Communication: The Key to Success by Tanner Aherin

Eventually, there comes a time when each individual has to enter the job market to find a career that best suits them. Strengths and qualities for each individual may be different, but there’s endless opportunities and professions where their skills can be valued. Currently, I am in the
middles of this process, and one of my college professors presented some information I thought could be vital for being successful in finding the job I most desire. According to Job Outlook 2016 from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, over 70 percent of the employers
seek potential employees who show impressive written communication skills and approximately 69 percent desire future members of their staff to possess superior verbal communication qualities. Excellence in communication skills allow individuals to be a superb leader who make
it easy for people below to follow, or be able to effectively communicate with fellow employees while working on group projects. Both leadership and the ability to work in a team were at the top of the list as well.

Even if someone is their “own boss” when they manage a family-owned ranch or feedyard, there are countless reasons why it is still critical to possess professional communication attributes. The first one that comes to mind is customer relationships. Not only the ability to put on a sales pitch, but also being able to inform customers with general industry knowledge or trends in an educated manner can be invaluable when it comes to selling your stock. With the current Veterinary Feed Directive regulations that became effective January 1, it is vital to have a good veterinary-client relationship. Without getting into too many details, there’s a lot of paperwork and requirements that must be approved by the vet before some products can be used. This can make the process a bit of a headache, but if you possess the ability to effectively communicate
with your veterinarian, these new regulations should not cause too much grief. In the feedyard setting it is important you are communicating with not only your vet, but the pharmaceutical sales representative to ensure the product is being used in the correct or most efficient method. There’s a magnitude of other situations in these settings when superior communication skills can be valuable assets.

Strong communication abilities can also come in handy when it’s time to make breeding decisions. Talking with fellow cattle breeders and your area semen sales representative can provide you with information to help make the decision.

The American Gelbvieh Junior Association provides many opportunities for its members to improve their communication abilities. The sales talk competition gives the members a chance to work with customers in a realworld scenario, the judging contest requires contestants
to orally defend their placing decisions, the impromptu speaking contests help devlop the ability to think on your feet and the creative writing contest focuses on improving non-verbal communication. Hopefully, everyone realizes the importance of possessing superior verbal and written
communication attributes to be successful in whatever career path is ahead.