Why Communications Is Amongst APAC’s Most In-Demand Skills
In a region as diverse as the Asia-Pacific, it really goes without saying that communication is a vital skill. When working in this region, you can expect to encounter colleagues, clients and partners who might come from a totally different cultural background from you.
Thankfully, even an undergraduate or graduate certificate of communication can equip you with key skills like professional communications, public relations and diversity management. Having practical work experience is another essential step to building and showcasing your ability as a communicator.
Being a skilled communicator gives you a massive advantage when operating in the Asia-Pacific region. This is why so many businesses in the region place such a high premium on communication skills. Below, we’ll explore some of the key reasons why communication is such an in-demand skill and how you can leverage your ability as a communicator in your professional life.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most diverse places to do business. You’ll encounter people who speak different languages, work with many who come from totally different cultural contexts and navigate a range of different desires, goals and values.
If you find yourself in a leadership position in an Asia-Pacific company, cross-cultural communication is among the most important skills you can learn. This means not just speaking the languages of your workforce, but also understanding the cultures where they come from and occasionally making special allowances for cultural differences. For example, if you’re in charge of a marketing team running a campaign within a set of values that some of your team might not be comfortable with, your job as a leader is to decide whether or not you can afford to leave these individuals out of the campaign.
Managing a diverse team sometimes involves helping resolve conflicts. These can be uncomfortable, but part of being a great leader includes handling cultural differences within your company. If you can do this in a way that respects everyone and also promotes the interests of the company, you’ll raise your professional value tremendously.
Customer Relations
So far, we’ve taken a look at the importance of internal communication. However, business communications are also outward-facing: after getting buy-in from your team, you’ll also need to get your branding and message across to customers and clients.
Sales and marketing are the two areas of business most impacted by external communication. If you’re a company that relies on making pitches to big-ticket clients, knowing how to draft and deliver a sales pitch that packages the key benefits of your product/service in a manner tailored to your audience is the secret to success.
If you’re a B2C company, on the other hand, understanding the market you’re trying to sell to from a cultural, economic and political perspective is crucial to building effective campaigns. No matter what industry your business is in, being able to clearly and effectively lay out your value proposition is essential if you want to grow your sales in the Asia-Pacific region.
Technological Changes
Digitisation is totally reshaping APAC industries. This has massive implications on communication, and as a team leader or communication specialist, you’ll need to know how to navigate a shifting technological landscape.
Emerging technologies like AI-driven translation tools, real-time collaboration software and data visualisation platforms are changing how global teams communicate and share information. Teams across APAC must now master digital literacy along with communications, which involves understanding which tools to use, how to use them effectively and how to maintain cultural sensitivity in virtual settings. This combination of human and technological communication skills is what sets employees who want to excel and progress their careers quickly apart in today’s competitive market.
A concrete example of technological change impacting how we communicate is the rise of remote work. Thanks to the internet, working from home or even from a totally different country is becoming the norm. Being a strong communicator across channels like Slack and Zoom is a non-negotiable in the digital age.
Often, you’ll also need to manage teams across different time zones, which takes plenty of organisational skills. Effective communication in the face of technological change is the best way to prevent misunderstandings and boost the efficiency of your workplace.
Crisis Management
The business world has seen its fair share of crises in recent years. In many cases, these scandals have had disastrous consequences for the companies involved, but they don’t have to. While the best way to manage crises is to make sure they don’t happen in the first place, if your business finds itself in an awkward spot, a good public relations team is crucial for rebuilding your image and winning back the trust of your customers.
As a communication specialist, you’ll be intimately familiar with strategies like framing and agenda setting. These theoretical concepts will come in handy in the event of a disaster. When facing a crisis, it’s also crucially important to be genuine and honest with the public. People are smart enough to know when a company is being disingenuous, so when in doubt, always come clean and honestly tell the public how you plan to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Key Takeaways
When most people think of important skills for business, their minds often wander to hard skills like web development, SEO and graphic design. However, soft skills are equally important, and among the most crucial skills to have as a professional working in the APAC region is communication.
As a communication specialist, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that information travels smoothly throughout the company and that you successfully get your message across to your audience. Even if you don’t have a communication role, knowing how to communicate is still vitally important. Hone your communication skills today, no matter what your official position, and you’ll be a much more in-demand employee for it.
