A word in your ear

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Do you like to talk? If you enjoy talking to people, you may be able to use this to your advantage in the workplace, says careers blogger Anthony Balderrama. In The Work Buzz, the CareerBuilder.com job-seeker blog, Balderrama lists a number of jobs that are suitable for people who are good verbal communicators.

One of these is nursing. A sympathetic nurse can do a lot to make patients feel less nervous about their treatment, Balderrama writes. “The best nurses stay on task while talking to patients, whether finding out more information about their malady or just trying to keep everyone calm. Here, the gift of gab can be a patient’s dream.”

Sales is another career where good communicators are needed. Balderrama points out that good salespeople need to know when it’s better to be aggressive and when a quiet approach is likely to be more successful. “Not every technique works every time, so understanding how to most effectively talk to the customer is a skill not everyone is blessed with,” he writes.

"The gift of gab can be a patient's dream." Anthony Balderrama

Dentists, like nurses, often need to reassure their patients. They also need to know when to ask questions and when not — for example, when the patient has just opened wide for a drill.

Hairstylists also have to be good communicators. In fact, some people are more nervous about going to the hairdresser than they are about having dental surgery. The customer has to feel confident that the stylist understands his or her wishes. “Effective communication benefits them both (and probably leads to a better tip),” Balderrama says.

Journalism is another profession where talking is important. Reporters need to be able to ask questions and to do so in a way that makes people want to answer. This is especially true of those who work in television. “You want someone who can talk on camera as if he or she is talking to you one-on-one, and that’s not easy,” Balderrama comments.