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Verbal and written communication skills are critical to success in the workplace. Lucky for us internal communication professionals, we’re already ahead of the curve. But in this blog, we’ll talk about how you can continue to hone your skills as a communicator and what skills are essential to your role.
Let’s dive in!
Verbal communication is how we convey meaning with our words. This also includes nonverbal cues, like our tone of voice, expression, volume, how we use our hands to add meaning, and even our body language. With verbal communication, there are many more ways to add nuance to our message. For instance, we can much more easily convey sarcasm or humor with the inflection and tone of our voices.
At many companies, verbal communication comes to play during in-person meetings like company Town Halls or if you have a video or internal comms podcasting strategy.
Written communication is putting our words down onto paper to share them in some form. For many businesses, this is the main way you communicate with your employees. It’s your emails, newsletters, intranet content, app posts, sms texts, and more.
And that’s why written communication is so important. We have to be impeccable with our written word to make the right impact.
Examples of verbal communication in the workplace include:
Examples of written communication in the workplace are:
Although internal comms professionals are all naturally gifted in the art of communication, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to hone our skills. And, more importantly, master them to be better coaches to our executive teams and managers.
For verbal communication, honing our skills isn’t just helpful for when we deliver internal comms ourselves. It’s also key for:
And focusing on continuously improving our written communication is key for:
There are countless skills you could focus on, but which ones are going to make the biggest difference? Which ones are non-negotiable?
Let’s break down the top skills for both verbal and written communication.
Skill |
Description |
Active Listening |
The ability to listen attentively and use that information to modify your responses. It requires being present and truly hearing what others are saying, instead of just planning your next response. |
Empathy |
Understanding others and considering their needs and preferences while communicating. It helps build stronger connections and enhances mutual respect. |
Clarity |
Communicating thoughts precisely and without ambiguity. It includes proper articulation, logical structuring, avoiding jargon, and tailoring your message to your audience. |
Confidence |
Speaking with assurance and poise. Confidence enhances credibility and trust, often conveyed through eye contact, assertive tone, and self-assured delivery. |
Adaptability |
Modifying communication style based on the listener’s needs and context. It includes reading verbal and non-verbal cues and adjusting to create better understanding and connection. |
Skill |
Description |
Grammar |
Using proper grammar helps ensure understanding. It’s about balance—not being so formal that your writing becomes unreadable. A poetry instructor once said: “You have to understand the rules before you can break them—and only break them with purpose.” |
Tone and Style |
Writing correctly is one thing, but adapting tone and style to fit the medium or reflect someone else’s voice (e.g., C-Suite) is a bigger challenge. As a comms pro, emulating others’ voices is key—and not easy to master. |
Proofreading |
The ability to find and correct errors in writing. |
Editing |
Different from proofreading. Editing focuses on high-level revisions: identifying what’s missing or unnecessary, reorganizing for clarity or emotional impact. It’s about improving overall structure and coherence, not just correcting mistakes. |
Research and Information Gathering |
A critical but often overlooked writing skill. It includes seeking information from stakeholders or past communications. Good writing starts with good research and reading. As a writing tutor once said, “Reading is just as important as writing.” |
You’ve probably heard that the vast majority of communication is nonverbal—93 percent, in fact. So, when we talk about mastering the art and science of verbal communication, we have to consider far more than just the words we use.
Because so much of how we’re understood isn’t about the words we use, the best way to improve your verbal communication skills is to focus on these nonverbal elements, especially ones you might be less aware of (e.g. posture).
You didn’t get the role you’re in without already being a decent writer. But that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to hone our craft. These tips can help you improve, even if you’re already a skilled writer.
In 2025 and beyond, the landscape of communication is shifting — and communicators who adapt will stand out. Here are key trends shaping how we use verbal and written communication in internal comms:
1. Hybrid & Asynchronous Modes Demand New Skills
With remote and hybrid work here to stay, many conversations no longer happen in real-time. That requires being clear, concise, and context-rich in writing—and more intentional when speaking (for example, recording a video message vs live meeting).
2. Bite-sized, multimedia first
Audiences respond better to short video clips, voice notes, micro-narratives, and visual summaries over long text. Verbal messages may morph into short videos or micro-podcasts; written communication may lean more on visuals, infographics, or smart summaries.
3. AI & Assistants as Communication Aids
AI tools can help you draft, optimize, proofread, or localize content faster than before. But the human touch—tone, empathy, context—still wins. Use AI as an assistant, not a substitute.
4. Personalization & Segmentation
Messages will need to be tailored more to role, geography, work style, or preference. The same verbal or written message should adapt in tone or detail depending on the target group.
5. “Communication Fatigue” & Information Overload
As channels multiply, employees get overwhelmed. The solution lies in reigning in noise: fewer but more meaningful messages, prioritizing, and ensuring clarity.
These evolving trends don’t replace the fundamentals — they expand how we apply them. Think of your verbal and written skills as a foundation you build on, adapting to new formats, tools, and employee expectations.
Knowing what good looks like and tracking progress is critical. Here are ways internal comms pros can measure and improve verbal and written communication over time:
1. Baseline Audits & Feedback Surveys
Conduct periodic communication audits (e.g. sample emails, transcripts, recordings) and feedback surveys asking employees:
“Was the message clear?”
“Did I understand the action required?”
“Was the tone appropriate?”
2. Engagement Metrics (for written/recorded content)
Track metrics such as:
Open / read / click-through rates
Video watch-through / completion rates
Time spent reading / scroll depth
Comments, replies, shares
3. Adoption & Behavior Change
For messages intended to drive action (e.g. policy change, behavior shift), measure whether the desired outcomes occurred (e.g. compliance, submissions, task completion). That ties communication to business impact.
4. A/B Testing & Iterative Improvement
Test alternate versions of messages (in tone, length, format). See which performs better. Use learnings to refine future communications.
5. Verbal Communication Assessment
For spoken or live communication, use post-session feedback (e.g. “Was the meeting clear?”), “one thing I took away” prompts, or record sessions and review with a rubric (clarity, engagement, structure, pacing).
6. Scorecards & Dashboards
Build a simple dashboard that tracks key verbal / written metrics monthly or quarterly. Combine quantitative data + qualitative feedback to spot trends or problem areas.
Over time, you’ll build data-driven discipline around communication — not just doing the right things, but measuring their impact.
As an internal communication professional, your superpower is your ability to communicate effectively in a variety of ways.
So, whatever brought you to this blog, I hope you found a few kernels of wisdom and things to focus on. Whether you’re just looking for a gut check that you’re doing all the right things, or if you’re trying to build your confidence negotiating budget with the C-Suite, we hope you’ve gotten something out of this.