story I want to tell from my experience in this internship, in this summer job, in this campus organization that I'm involved with,
what is the story I want to tell, um, that showcases the skills that I can bring to this, um, employer.
So definitely important to that. That piece, the verbal communication side of our work is so important.
(33:14):
So again, asking students to really talk to who they are, um, where they are, how they got to where they are and where they want to go,
and embedding those various skillsets, those transferable skills,
the hard skills from their coursework, really conveying that to an employer is so, so important.
And so we work with students on how they can phrase their, their answers to, um,
(33:37):
possible interview questions so that they can effectively communicate, um, who they are and their skill sets to an employer.
Yeah, great. But thank you for that rundown.
Uh, I love it. Uh, maybe a student would benefit for us if we just, like, practiced a bit.
Okay. So, uh, I'm going to be a student, and then you ask me a typical sort of.
(34:04):
Interview question. Okay. So okay.
We're going to I'm going to skip past the most common interview.
Question is tell me about yourself. Right. Yeah. Yeah I'm listening. Have a solid confident prepared answer for that.
Shows preparation. So you take this opportunity seriously. So if you need any support with that,
we are here in the Office of Career Development and happy to walk through how you can really summarize your story,
(34:29):
um, in a, in an engaging way for potential employers.
So I, I'm going to skip the tell me about yourself. Yeah. Um, just, uh, because I'll put you on the spot with that one, Kevin.
But again, such a critical questions. So.
Um, a very common interview question is, Kevin, could you tell me what your greatest strength is and how you bring that into this role?
(34:52):
I don't really know. Yes. And if I often hear that answers, I often also hear.
I don't have any strengths. Right. Right. Yeah. That goes back into the confidence piece that we,
we want to keep working on with students as they're preparing for these positions right throughout the application process.
So yes, you're exactly right I don't know. I don't have any strengths.
(35:14):
Very common answers that we hear from students when we're first doing those.
And then some of those initial interview preparation appointments.
So then we'll take time as career coaches to start talking to, um, those students about that particular example.
Um, that strength question could be, well, have you has a coworker, has a peer,
(35:35):
has a friend, has a family member ever told you something that you're really good at?
Yeah. Often they might say, oh, you know, it's sometimes easier to find our strength if someone else has said it, so.
Yeah. Oh, my boss, you know, says I do a really good job, um, cleaning the tables at the restaurant.
I'm really efficient in that work. Okay, well, there's a strength that you could use to build on.
(35:58):
Um, and then I would usually follow up with, you know. Do you feel that too?
Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, you also not only identify the strength, you're efficient, um, that you have attention to detail.
So I can also heard in that answer. But you have an example.
While I'm working at this restaurant, I'm tasked with wiping down the tables after a customer,
um, leaves so that we can prepare the table for our next customer.
(36:20):
I use my skills of efficiency to make sure I do that in a timely manner,
while also paying attention to the detail and making sure that I thoroughly clean that table so that the next customer has a great dining experience.
So then even that, and usually after I kind of elaborated that example, right.
Students kind of live in their basement like, whoa, I do have a strength, and I do have a way that I could speak to it.
(36:43):
Um, again, going back to that confidence piece, sometimes we don't always want to give ourselves the credit that we do.
And going back to where even some of this conversation started,
we don't want to give ourselves that opportunity to study something that is just interesting to us or that we really gravitate to, to as a topic.
So, um, really empowering students.
And I really applaud the mission that since I've been in the Office of Crew Development, is finding those ways to empower students,
(37:08):
um, in their career development, but just even more importantly, who they are as, as as people.
Um, so finding ways to help students communicate is empowering to them,
and it's going to really help them as a way in developing their their competencies, particularly that communication competency.
Absolutely. Yeah. Thanks for having me there. And for the crew.
(37:30):
That was it. That was yeah. Good example. But yeah, those yeah.
Interviewing is such a different, uh, different type of uh, of skill set that, that really that communication.
Yeah. Um, I think just in today's world, but in today's world, I think just oftentimes we put this in the interviews just on this,
like this type of pedestal type of kind of almost untouchable.
(37:50):
I'm not familiar with it. Um, but really, if we can flip that switch of having, um,
an interview seem like a conversation, um, I find that the employers seem to enjoy that, too.
And they kind of get to see you as a communicator in that way, as a professional, that you're going to be a good colleague, a good, um,
coworker, a good supervisor someday, because you have that element, those elements of warmth, of competency in your very skill sets.
(38:15):
One being communication. Uh, yeah. So kind of stepping out of our office there.
Um, um, I was trying to think of some ways,
some resources that that people can access to build on their communication skills and practice and things like that.
Um, are there some podcasts or books or other other things that you can think of that are helpful?
(38:36):
Yeah, I do have kind of a few of all of those different things,
just kind of depending on how, um, people may gravitate towards how they can communicate.
Or it might depend on how people gravitate towards how and where and when they can learn.
So I do have a couple podcasts that I that I would want to recommend.
Um, or starting with podcast, there's a couple I'd like to recommend.
One is actually recommended by a by you to me, and I really just enjoyed that one.
(38:59):
That particular one is called Think Fast talks talk smart.
Yeah, just talk smart. Um, that's hosted by Matt Abrams with the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
And he has such an engaging, um, presentation to his podcast, brings a variety of speakers, uh, to his, um, onto his podcast.
(39:20):
So that is one that I would highly recommend. Yeah, I agree, I enjoy the podcast a lot as I like I said, you you, um, you shared that with me and,
um, I listen, um, regularly says, um, the other one is Communication Junkie.
That's a newer one that I found. But, um, I do want to give credit to who that is.
That's Communication Junkie by Steven Fuller, but, um, not newer and to to the world, but newer to me.
(39:44):
Um, one that I, that I found. Um, but there really are a vast number of my work on Apple Podcasts.
There's. So many great communication projects. Some are very specific.
So if there's a certain area, um, there's, you know, seminars on agricultural communication, there's ones more on kind of mediated communication.
So finding what area you're interested in, there's a great kind of transferable concepts and skills within each of those that you can write.
(40:08):
Um, even if that isn't necessarily the specific area of communication that you're in.
So yeah, definitely would recommend those podcasts.
Also, um, have a couple book recommendations. Um, talk like Ted by Carmine Gallo.
It's a little presentation, public speaking type focused um, on that.
Obviously it'll give a plug. It recommends many great Ted talks.
(40:30):
There are many, many great, great Ted talks, but really outlines particular ones that have been viewed millions and millions of
times and not only tell us what those are for us as as readers to then go and watch,
but also gives some of the the big skills, the good takeaways from those different presentations.
Um, another one that I have, another book that I would recommend is How to Talk to Anyone by Leo Lowndes.
(40:54):
And that's just another good, um, overall communication books.
And then the next, the next communication book on my reading list is called Cuz Master The Secret Language of um,
Charismatic Communication by Vanessa Van Edwards.
So that is the next one on my list.
And then in addition to the podcasts and books and those kind of traditional, um, ways that we can, um, learn about communication,
(41:20):
there's a call to social media platforms that I do want to share, um, whether they have Instagram accounts,
but they also have expanded to a few other, um, platforms, such as YouTube.
Uh, that is going to be advice with Erin by Erin Minkoff that you she's wonderful.
She takes, um, uh, really career advice, but focuses largely on the communication involved in in career settings.
(41:45):
So I would not recommend her work enough. So that's again, advice with Erin.
That's the name of her platform. Uh, but then then it's by Aaron Aaron Golf.
And then the other one is a broader communication types of platform, millions of followers.
And it's called speaking with you, sir. Again, recommend those two platforms definitely for students.
(42:09):
Um, kind of just have those on your social media feeds that give great kind of short snippets,
very, um, applicable, very direct, um, skill sets for developing communication.
Uh, great. Thanks.
And I will make sure to put links to those resources in the show notes too, so people can just click on that and check them out for yourself.
Um, yeah. Those are all good, good recommendations for sure.
(42:32):
Well, that kind of brings us to the end of this episode, not of our.
Conversation about communication. That can go on for a long time, but, uh, I want to thank you, Erin, for joining us on Queer Connections.
I think you were able to provide some really good insights on this particular competency, this skill.
(42:52):
Thank you for joining us. Thank you. Debbie. Thank you so much for listening to Career Connections.
I hope you enjoyed your time with us as we explore the topic of communication.
Please contact me with any questions and topic suggestions. For more information about my office, please visit careers that State that Edu.
[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]Welcome to Career Connections. I'm your host, Kevin Folger.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers developed the list of competencies that illustrate whether someone is career ready.
For more information on how they came up with their list of competencies, I have shared a link to the report in the show notes.
The competencies illustrate different aspects of ourselves that need focus as we become professionals and maintain a professional career.
(00:28):
The competencies are very intertwined, but they each have their own individual characteristics.
In this episode, we're going to focus on competency communication.
My guest for this episode is Aaron Peterson. Aaron is one of my colleagues in the Office of Career Development,
and I enjoyed discussing this topic with her because she has a wealth of experience and teaching communication.
(00:49):
Throughout our conversation, you will hear us discuss communication as a topic skill,
and we share a few specific tactics for students to employ that will help develop communication skills.
All right. Aaron, thank you so much for joining us on Career Connections.
Uh, before we get into really talking specifically about, uh, communication as a career readiness competency, um,
(01:15):
can you just share with listeners just a bit about your background and then and
then also answered the question of what does career readiness mean to you? Oh, thank you, Kevin, for this, um, this opportunity.
So starting back with my background in communications, I think it first started in college.
So I started at the University of South Dakota, and I came in as an undecided, undeclared student.
(01:38):
Um, I didn't know what I wanted to study at that time.
And it was through in, uh, in the humanities elective course that my advisor had recommended a course called
Interpersonal Communication that I really found that you could actually study communication.
Um, looking back, kind of prior to that, I enjoyed speaking, I enjoyed writing,
and through this interpersonal communication course, I was able to do that.
(02:02):
And not only do that through small group discussions, one on one discussions with my classmates or presentations,
and then writing components because it was a college class.
But then I was also able to see that you could study how and why people communicate and how they can be effective in that.
And since I really enjoyed speaking and writing, I thought this might just be a really good fit for what I enjoy learning about,
(02:26):
and then even hadn't even thought of the professional skills that would be, uh, how useful communication would be as a professional skill.
So um, continued on with communications and was able to, uh,
graduate undergraduate degree in communication studies after, um, that undergraduate degree, um, our department chair,
(02:46):
a wonderful mentor and visor of mine throughout my undergraduate years had shared with me the
opportunity to continue studying communication at an even deeper level through graduate school.
And I really, um, am so grateful for that opportunity because I was able to earn a graduate teaching position where I was able to not only study,
uh, more communication,
(03:06):
but also teach it, um, which I found that I really enjoyed working with college, um, age students and really helping them develop their communication.
Also, at that time, I was already beginning to see how important, um, communication was in their success,
but also coupled with their confidence as young adults, young professionals.
So, um, that was just a really a wonderful opportunity.
(03:29):
And then after, um, graduating, um, from graduate school, um, I'd been at USC for a while and I felt I just needed a change.
So I took a few different, um, teaching positions since I had found that that was really just a connection I really enjoyed doing.
I liked the writing side of teaching, but then also that presentation side.
Um, so I was given the opportunity to, um, teach the Introduction to Public speaking course at Montana State University.
(03:57):
So I moved out to Bozeman, Montana, where I was able to teach that course, um,
develop some different components of it over the next kind of 5 to 6 years.
Um, after, um, being out there, um, I, a family really brought us back to the area where we are now here in Brookings.
And, um, throughout all that, I guess I do want to point out that I was able to, um,
(04:21):
to remain active in teaching and still do to this day as an adjunct instructor for the University of South Dakota.
The course that, um, I'm teaching online was the one that I taught that it can graduate school,
but it has been through several, um, iterations of the course where it really started more as a speech course,
but now is developed to a Foundations of Communication course,
where we're able to introduce the concepts of communication embedded in theory
(04:45):
for students to give them a wide perspective of all that communication can be.
So I really enjoy still being able to remain active in that teaching.
When we moved to Brookings, um, well, I did look for a teaching position here.
There was not those opportunities, but what opportunity I did see was my current position in the career education
(05:05):
coordinator position and reading that job description and the skill set needed for it.
I remember having a huge smile on my face, telling my family that I think I found a great fit form for me,
and so really embedding or utilizing those communication skills that I developed as really,
um, one I think helped me to, um, be given the opportunity to be a career education coordinator, but also has helped me to be successful in this role.
(05:32):
Um, in this role, I get to utilize my communication skills, right.
Those one on one appointments where I'm meeting with students, using those interpersonal communication skills to work with them in that way,
um, we also give class presentations or organization presentations.
So that allows me to use those kind of those bigger public speaking skills, um, that I, that I really have got to teach,
(05:53):
um, well, at Montana State University and then embedded in kind of all of that is that written communication.
And that's from seeing students through the writing in on a resume all the way.
Through personal statements for graduate school.
So I get a really utilize those communication skills that I've been working on for all of my professional career,
while also helping to teach students about communication and how they need to have those skills in order to,
(06:19):
um, you know, really find jobs and apply for jobs and receive jobs, but also help those.
That's really an important professional skill that they will use for the rest, rest of their life.
So, um, it's just been really, really wonderful to see those communication skills.
Um, there I see how I can use that experience that I had, that education, that background and support students through this particular role.
(06:42):
As I just mentioned, that confidence piece was so important also in my development as a communicator.
I know my confidence has grown, um, as I've gotten more opportunities to communicate, um, and various, um, in various facets.
And so really finding students ways that students can find confidence in themselves,
(07:03):
and particularly their communication skills has been so critical for me,
seeing my students can be successful in their career readiness and their career, um, career development.
Um, right. That confidence is being self assured in your skills and ability.
So whether that's those communication skills or a different skill set that a student brings.
(07:23):
Being able to communicate their confidence in those skills, um,
is very important for students to do when they're applying for jobs and promotions throughout their career.
So really, when I think of communication and all the skills that I've been able to develop myself, but that I want to share with students,
um, communication is critical to their career development, to their leadership, and ultimately to to their career success.
(07:49):
So kind of building on that career success, how you get there is by being career ready.
And so to me, career readiness means that you have that ability to use your skills within a job or in a career.
Um, that means having those hard skills, those hard skills that, that typically come through that, uh, that kind of formal education or training.
Um, right. That, that students are doing, um, through their college education,
(08:13):
but also having those soft skills with communication being one of those skills that can really transfer to,
um, a variety of careers or positions in our career readiness is having those skills.
But, uh, a huge piece is not only having those skills is that you have to know when and how to use those skills.
So I think that that career readiness piece has to embed that ability to see and know when
(08:38):
and how to use those particular skills that you'll bring to a position or to an employer.
Yeah. Great. Thanks. There's a lot of as you're sharing your background, there's a lot of questions that pop up for me.
Is that thinking about that. And, um, yeah. In terms of.
Your your story on getting into communications specifically as a thing to study.
(09:00):
I think it's really important for students to want to highlight this,
because I think it's it's one of its fundamental questions students have is like,
how did you get to where you are and when you started college, did you plan on studying communications and teaching communications?
No, not at all. Like I said, I started college because I wanted to learn.
I enjoyed learning, always have, have learned. So going into college, um, that was kind of my purpose behind it.
(09:26):
And in my head I thought, okay, I'll kind of figure out what I would want to study now.
Unfortunately, that back then, uh, they didn't necessarily have a career services center.
I would I would have benefited. I think having that background of being undecided and not having someone also allows me to,
to really bring that perspective and that experience into to my role, my current role as a career education coordinator.
(09:49):
Um, but taking it a step back as to your question of if I knew I wanted to study communications.
Absolutely. Absolutely not. I didn't even know you could study communications.
Okay. Um, we go to that. I knew what my parents did. I knew what some of my friends parents did.
Um, some relatives. But I hadn't even began to envision all the different careers that could be out there.
(10:10):
Um, still learning all the careers that are out there.
Um, and so I'm really grateful to the advisor to the professors that I've had that really showed me that you can find your interests in,
in college and be open to what those could be.
Don't think that you have to have a certain career. Don't, um,
think you have to have a certain major really allow yourself to develop all the skills you can learn all that you can while you're in college,
(10:37):
and see where those opportunities can take taking, um, you know, having a chance to move out to the mountains,
I would not have gotten I don't think if I wouldn't have or I would have gotten in a different way, I guess if I hadn't,
you know, taken the opportunity and said, yes, I want to study communications and yes, I want to study even more communication.
Um, so I think it really, um, goes back to some of those, those big questions that we often get with our students is,
(11:01):
how do I know what I'm supposed to study or what am I supposed to study?
And so really, being self-reflective, um, and who you are and what your interests are,
I often think if you find those interests, those opportunities will come, those jobs will come, a career will come.
It may change even a few times in a in ways. Um, right.
I thought you'll still be teaching um, um, fully and only teaching.
(11:25):
But now I can see that my skill set really does allow me to enter into this career services, um, type of, of of profession.
So, um, and going back to that for students, don't be afraid to explore your interests and build those,
those various skills, um, and see where those, those interests can take you because they can take you places.
(11:48):
Yeah, yeah. Great. Thank you. Uh, so so I'm thinking, you know, big picture about, like, late career readiness competencies.
They articulate communication as one of those, you know, specific ones. And I think it's really interesting.
Uh, a really interesting report came out last year. We discussed this quite a bit in our office, but, uh,
as a survey of students and employers and we talk a lot in our world these days about how, uh, how many disagreements there are.
(12:18):
And it's hard to find common ground and everything.
But this report is really fascinating because students rank the top three career readiness competencies as, uh, teamwork,
critical thinking and communication,
and employers rank the top three greatest competencies is is is the same teamwork critical thinking, communication.
And I think I'm actually saying it backwards I think both of them. But students and employers rank communication is as the top one.
(12:43):
And I think that's just really important for all, all of us to acknowledge and understand.
And, uh, you've already shared some your perspective on why you think communication is as important as a competency,
but maybe you can speak a little bit more about about that as a, as a whole.
Yeah. Um, kind of going off some of that data, I think that really can data helps kind of drive some of the decisions,
(13:07):
some of the work that, um, we're doing in our office that universities are doing.
Um, so I think it really is important to, to really touch on that.
So, yeah, looking at that latest report from Nace, the National Association of Colleges Employers, um,
they found that communication was the top competency recorded from both employers as well as students.
Um, I think of that that statistic. Yeah.
(13:29):
Well, in the mid to upper 90s, both of those kind of populations identified communication as the most, um, critical or most important competency.
Where the data gets really interesting. Next is looking at the student side students.
And about almost an 80% rate say that rate themselves as very or extremely proficient in communication.
(13:53):
Now let's contrast that with employers who are at at a 55% rate, students as very or extremely efficient in communication.
So there is that discrepancy. So I think that's where the work that we're doing or how we're approaching college students to let them see that,
(14:14):
to help students see how important communication is and really see where they can find opportunities to develop that,
communicate those communication skills.
And so I think it's, um, really interesting that, yes, it is so important employers and students agree with that.
But there is a discrepancy in what employers are seeing from students, as most of those young as those young employees then.
(14:37):
So, um, so yeah, just want to take a moment to kind of look at that data and really show that,
okay, there is work to be done, but really more so opportunities.
Um, and so looking at those other Nace competencies, every other one,
when I was looking at all those other eight in total, but so the additional seven ones,
all within the sample behaviors that they would recommend for developing those competencies, embedded some elements of communication.
(15:02):
So there was ones that refer to building relationships, to motivating, to advocating, to persuading.
And all of those are communication types of concepts.
So if we can help students to be competent in their communication, that is going to impact the other competencies.
And employers can then see those students as more marketable, as more skilled, more qualified,
(15:24):
more able to, um, meet their expectations and be successful in their careers.
So kind of thinking about why that competency important, um, why is embedded in all of those?
Why is communication important and embedded in all of those is because, um, kind of goes back to the basic idea of communication.
We are always communicating, um, communicating something and whether we're speaking or not speaking,
(15:45):
um, whether whether we're in our writing or in our, um, reading or our communication.
So communicate. We are constantly communicating. Communication is embedded in everything we do.
It's how we share ideas. We gain, um, information from others.
So in careers and in our workplaces, we have to communicate.
We have to communicate with our supervisors, with our colleagues, with other departments across our business.
(16:11):
Yeah. We have to communicate, um, with our supervisors, our colleagues, our, um, uh, our patients, our clients, our customers, whatever that might be.
In a workplace, we have to communicate with someone in some way.
So that is why communication is just so critical as a competency, as a skill that we all have to have to be successful in, in our, um, our careers.
(16:38):
Yeah thank you Eric. I, I couldn't agree more. And I think it's just that that idea.
You know, anybody listening to this, any student that is, you know, really curious about this, I do want them to really understand that idea.
We are always communicating and, uh, it is a skill that can be developed.
And, uh, there are a variety of ways that we can we can do this on campus.
(17:02):
And I think one thing I want to just mention, when we talk about the career readiness competencies, it becomes a list of of things.
And it can be really easy to kind of compartmentalize these ideas like, okay, well,
today I'm working on my leadership and today I'm working, and then tomorrow I'm working on my critical thinking.
It's like, well, it's not how it works. It's all so intertwined.
(17:24):
And we are constantly working on these, these skills.
It's important to take time to really unpack them and define them.
But, um. You know, for example, I,
I've heard students complain about having to take a speech class when they don't think it's related to what they're studying.
And, uh. So getting in to actually developing this communication skills and connecting the dots to why it's relevant.
(17:50):
Uh communication studies 101 is required course.
And. Maybe speak to the importance of that.
Why do you think it's it's required. Yeah.
So here in South Dakota and here South Dakota Board of Regents students to graduate from one of those universities.
Students are required to take the communication studies 101 Foundations of Communication course.
(18:16):
And I think this speaks to. What?
Um, institutions. What? The board of regents.
What they're hearing from employers, and also what they see in what would be successful as a student.
Right. They're taking data from I mean, there's many sources.
Maybe there's been one of those where they see that employers who want students who can communicate,
(18:38):
whether that's those students that can listen, that can speak, that can write, whatever that communication might be needed.
What communication skills are needed in any workplace?
So I think that really comes down from just that,
the understanding from those in leadership that this this is an important skill set that our students have.
Again, going back to, as we both have just mentioned, that it's embedded in everything we do.
(19:00):
It's not that this is my only skill. This is my skill. They are all connected.
Skills and communication is one of those embedded into all all of those competencies from these, but then also other skills, right.
When we think about collaboration, when we think about problem solving, those involve communication.
So I really think that is such a foundational skill set. And we do want to, you know, applaud, um, those in leadership that recognize that.
(19:27):
And yes, I've heard it too, as one that has taught that introduction, um, those introduction, um, speech courses.
Why do I have to take this? What is the purpose of it? So then that really is my responsibility as an instructor, um,
to convey to students why this is important and sharing some of this, of this data about that.
(19:47):
Employers are looking for those that communicate. And if you were in another student or in the same degree, what could set you apart?
Your communication skills?
When I was at Montana State, while the, um, introduction public speaking course was not required for all students to graduate from the university,
specific majors or colleges required that class.
(20:10):
Two that came to mind was the engineering colleges as well as nursing the other.
Many of the others strongly encourage students to take that course, because they also felt that the ability to speak, um,
the ability to write, the ability to listen, the ability to communicate is so critical skill set for their students.
So really, when I see a requirement for these type of courses, um,
(20:35):
it really is the university taking its stance or a broader institution taking a stance that say,
we recognize these are important skill sets for these as young professionals, young adults to develop.
And here's a way that you can develop it is through this specific course or these set of courses.
Yeah, right. Thank you. Um, there's other ways we can work on our communication skills, too.
(20:59):
And, uh, the specific way that I'm thinking about my background with music, we would do a lot of work with,
with each other and, you know, bring out, bring a classmate in the practice room and say,
hey, can you watch me perform this piece to see see if my nonverbals are if my face is matching the music,
you know, my body language is matching and that kind of stuff. I think with our smartphones any more, we can record ourselves so easily.
(21:24):
We can practice a speech, we can practice a presentation, we can practice interactions.
And I think that that's an important thing that I want to really.
Point out to students that are trying to develop their communication skills that a lot of this does take practice,
takes active experimentation, and we can do that so easily with with technology that we have at our fingertips.
(21:47):
Um, I always I joke that, you know, the pets that I have at home are absolute experts at, uh, the research that I've done,
of course, my career, because they have heard my presentations, I practice in front of them.
You know, it's, uh, it's something that we do as professionals.
I think that's maybe students might not be aware of how much practice actually goes,
(22:10):
goes into lectures and goes into those presentations that they see and stuff like that.
Um. Can you speak to that? What? What do you think about that individual for prep?
Not. Not sort of the formalized class, but the outside of the classroom.
I do want to take a step back and say, in addition to here at Sdsu or at many universities,
an introductory type of communication class, there are other ones offered.
(22:34):
Right? So as you're going to be self-reflective, maybe you're identifying some area.
So maybe that's for you to look for an opportunity to take a public speaking specific class,
or an interviewing class or an interpersonal communication class.
Or maybe you want to take more of the English types of classes to really develop those writing skills.
So the formal part of that, um, the formal part of communication development, um, through those courses, I would highly recommend, uh recommend those.
(23:02):
Um, and then even within the communications field kind of find what areas of communication you, um,
are interested in right there sports communication, health communication, organizational communication.
So really allow yourself to explore and be immersed in those types of courses or topic
areas can be really helpful because it can make communication interesting to you,
(23:23):
um, which can help you, um, to develop those skills through kind of that area of interest particular to you.
So there is so much value in those formal courses.
But aside from that, Kevin, um, you are exactly right.
The ability to practice right as you get right into it.
I also mentioned it that communication is a process.
(23:43):
It's a skill. Um, we can adapt our communication, we can develop it, we can change it, we can refine it, we can strengthen it.
Right. So it as a skill, it needs to be practiced.
So think of any opportunity that you have to communicate.
Right. Maybe that's a simple partner discussion that your instructor gives you.
(24:04):
If that is communication, you're speaking um, in an an impersonal way with a peer during one of your classes.
Well, that's a communication skill. So being able to contribute to a discussion with a partner or a discussion in a small group type of class.
So looking for those opportunities. Many university classes require some type of presentation.
Yeah. Um so that is an opportunity for you to speak publicly.
(24:27):
Oh you're thinking I, you know, to say, oh, that's just in front of my classmates.
No, that is a public type of speech, um, that you can be giving and a lot of the same skill sets,
whether you're speaking to your class of 20 or a class or a large presentation up to 100,
you're going to want to use those same types of skill set, great eye contact.
Um, using your changes in your rate posture, those different elements of public speaking can be developed and practiced in a small group setting.
(24:54):
And college is a great time to practice and experiment so that you can work
on your communication skills and find out what works and what doesn't work.
Other great ways out, kind of outside of the classroom are to get involved in clubs and organizations.
Right? Often those, um, allow you to connect and talk with those peers that are also in the club or organization.
(25:14):
There are often leadership opportunities officer type of roles that require you to speak, um, more formally in a group.
So that's another opportunity to practice your communication.
Um, here in the Office of Career Development, we host career fairs, a great opportunity to practice your professional speaking to talk to employers,
(25:35):
um, again in that one on one setting or even a small group setting,
um, looking for opportunities to network, seeking out opportunities if there's speakers on campus to also watch,
um, communicators, there's a lot of great opportunities while students are here on campus.
And so really embracing those, putting yourself out there, kind of going that extra step to develop, um, those communication skills is so critical.
(26:01):
Then when you're doing all these things you're presenting in your classes, you're contributing to discussions,
you're listening to a speaker on campus, you're going to a career fair and talking to potential employers.
You then want to be self-reflective, right?
What were things that you did well in that presentation or in that, uh, that introduction you made with, uh, with an employer?
(26:22):
What were things that could be improved? And so being really reflective, you brought up a great point.
We live in a very, in a very, um, easily recording way.
And we live in a way that there's always a recording device with us so briefly
before presentations that might be an opportunity for you to record yourself.
Yep. It's a hard thing to do.
Not many of us like that can be really, um, informative and really help you to kind of see where your strengths lies a speaker as a communicator,
(26:49):
and where those areas of improvement can be. In addition to being self-reflective.
Ask others for feedback. Um, as your classmate, even if even as like maybe a simple, you know, ten minute presentation in your class.
But don't ask one of your peers, um, or your friends that what did you present?
What did I do? Well, what could I have improved on and really ask for some thoughtful feedback?
(27:09):
Asking your instructors for that feedback, asking your advisors or other mentors that you maybe know around campus or in.
Your communities for that. Feedback on your communication would be so critical.
And then thinking, if you can use that over these, you know, next years in college,
that you can really develop those skills to find out where your strengths are.
Because contrary to what some of my students think they do have, speaking public speaking skills, they do have communication skills.
(27:35):
They do have interpersonal communication skills, right. So being able to find those strengths, build on those, really solidify those.
But then also look for those maybe areas of improvement and focus on working.
What can work on focusing with those? Um, through each next opportunity a student has to communicate.
(27:56):
Nice. Yeah. Thanks, Aaron. I think the the reflection piece is so important.
And then self reflection, just taking those little moments of like, you know,
you leave the career fair in your car or you're walking back to your dorm room or whatever it is just thinking about,
okay, did I show up the way I wanted to today? Um, was I able to really express my interest, my career path, those kinds of things?
(28:18):
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. What do I want to do differently next time? You know, those very brief moments, but very impactful and very important.
And then just seeking. Yeah. Seeking feedback from your peers and others.
Um. I cannot overstate the importance of that, because it's how you build your confidence,
(28:39):
and it's how you actually experiment with with this whole process.
Oh, yeah. Thanks for talking about that here.
So we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't really highlight how our office helps students develop these skills, right?
You already mentioned, uh, career fairs, and we also do career fairs.
We, you know, provide those opportunities. But, um, are there some other ways that you feel like we show up for students?
(29:01):
Uh, in terms of the skill development piece? Yeah, definitely.
So as we said, communication, um, is needed for for workplaces and in careers in anyone you're going to be speaking,
you're going to be listening, you're going to be writing, um, to others.
And so in that process, employers can start assessing that before a person is even in that position.
(29:25):
Right.
So when we're meeting with students for our appointments, for our presentations, we already are having them practice their communication skills,
the job application process, how we all get to where we are requires communication from writing a resume.
So already seeing that written communication there on a resume potentially expand it in a cover letter if that's required.
(29:49):
For students considering graduate school, there is almost always a personal statement.
In addition to additional essays that are required for those committees to assess the,
um, the writing, um, the written communication skills of an applicant.
So we see that written communication very much in the application process.
(30:10):
Additionally, with that, we see through particularly the interviewing process that students have to be able to communicate their skills,
their stories, um, to an employer.
Um, so where they've been, where they're at and where they want to go and how they connect with that position and that opportunity.
So we are working with students and assessing their communication skills throughout the whole process.
(30:36):
We're supporting them as they apply for positions.
Even taking a step back, I'd even say in that process of looking for a job or an internship, there's communication.
We'll be talking with students about understanding a job posting and what's communicated on that job posting,
typically in written text or possibly through a career fair,
have been employers able to verbally communicate some of the responsibilities or
(30:59):
the requirements for a position that communication starts with the employer.
So we're helping them understand, um, read and listen to that communication and then see how they can communicate their skill sets and their
experiences to match that position through those written and then also verbal application materials.
So, um, really our job is to help support students in refining those skills.
(31:24):
So in those one on one appointments particularly, we're able to give that real time feedback to students and say, okay, this is um, great, right?
Or if we're just communicating, let's say, the formatting of a resume, to use that as an example.
Right. What is this resume communicating about you?
If it is a ten page resume with four different font sizes, some different spacing throughout, um,
(31:50):
some paragraphs, some short bullet points, we want to ask the student, what is this communicating value?
Okay. This is going to be an employer's first impression of you. And you want to communicate professionalism.
You want it through. You want to communicate your attention to detail your organizational skills.
So there's a lot that is communicated just by how even a resume looks to an employer.
(32:11):
Okay, that's a first impression that first introduction.
So we want to help students be really proud, to be really confident, to feel that their application materials are professional.
So we talk through some of that formatting piece and why that is so important in those appointments when we're meeting with students.
Also so important then is also that content and how a student is communicating their skills,
(32:33):
their experience, their story through their resume and or their cover letter.
So we're really helping the students kind of tell that story of themselves in sometimes only one, uh, page resumes.
Um, so it's it's really exciting. It's really fun to hear students kind of find their skill sets and say, what really did I take from this job?
(32:54):
And what are those?
The story I want to tell from my experience in this internship, in this summer job, in this campus organization that I'm involved with,
what is the story I want to tell, um, that showcases the skills that I can bring to this, um, employer.
So definitely important to that. That piece, the verbal communication side of our work is so important.
(33:14):
So again, asking students to really talk to who they are, um, where they are, how they got to where they are and where they want to go,
and embedding those various skillsets, those transferable skills,
the hard skills from their coursework, really conveying that to an employer is so, so important.
And so we work with students on how they can phrase their, their answers to, um,
(33:37):
possible interview questions so that they can effectively communicate, um, who they are and their skill sets to an employer.
Yeah, great. But thank you for that rundown.
Uh, I love it. Uh, maybe a student would benefit for us if we just, like, practiced a bit.
Okay. So, uh, I'm going to be a student, and then you ask me a typical sort of.
(34:04):
Interview question. Okay. So okay.
We're going to I'm going to skip past the most common interview.
Question is tell me about yourself. Right. Yeah. Yeah I'm listening. Have a solid confident prepared answer for that.
Shows preparation. So you take this opportunity seriously. So if you need any support with that,
we are here in the Office of Career Development and happy to walk through how you can really summarize your story,
(34:29):
um, in a, in an engaging way for potential employers.
So I, I'm going to skip the tell me about yourself. Yeah. Um, just, uh, because I'll put you on the spot with that one, Kevin.
But again, such a critical questions. So.
Um, a very common interview question is, Kevin, could you tell me what your greatest strength is and how you bring that into this role?
(34:52):
I don't really know. Yes. And if I often hear that answers, I often also hear.
I don't have any strengths. Right. Right. Yeah. That goes back into the confidence piece that we,
we want to keep working on with students as they're preparing for these positions right throughout the application process.
So yes, you're exactly right I don't know. I don't have any strengths.
(35:14):
Very common answers that we hear from students when we're first doing those.
And then some of those initial interview preparation appointments.
So then we'll take time as career coaches to start talking to, um, those students about that particular example.
Um, that strength question could be, well, have you has a coworker, has a peer,
(35:35):
has a friend, has a family member ever told you something that you're really good at?
Yeah. Often they might say, oh, you know, it's sometimes easier to find our strength if someone else has said it, so.
Yeah. Oh, my boss, you know, says I do a really good job, um, cleaning the tables at the restaurant.
I'm really efficient in that work. Okay, well, there's a strength that you could use to build on.
(35:58):
Um, and then I would usually follow up with, you know. Do you feel that too?
Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, you also not only identify the strength, you're efficient, um, that you have attention to detail.
So I can also heard in that answer. But you have an example.
While I'm working at this restaurant, I'm tasked with wiping down the tables after a customer,
um, leaves so that we can prepare the table for our next customer.
(36:20):
I use my skills of efficiency to make sure I do that in a timely manner,
while also paying attention to the detail and making sure that I thoroughly clean that table so that the next customer has a great dining experience.
So then even that, and usually after I kind of elaborated that example, right.
Students kind of live in their basement like, whoa, I do have a strength, and I do have a way that I could speak to it.
(36:43):
Um, again, going back to that confidence piece, sometimes we don't always want to give ourselves the credit that we do.
And going back to where even some of this conversation started,
we don't want to give ourselves that opportunity to study something that is just interesting to us or that we really gravitate to, to as a topic.
So, um, really empowering students.
And I really applaud the mission that since I've been in the Office of Crew Development, is finding those ways to empower students,
(37:08):
um, in their career development, but just even more importantly, who they are as, as as people.
Um, so finding ways to help students communicate is empowering to them,
and it's going to really help them as a way in developing their their competencies, particularly that communication competency.
Absolutely. Yeah. Thanks for having me there. And for the crew.
(37:30):
That was it. That was yeah. Good example. But yeah, those yeah.
Interviewing is such a different, uh, different type of uh, of skill set that, that really that communication.
Yeah. Um, I think just in today's world, but in today's world, I think just oftentimes we put this in the interviews just on this,
like this type of pedestal type of kind of almost untouchable.
(37:50):
I'm not familiar with it. Um, but really, if we can flip that switch of having, um,
an interview seem like a conversation, um, I find that the employers seem to enjoy that, too.
And they kind of get to see you as a communicator in that way, as a professional, that you're going to be a good colleague, a good, um,
coworker, a good supervisor someday, because you have that element, those elements of warmth, of competency in your very skill sets.
(38:15):
One being communication. Uh, yeah. So kind of stepping out of our office there.
Um, um, I was trying to think of some ways,
some resources that that people can access to build on their communication skills and practice and things like that.
Um, are there some podcasts or books or other other things that you can think of that are helpful?
(38:36):
Yeah, I do have kind of a few of all of those different things,
just kind of depending on how, um, people may gravitate towards how they can communicate.
Or it might depend on how people gravitate towards how and where and when they can learn.
So I do have a couple podcasts that I that I would want to recommend.
Um, or starting with podcast, there's a couple I'd like to recommend.
One is actually recommended by a by you to me, and I really just enjoyed that one.
(38:59):
That particular one is called Think Fast talks talk smart.
Yeah, just talk smart. Um, that's hosted by Matt Abrams with the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
And he has such an engaging, um, presentation to his podcast, brings a variety of speakers, uh, to his, um, onto his podcast.
(39:20):
So that is one that I would highly recommend. Yeah, I agree, I enjoy the podcast a lot as I like I said, you you, um, you shared that with me and,
um, I listen, um, regularly says, um, the other one is Communication Junkie.
That's a newer one that I found. But, um, I do want to give credit to who that is.
That's Communication Junkie by Steven Fuller, but, um, not newer and to to the world, but newer to me.
(39:44):
Um, one that I, that I found. Um, but there really are a vast number of my work on Apple Podcasts.
There's. So many great communication projects. Some are very specific.
So if there's a certain area, um, there's, you know, seminars on agricultural communication, there's ones more on kind of mediated communication.
So finding what area you're interested in, there's a great kind of transferable concepts and skills within each of those that you can write.
(40:08):
Um, even if that isn't necessarily the specific area of communication that you're in.
So yeah, definitely would recommend those podcasts.
Also, um, have a couple book recommendations. Um, talk like Ted by Carmine Gallo.
It's a little presentation, public speaking type focused um, on that.
Obviously it'll give a plug. It recommends many great Ted talks.
(40:30):
There are many, many great, great Ted talks, but really outlines particular ones that have been viewed millions and millions of
times and not only tell us what those are for us as as readers to then go and watch,
but also gives some of the the big skills, the good takeaways from those different presentations.
Um, another one that I have, another book that I would recommend is How to Talk to Anyone by Leo Lowndes.
(40:54):
And that's just another good, um, overall communication books.
And then the next, the next communication book on my reading list is called Cuz Master The Secret Language of um,
Charismatic Communication by Vanessa Van Edwards.
So that is the next one on my list.
And then in addition to the podcasts and books and those kind of traditional, um, ways that we can, um, learn about communication,
(41:20):
there's a call to social media platforms that I do want to share, um, whether they have Instagram accounts,
but they also have expanded to a few other, um, platforms, such as YouTube.
Uh, that is going to be advice with Erin by Erin Minkoff that you she's wonderful.
She takes, um, uh, really career advice, but focuses largely on the communication involved in in career settings.
(41:45):
So I would not recommend her work enough. So that's again, advice with Erin.
That's the name of her platform. Uh, but then then it's by Aaron Aaron Golf.
And then the other one is a broader communication types of platform, millions of followers.
And it's called speaking with you, sir. Again, recommend those two platforms definitely for students.
(42:09):
Um, kind of just have those on your social media feeds that give great kind of short snippets,
very, um, applicable, very direct, um, skill sets for developing communication.
Uh, great. Thanks.
And I will make sure to put links to those resources in the show notes too, so people can just click on that and check them out for yourself.
Um, yeah. Those are all good, good recommendations for sure.
(42:32):
Well, that kind of brings us to the end of this episode, not of our.
Conversation about communication. That can go on for a long time, but, uh, I want to thank you, Erin, for joining us on Queer Connections.
I think you were able to provide some really good insights on this particular competency, this skill.
(42:52):
Thank you for joining us. Thank you. Debbie. Thank you so much for listening to Career Connections.
I hope you enjoyed your time with us as we explore the topic of communication.
Please contact me with any questions and topic suggestions. For more information about my office, please visit careers that State that Edu.
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