Effective communication as an executive assistant can be tough. As EAs ourselves, we understand that many times, you aren’t just communicating for yourself—you’re also communicating for your executive(s) and the organization you support. This is why having effective communication techniques in place is so important.
One of the many duties of an effective assistant is to promote good communication in the workplace. Keep reading to learn why professional communication is a sure-fire way to get you noticed as an executive assistant.
Why is Professional Communication Important?
For EAs, good communication can go a long way in building and strengthening a positive working relationship with your executive. When we ask, “why is communication important in the workplace,” we must remember that effective communication is critical in all aspects of our lives—especially in our professional roles.
Base has spent more than a decade placing and supporting executive assistants, which means we have seen what good communication between an EA and their executive actually looks like. Leaders today are looking for an executive assistant they can build a long-term strategic partnership with, so ensuring you practice effective communication in the workplace is essential.
Below, we’ll dive into some examples of communication strategies and how assistants can use them to work faster, smarter, and get noticed.
Strategies for Effective Professional Communication
When it comes to effective communication as an executive assistant, a huge aspect to consider is the quality of your communication habits, not just your tools.
As much as we’d love to be able to help you read your executives’ mind, really understanding your exec and their needs takes ongoing relationship-building and communication. Some of the best communication techniques we’ve found come down to structure rather than software. Two that work:
- A recurring written update: one place where your executive sees everything they need, on a predictable schedule, instead of scattered across email, chat and calendar invites. Keep it short, keep it consistent, and let them know when to expect it. Drop in the calendar items, links and attachments they will need so there is no hunting between tools.
- A running list of open questions: so decisions get answered in batches rather than interrupting your executive one question at a time. Gone are the days of waiting for feedback, not getting it in a timely manner, or not receiving helpful answers to open-ended questions. Keeping the questions and answers together in one easy-to-access place also fosters good communication in the workplace.
Whether you’re looking to enhance open communication between you and your exec, implement daily check-ins, hone in your skills for your one-on-one, or get accustomed to two-way feedback, these are the habits EAs need to work smarter.
Put This Into Practice
Effective communication practices don’t just happen overnight; it takes time and effort on both the EA and executives’ part to get it right. None of this needs a particular tool. It needs you and your executive agreeing on where updates live and how decisions get made.
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