The difference between being one of the gang and being on the fast track of a career is hinged on one factor: the capability to communicate.

Those with a better skill set whether it is in speech or in writing are likely to go further than those with limited abilities.

For the spoken word there is a difference between being intelligent, knowledgeable and deep as against being a smart aleck.

People often tend to confuse slippery clever with erudition and then discover that they are not being taken seriously. Don’t show off, show your awareness of a subject. And when it comes to speech remember that buzzwords when overused do not indicate your intelligence and can be off-putting if overused.

Top buzzwords to avoid include synergy, dynamics, productivity, optimum allocation of resources, problem solving, effective, organizational skills/charts/flow, innovative, proven record and team player.

You keep using these words and people will soon begin to walk away.

One quote says it all. “Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.”

That is exactly the essence of it all, keep it simple, brief and temperate.

Speech is a multi-task (another buzzword) because your command can differ at various levels. You may be good in a one-to-one conversation but poor in delivering a presentation.

Some people are opposite.

They are tongue tied when it comes to a close door session but find their pace the moment they have a microphone in their hands.

Others enjoy lecturing, giving motivational talks(another buzzword) and spurring people to greater heights.

And it is not all about speech. The written word is equally powerful.

Those who can write a cogent report, make a feasibility study, create a dossier and do the paperwork (even in a paperless office) will always be prized staff.

So, what you should do from the moment you join is be harsh on yourself and ask how good you are on a scale of 10 in speech, in writing ability and in creative talent.

Let’s face it, all of us are not born with natural flair and most of us have to work at it. That is not a negative so far as we recognize our limitations. Then set to work on improving yourself.

Learn diction, pronounce words correctly, make the effort to learn new words, add a depth to your writing skills, practice how to be logical and make a clear argument for or against.

Clean your writing of purple prose, flowery language, tautology ( frank, candid and forthright) avoid big words like procrastinate and punctilious because when you use them you only end up annoying people.

Also remember, you do not cripple your speech with crutch words like ‘men’ or ‘like’ or’”whatever” or ‘I mean” with the top of the heap being ‘you know.’ Every time you do that you detract from the content.

The best way to get a better grasp of a language and also enjoy yourself is to read good books.

They can be fiction but well written and researched and if you can take out an hour a day rather than watch silly TV you will be amazed how much better your command of a language will become.

And the better you speak and write in the professional world the more confident you will become.

Remember words are weapons and you should go into the working world well armed.

No point in not doing so.