Here’s One Skill You Need to Master to Remain Competitive
- Author: Tim Sanders
- Word Count: 449
Read the news article
The old saying, “What got you here won’t get you there,” applies to your professional life today with One Skill You Need. The world is quickly changing as well as the competitive landscape. Whether you are running a business or trying to increase your career equity, ramping up One Skill You Need set is important.
If there is One Skill You Need that stands out as a game-changer, it’s the ability to effectively communicate with people from a distance. It leads to more collaboration, better expectation management and an improved ability to lead others to outperform on projects.
For most of my life, I’ve heard that there’s nothing like face-to-face communications for connecting with others and managing relationships. But it’s harder than ever to make every interaction in-person. So, we rely on the phone and more recently, email and text. While those are convenient to use, they pale in comparison to video conferencing when it comes to high quality conversations that produce results and connections.
Here’s One Skill You Need to Master to Remain Competitive
A few years ago, I decided to invest in video conferencing by creating an area in my office with a backdrop and a lighting set and a high-quality webcam. I settled on Zoom as my platform of choice and then started to offer clients and business associates the option of doing video instead of a call or an endless email thread. Within a dozen sessions, I started to get the hang of screen sharing, which really improved my ability to collaborate with others and visually communicate difficult concepts. Today, I’m almost 100% video communications based, only doing the rare conference call.
There are many benefits to video communications. Stanford researchers found that when we conduct video conferences, we achieve neural synchronization with others, just like we do in-person. This allows us to be more candid, create mutual liking faster and get more done with less time. The other big plus is that you have more focused conversations, because video requires us to single-task unlike conference calls, email or smartphone conversations.
As a consultant, I’ve helped entire companies move their sales, service and supplier communications over to video, and it’s made a huge difference to their bottom line. It also gives them a competitive advantage over rivals who stay stuck in audio or typed out conversations as One Skill You Need.
Here are a few data points from our research that demonstrate the gains from video VS phone/email:
30% increase in value from suppliers
50% increase in closing ratio for high quality deals
25% decrease in remote employee attrition
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Twitter
Further articles you may enjoy:
- (6)
In March 2020, when the world shut down and my live event calendar was wiped clean—I was concerned about working virtually and leading through adversity As my speaking business went online, I wondered if it would survive the transformation. Would I still have an impact? Would I still matter? I’m sure you asked yourself similar […]
- December 22, 2022
- (61)
This week, we’re spotlighting Top 5 Motivational Speakers May 2025 who are transforming audiences with their stories, insights, and unmatched stage presence: Cameron Atlas, Nikki Stone, Alex Weber, Matthew Luhn, and Maja Kazazic. But before we dive into their brilliance, let’s quickly look at what makes motivational speakers such a vital asset for events of […]
- May 12, 2025
- (4)
Meet the Speaker Stephen McGown is from Johannesburg, South Africa. He obtained his degree in Finance and worked in some of the large South African banks. In order to expand his career, Stephen went across to the UK and worked in London for 7 years. While in London, Stephen met his wife, Catherine, who shared […]
- December 9, 2022
- (4)
A lot has happened in the past few years since my book, We’re All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging, was first published in the spring of 2020. I completed the manuscript for this book (which was just released this week in paperback) at the end of 2019. I had […]
- December 18, 2022
- (36)
Connor Fields More Than a Champion, A Symbol of Resilience and Peak Performance When it comes to selecting the right speaker for your next event, you’re not just looking for someone who can fill a time slot—you’re searching for someone who can inspire, connect, and leave a lasting impression. If your audience values grit, resilience, […]
- May 5, 2025
- (6)
Hey there, are you a white person wondering what to do as an ally for Black people right now? A lot of my white friends have been asking, you’re not alone. I’ve received several questions from friends wanting to do something so I thought I’d compile these all on one place. This is the work […]
- March 10, 2023
- (7)
Speakers Inc is available to offer you our LGBTQ Pride Speakers who offer Inspirational Leadership keynotes to open or close your next leadership and medical event or conference. Speakers Inc is a leading All American Speakers Bureau for motivational speakers that delivers keynotes over 400 times per year. Our LGBTQ and Pride Speakers are available […]
- December 21, 2022
- (11)
Driving Innovation in today’s fast-paced world, anticipating change has become a core business competency. Organizations can no longer afford to wait for disruption to happen—they must proactively identify signals of change and adapt before competitors. Whether driven by technological advancements, market volatility, or societal shifts, disruption is inevitable. The key to surviving and thriving lies […]
- December 16, 2024