Seen 4 Traits of Expert Communicators

Corporate communicators at the top of their game may be hard to identify at a glance.

They might drink coffee in excess or possess a dog-eared, Post-It-filled copy of the AP Stylebook, but they ultimately blend in naturally with society. Only by working with an expert communicator can you determine their true nature.

Here are four surefire ways to tell when you are in the presence of phenomenal corporate communicators:

1. They know what to look for, and then they dig deeper. 

A rave review on Yelp is not a story, but it could be the tip of a valuable iceberg. A truly seasoned communicator knows which key questions to ask: What circumstances made the customer write the review? Do we have a star employee or a completely unheard-of process hidden within our organization?

2. They consider multiple points of view. 

Whose perspective makes a story sing? It’s probably not the CEO’s. A seasoned communicator considers those closest to the story—the nurses, salespeople, receptionists or engineers—and then interviews them.

3. They write, rewrite and repeat.

“ Moby-Dick” wasn’t written in one go. Rewriting a story from scratch provides fresh breakthroughs and new angles, until the communicator arrives at the most effective story possible.

4. They know how to take criticism. 

Nearly every communicator is subject to review by executives, legal counsel or other stakeholders. Though a novice might be reluctant to let go of an eloquent passage or clever turn of phrase, doing so is simply the nature of the job, and the end product will be stronger for it.