Even if you feel confident expressing yourself at meetings or describe yourself as articulate, the truth is almost everyone can become a better communicator on the job. Sure, sometimes it seems like we hardly communicate face-to-face. After all, we are zipping off reports in emails, confirming meetings with text messages, and distributing news via Twitter and other social media.

However as business communication expert Jodi Glickman points outs In her new book Great on the Job: What to Say, How to Say It, The Secrets of Getting Ahead (published by St. Martin’s Griffin), "The art of live communication and relationship building remains critically important no matter what industry you work in."

Glickman, who launched her communications consulting firm Great on the Job in 2008 with a distinguished client list that includes Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, says good business communication isn’t a talent people either have or they don’t – it’s a skill that can be learned by using specific strategies.

It’s also a skill that’s well worth taking the time to hone. After all, as Roberto Goizueta, the former CEO of Coca-Cola once said, "Communication is the only task you cannot delegate."

Planning ahead

Public speaker and communications consultant Beverly Molander, president of Atlanta-based Next Step Network, explains that becoming an excellent communicator always involves considering who you are talking to and why. "The question is ‘who is the audience and what do we want to accomplish by meeting with them?’ If you are meeting with someone in a lower level position, he or she may not be as privy to information as you are and you need to decide how much to share and how to share it," Molander tells Synergy.

"If you are meeting with peers, consider specifically what you want to accomplish. If you are communicating with people senior to you, gauge what you say and how you say it by taking into account the fact they are probably privy to info that you aren’t. And work on becoming a good listener. Paying attention to what the other person specifically says will also make you a better communicator," she adds.

Jodi Glickman notes in her book that you should always ask someone at the outset of any conversation if the person you want to talk to has a moment to speak. That can be important in making a good impression and give you the best opportunity to get your points across -- whether you are communicating in person or over the phone.

Glickman offers her "Three-Step Hello" strategy for making phone calls that won’t be ignored or half listened to (and she says the same approach works for in-person drop-by visits, too):

1. Introduction. Don’t assume everyone knows who you. Give your full name and organization or department up front.
2. Purpose of your call. Whether you are sharing information, needing to get information, or reaching out to a client or colleague for another reason, you are more likely to have a call taken or returned if you are clear about the purpose.
3. The key question. "Do you have a few minutes to speak?" Glickman writes that you will invariably get you further along in a conversation if you are gracious and ask this question – instead of barging into someone’s office or launching into a phone conversation without finding out if they are ready and willing to talk to you.

Know your punch line

Whether you are in a meeting, delivering a presentation, on a business phone call, or chatting with a colleague in the hall about a project’s status, your challenge is to convey information clearly. Glickman writes the key is to know what you need to get across before you start communicating – so analyze information and distill it into key points. She points out you shouldn’t expect your listener to have to sort from a lot of information to figure out the bottom line meaning. It’s up to you to figure out this "punch line" and deliver it.

Beverly Molander, who leads communication seminars for companies and non-profit organizations, says the idea of a "punch line" is a basic concept of effective public speaking that can be applied to meetings and one-on-one conversations, too.

"We’ve all heard someone presenting something and thought ‘what am I going to get out of sitting here listening to this?’ Effective communication starts out by explaining first what information you are going to provide. Then you provide the information and explain how it relevant to the people you are talking to," Molander tells Synergy.

"For example, if you are presenting information about rumors that have been circulating about your company and you tell your audience upfront you are going to explain what has happened and how it relates to them, they will listen. They will trust the process and know they are getting specific information they need," she says. "You need to always craft your language proactively when going into a project or a challenge with others. Realize people want to hear real facts, what we are going to do about a situation, or how we will reach a goal for the company. They don’t want fluffy information with no real definition.

Asking for help

Effective communication in the workplace doesn’t only encompass giving information, but getting information – and other kinds of help – when you need it. So how do you ask for assistance without looking incompetent?

"The first thing is to realize that no matter what level we are on , no one knows everything and we are not supposed to know everything. That’s why there are other people with different skill sets," Molander says. " Asking for help can be a win/win situation. You will most likely get the information or help you need when you ask for it clearly and explain why you need it. The other person gets to feel good by sharing expertise."

Jodi Glickman points out in her book that ".. senior managers know that asking for help is a good thing – it demonstrates good judgment and initiative." She suggests being proactive when you need help, but don’t pepper people with a lot of small requests. Get all your questions answered at once instead of going back to someone for help several times in a day or week. She also advises spreading your requests for help around so you aren’t always going to the same people for assistance.

More communication tips do’s and don’ts from Beverly Molander:

• Don’t fire off an email to colleagues without thinking it through. Always making sure everyone who needs to be kept in the loop about a project is cc’d. And never send out a communication when you are angry or upset.
• Do thank a colleague in an email for going the extra mile on a project or doing a superlative job and copy your manager and other team members. It is not only a gracious gesture, it will also earn you respect for recognizing the help you received.
• Don’t gossip at work. Your office may feel like one big family, but it’s not the appropriate place to share personal information about co-workers.
• Do remember that communication involves body language. Take stock of any bad habits you have – like rolling your eyes, raising your eyebrows, or crossing your arms over your chest if you disagree with someone.

Sherry Baker is a writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She last wrote the article The Skinny on Fats for Synergy.