Effective Questions to Better Evaluate Communication Skills

Communication skills are a must in almost every profession. You need it to relay information effectively to teammates and build rapport with clients. But figuring out the best way to evaluate a candidate’s communication skills can pose a challenge.

Luckily, this article is here to help you with some of the most effective communication skills questions you can use.

These questions range from situational to behavioral and will be a great way to evaluate your candidate’s skills in various situations. They will help you gain a better insight into their communication skills as well as their personality traits. 

How Can You Evaluate Communication Skills in an Interview?

There are many different ways to evaluate communication skills in an interview. One way that will help you determine if someone has the communication skills necessary for the job is to ask some open-ended questions.

For example, ask the candidate how they use humor in its appropriate contexts and how they perceive the meaning of humor. You might also want to know how they deal with anger and frustration in the workplace.

Communication skills aren’t just limited to verbal communication. You can also have them explain certain concepts through writing and charts.

Effective Communication Skills Questions

• Do you prefer to build relationships with others?
• How would you explain a complex problem to a client or colleague?
• How would you convince someone to see things like you do at work?
• When you are talking to a client who is already frustrated, how would you explain the idea/problem?
• In the event of a breakdown in workplace communication, what would you do?
• Discuss a presentation you did that was successful and explain why it worked.
• What would you do to explain a complex technical problem to a colleague who lacks technical knowledge?
• Do you prefer written or verbal communication?
• Cite a time when you had to be attentive to sensitive information. How did you do it?
• What would you do if you accidentally misunderstood an important instruction at work?
• Describe a time when you made a point that your colleagues were unwilling to accept.
• Which is more important, being a good listener or a great communicator?
• Tell me when you had to relay bad news to a colleague or a client. How did you go about doing it?
• How would you rate your skills at communicating on a scale of 1 to 10? Give examples of experiences that justify the rating you’ve given.
• Do you have any difficulties communicating with someone with whom you feel difficult?
• Can you give an example of a situation where you displayed exceptional verbal communication skills?
• What method of communicating do you prefer? In-person? Via email or messages? Over the phone? Explain your preferred choice.

Main Types of Communication Skills

There are many types of communication skills. Just because a candidate is bad at one doesn’t mean they can’t excel in conveying information effectively. Knowing the different types of communication skills can help you determine if a candidate is a good fit for what the position needs.

1. Verbal skills: The ability to express concepts and ideas using words effectively and clearly. This can include talking on the phone and being able to develop conversations.

2. Nonverbal cues: Being able to pick up on and react/respond to non-verbal cues like symbols, body language, and so on.

3. Visual communication skills: The ability to depict ideas, concepts, thoughts, and facts using visual tools like art, infographics, images, graphs, and so on.

4. Written communication Skills: Written communication aims to transmit information clearly and concisely, whether it is an email, a memo, or a Facebook post. Poor writing skills often lead to confusion, embarrassment, and even legal jeopardy.

Final Words

Asking questions is a good way to evaluate someone’s communication skills. With the help of these effective communication skills questions, you’ll be able to gauge better a potential candidate’s ability to relate in the workplace. Take note of their answers to see how they fare under the pressure of a formal interview.