As in all facets of life, the ability to clearly relate your thoughts, feelings and capabilities will serve to further your goals. Effective communication will help establish interpersonal relationships at work, a key ingredient of success for a consultant, and will help integrate you quickly as a team member at a customer site.

• Introduce yourself to people at your new work location before you meet them in a more formal setting. There is nothing as effective as face-to-face communication.
• Never discuss your rate with the "permanent" employees.
• Keep the talk centered on what you are going to do as a team; you need to communicate that you are here to make a difference.
• Never assume that the person you are speaking with is as technically savvy as you are. Ask the person about his or her specific area of expertise and tailor your conversation accordingly.
• Never jump in before the other person has finished talking. Not only is it rude, you may also miss out on important points of view.
• The workplace is becoming increasingly diverse; you need to have a sympathetic ear for different styles of communication, including accents, figures of speech and cultural differences.
• Do not plan what your reply is going to be when the other person is speaking. Most people make the most important points at the end of their sentences. If you are not paying attention, you may miss out on the key points of the conversation.
• You communicate best when you are alert and energetic. If you find yourself drooping at a networking meeting, take a quick break to revive yourself.

Resources for Communication Skills

iabc.com
The International Association for Business Communicators is a resource for PR practitioners, but offers communication pointers for professionals in other fields as well.

hotwired.com
An offering from Wired magazine, the Wired Style manual is tailored for online communication.

presentingsolutions.com
The site section "The Art of Communicating Effectively" offers concise tips for speakers and presenters.

briefings.com
The site for the Briefings newsletter provides practical tips for communicating better at the workplace, from team building and time management to interpersonal communication.

hardatwork.com
A compendium of tips and discussion forums about the many facets of work, the site offers how-to advice on many issues, including communications and managing the boss.

esocrates.com
Although geared toward graduate students, the site has impressive resources for improving your presentation skills.