Unlearning Academic Communication
The Wednesday Unveiled - You’ve been groomed to impress professors
Think back to university. Your communication was largely a solo performance for an audience of one: the professor. You wrote essays in a specific, often stilted, academic style with the expected critical thinking. You gave presentations to classmates who were obliged to be there and probably just as keen for it to be over as you were. Success was measured by your ability to regurgitate accepted theories, cite the right people, and stick to the word count. It was a controlled environment, a communication petting zoo.
Then you get thrust into the world of work.
Suddenly, "Communication" isn't about crafting the perfect paragraph; it's about deciphering why someone from accounts payable cc'd your manager on an email about a missing receipt. It’s about navigating someone’s ego in the Monday morning meeting when they hadn't had their second coffee. It’s about trying to get a straight answer from a department that communicates exclusively in passive-aggressive Slack emojis. It’s about a totally different way of life.
Your education that came at great cost and long term debt, taught you how to write a 10,000 word thesis on the socio-economic impact of interpretive dance in 17th-century France. It did not teach you how to tell your boss their brilliant new idea is, quite frankly, pants, without getting fired. It didn't teach you how to listen, really listen, when three people are talking at once, one of them probably lying, and with a deadline looming.
The "Communication skills" companies claim you lack are often just code for "not yet fluent in our specific brand of corporate doublespeak and political maneuvering." In truth, you're not a bad communicator; you're just not yet either a seasoned bullshit artist (Not good) or someone who can quickly grasp hold of the basics of communicating properly in a work environment. And this takes time.
So, you think you can't communicate? Nonsense.
Seriously?. You belong to a generation that have communicated more, and in more varied ways, than any before you…. just differently. You navigate complex social dynamics online, craft witty and concise messages that go viral (or at least get a few likes from your mates), and probably coordinate intricate plans with friends across multiple time zones using a bewildering array of apps. You can distil a complex emotion into a single, perfectly chosen GIF. That, yes, is communication of a kind though not the kind that most companies will appreciate and understand. Not yet at least.
The problem isn't a fundamental lack of skill. It's a disconnect and inexperience of different communication skills that you need to add. It's a world of work that says it wants "innovation" and "fresh perspectives" but then freaks out when your communication style doesn't mirror the ones presently used by people, many of whom started working when the internet was still a screechy noise over land-lines. Frankly, just like you, they have an inexperience of the communication skills you have.
They often say you lack "professionalism." Often, "professionalism" is a euphemism for "boring," "predictable," and "utterly devoid of personality." It's the equivalent of wearing a grey suit with you arriving, as a vibrant splash of color, and they try to hand you the corporate beige color swatch.
The "communication skills" they want are a boring trap
When many companies complain about young hires' communication skills, what they’re often really saying is:
"They don't use enough jargon to make us feel important."
"They ask too many questions that make us realize we don't know the answers."
"They're too direct; we prefer our uncomfortable truths buried under six layers of politeness and three attachments."
"They haven't learned to tell us what we want to hear, even if it's a complete fabrication."
"Their emails are too short and to the point. Where’s the waffle? Where’s the plausible deniability?"
The communication they often model is a masterclass in obfuscation, in saying nothing with a great many words, in avoiding commitment, and in ensuring that if anything goes wrong, it’s definitely someone else’s fault. This is the "skill" they’re implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, trying to drum into you.
Resist. Please, resist. The world doesn't need more people who communicate like this. In a world where AI will inevitably be used on an exponential level, the human connection, discernment and thought processes make it even more important to become better communicators and connectors. And it falls upon you to do this like it or not.
Let’s get different.
Steal from stand-up comedians! Improv forces you to listen deeply and react authentically, skills that are as rare as a quiet open-plan office. It can teach us to think on our feet and make split-second decisions, adapt quickly to keep the situation moving forward. This ability can be applied to everyday conversations, particularly in high-pressure situations. Improv trained individuals can be better equipped to think, process at speed and stay composed. Next team meeting, try this: ban the phrase “I think.” Respond only with “Yes, and…” to build on others’ ideas. Take a look at Whose line is it anyway!
Weaponize vulnerability
Your urge to sound competent is making you incompetent. How about saying it as it is and say “I don’t know” more often. Admitting a lack of knowledge is far better than faking expertise. Vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s a way of earning trust and respect including self respect.
Treat corporate jargon like radioactive waste
Every time you try to say dumb statements in meetings like “leverage our core competencies,” your manager loses the will to live. Ban buzzwords and try not to use the critical thinking process just yet at least. Just speak as your true self.
"I don't understand this financial model, can you walk me through the assumptions?" beats "The financial model appears to be inconsistent with market trends" every single time. The first statement starts a conversation. The second one starts an argument and if you’re talking with the wrong person, it will start the process of being fired.
Shut up and listen (then ask something that actually matters)
Here’s something unconventional: forget everything you’ve been told about crafting the perfect pitch, dazzling with your eloquence, or dominating the conversation. That’s communication as performance art, more about showing off than actually connecting.
The real superpower, the one that education barely touches and corporate life quietly buries, is the ability to shut your mouth and genuinely listen. Not just nodding along or waiting for your turn, but actually absorbing what’s being said, and what’s being avoided. Then, when you finally open your mouth, ask a question that actually moves things forward.
Most “communication” at work is just people talking at each other. It’s a parade of half-listened-to opinions, one-upmanship, and everyone scrambling to sound smart. Nobody’s really listening. Everyone’s just waiting for their chance to jump in and make their own point, even if it’s got nothing to do with what’s actually happening.
Here’s where your so-called “inexperience” comes into play. You haven’t been fully marinated in the corporate Kool-Aid yet. You can spot the weird stuff, the gaps, the things that don’t make sense. You get to ask the “obvious” questions that everyone else is too embarrassed or jaded to voice:
“Why do we do it this way?”
“What problem are we actually trying to solve?”
“What does ‘synergy’ even mean here?”
The number one communication skill isn’t having all the answers or sounding like a mini-CEO. It’s curiosity. It’s digging deeper, not with ego or a need to show off, but with real interest. When you listen and then ask the question that actually matters, you uncover what everyone else misses. You make people stop and think. That’s real communication.
Forget the corporate fantasy of flawless transmission. They want you to follow the script. Instead, become the person who actually hears what’s going on and isn’t afraid to ask the question that cracks things open. Reception and inquiry beat performance every time.
The degree isn’t dead (Yet) it’s just not enough these days
This isn’t about hating education. It’s about recognizing that both classrooms and companies reward you for reading the room and playing to whoever’s in charge, whether that’s a professor with a grading rubric or a manager with a spreadsheet. The rules change, the faces change, but the game stays the same: do what’s expected, don’t rock the boat, keep the people in power happy.
But here’s what nobody tells you: the real movers aren’t just the ones who hit their targets or ace their assignments. They’re the ones who know how to cut through the noise, get their message across, and build real trust even when the “pen holder” changes. They don’t just follow instructions; they make themselves impossible to ignore. That’s not about changing the metrics, it’s about making sure you’re remembered when everyone else is just another line on a spreadsheet as terrible as that sounds. Your next skill upgrade won’t come from another diploma or certificate. It’ll come from treating every miscommunication and failure as learning moments.
The gap isn’t your fault. Closing it is.
Hoping your manager suddenly becomes a communication guru is like waiting for your morning coffee to brew itself… good luck with that. Most “pen holders” are scrambling just as much as you are; they just hide it better. If you want to be more than a forgettable name on a spreadsheet, you have to own your growth.
One day, it’ll be you dealing with that snotty intern or clueless grad intake and the cycle only breaks when someone decides to stop passing the buck. Might as well be you.
Hungry for more unprofessional advice? At The Number One Skill we teach you to communicate like the office isn’t a live-action role-play.
Readers can try to expense the newsletter out of their learning and development budget. Here’s an email you can send your manager.
Effective Communication Mastery: Step-by-Step Mental Rehearsal Guide
To effectively implement a skill from this article in your professional life, consider the following structured approach:
Take 1 - 2 minutes to center yourself through controlled breathing. Reflect on your past and recent accomplishments to foster a positive mindset like a daily reset.
Clearly write down the specific communication skill you want to focus on and develop, stating how you will be of service to others in doing so.
Repeat your written intention both silently and then aloud while physically tracing the words with your finger and, where possible, making a relevant body gesture. For example, if the skill is active listening, you might mime nodding attentively. This multi-sensory approach helps to embed the intention.
Visualize yourself effectively using this communication skill in relevant professional scenarios anticipating and overcoming challenges encountered. It’s a brief, vivid mental 'movie' where you are working to apply the skill – perhaps a conversation with a colleague, a presentation, or a negotiation. Engage all your senses – what do you see (the other person's reactions), hear (the tone of the conversation), feel (your confidence), smell (the office environment), and even taste (perhaps the coffee you're sharing)? Focus on being of genuine service to others, sense of accomplishment and increased professional competence.
Regularly repeat this process to reinforce it and integrate the skill into your professional repertoire.
In your comments, let everyone know what skill you focused on. How did the rehearsal go? What were the real-world outcomes of applying this technique?