No communication? No success.

No matter what job you have in life, your success will be determined 5% by your academic credentials, 15% by your professional experiences, and 80% by your communication skills.

Communication is the key to just about anything in life. Whether it’s getting your dream job, sustaining a healthy relationship, raising children, or maintaining your mental health. Without it, relationships breakdown, misunderstandings arise, and teams no longer work effectively.

Communication is the glue holding all of us together.

But how much time do you actually spend thinking about how you communicate? And more importantly, how much of the time do you actively listen to another person’s point of view, instead of racing in to get your own across?

Effectively communicating is more difficult than ever these days. You can’t just walk over to someone’s desk to talk through an email that might have come across wrong. Or debrief from the meeting you just had over a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

You need to be able to convey what you want, but also understand the other person’s point of view and speak to them in a way that makes them feel heard.

Mastering this skill can be very difficult. But once you do, you’ll be unstoppable.

So, the next time you have a conversation, instead of responding just for the sake of it, try really listening to the other person without focusing on what you’re going to say next. Try to understand what they are asking of you, what they value, and why they are saying what they are saying to you. When they are done speaking, respond by reiterating their point of view and adding in how you feel or what you need. Once the other person feels heard, they are much more receptive to listening to you and working with you to accomplish whatever you’re trying to do.

When communication fails, team fails. Leaders fail. Individuals fail. It’s the most important skill you can ever learn, so why not set aside 20 mins a day to improve on it? You’ll be surprised how much better your relationships will get and how much smoother your job will become.