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                 Learning new knowledge and building bigger understandings, ultimately is the quest as we embark on higher education in college. The need for an education is to prepare for our future careers and an important part of that is being able to communicate like a professional.  As much as I wish communication skills on a professional level were intrinsic, the fact remains the ability to communicate in a professional manner through different mediums will be important in our professions.

             It is important to understand why the need to communicate like a professional is critical. First, how will peers, direct reports or superiors view our communication skills? Surly, at minimum communication skills will be a testament to effectiveness. One compelling argument of the affects of good communication, grammar being one that we reflect ourselves through in our writing. (Adams). Essentially, we are what we write, and even more so, how we articulate. The phrase, “sloppy is as sloppy does” is a great phrase to remember, the next time we’re tempted to rush through written correspondences or even a simple e-mail without first proofreading it. “Sloppy is as sloppy does” is a philosophy held by CEO of iFixit Kyle Wiens, whenever he reviews a resume with grammatical errors. Certainly, it seems unfair to have such a far- drawn conclusion, about a person’s abilities solely based on a few grammatical errors. However, remember the person who is reading the communication may not know you personally. Therefore, it’s important to be vigilant and not allow our chatting acronyms, derived from the use of social media and text messaging, cross over into our professional communication. As students this is an issue we need to be conscientious of, on our way to becoming professionals. Evidence that grammar at work has deteriorated is seen in a national survey, stating that 45% of companies say they will invest in training to improve their employees’ grammar (Adams).

            An Industrial production managers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics responsibilities are the coordination of everyday activities in the plant. As an industrial production manager, writing can account for almost half of one’s communications. So grammar will be an important part of the position.  Today, a manager will need to communicate effectively with people who have different levels of education and experiences. In addition, a person in this position will have to develop strong interpersonal communication skills. Quite simply, correct execution of a task depends on how well it’s communicated. However, having different approaches depending on what needs to be communicated will improve effectiveness. Simply put, being able to write and explain procedures at a level all can understand is vital. These communications can be prepared in various ways, whether it’s in a spreadsheet, a Power Point presentation or simply a dry erase board, the need to be competent in those communications is imperative. The environment of an industrial production manager fundamentally, is to focus on continuous improvement. Those improvements are achieved through problem solving, that in essence to be effective requires listening, detailed oriented writing and several different communication styles. Along with writing and articulation, reading needs to be at an adequate level. Most industries use jargon specific to their industry. Therefore, being able to read, enunciate and recognize words, with knowing their contextual meanings is critical.

            Understanding communicating with finesse isn’t something that comes natural, there are tools to enhance and refine that ability and with practice anyone can do it. Specifically, for one I will start making sure my messages are clear, by gathering my thoughts before speaking. I can confuse the listener if the message is muddled. Listening to understand rather than respond is important in the communication process and is a skill I will improve by making a conscious decision during dialogue to talk less, in an effort to understand more from the speaker. Also as a professional, presentation skills are used as an aide to communicate. I will improve upon that skill by using tutorials that help with Microsoft Power Point and Excel applications. Not to mention depending on what you’re communicating with it, can cut workload in half. Next, college and English courses have certainly improved my mechanics in the writing, editing and revising process. Which overall, results in communicating effectively as a professional.

            Finally, there aren’t many tools more essential to success as a professional than the ability to communicate. Every profession requires it to some degree; understanding that people’s assessment of us will be based on how well we communicate as a professional. Remembering “sloppy is as sloppy does” can be used to refocus our efforts, to pay attention to details. Or the next time we falter in our quest to independently get better and acquire all the necessary skills to succeed as a professional, know that it’s ultimately, a step to becoming “less” effective. Therefore, as the receivers of information called dendrites start to form, it certainly can be an anxious feeling, but also stimulating and exciting to know that we have gained the knowledge and put in the work necessary to succeed professionally.