Communicating well on the job.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

What you say and how you say it can make or break your image at work, a survey developed by OfficeTeam, a staffing service specializing in highly skilled administrative professionals, suggests. Forty-nine percent of workers polled said a person's communication style has the greatest impact on his or her professional reputation. How employees conduct themselves while the boss is away was the second-most-popular answer (31%).

"Skilled communicators are able to build rapport with coworkers and business associates, which can help move projects along more efficiently," explains Liz Hughes, executive director of OfficeTeam. "They know whose expertise to tap when they need assistance and are adept at resolving conflicts and building consensus among team members." She offers the following tips for more-effective communication:

* Keep it short. Whether it's an email, voice mail, or face-to-face meeting, make your comments brief and salient. Busy executives and staff appreciate people...