Whether you own your own business, lead a corporate division, or simply need to collaborate with others in order to do your work, one thing is certain: you need to communicate, and communicate well, to truly shine. The value of skillful communication can be seen in the most extraordinary groups and individuals, who go beyond basic number-chasing to excel in ways that lend a deeper mystique and meaning to their work.

While greater mastery has its demands, and requires you to move past your comfortable status quo to higher levels of development and skillfulness, the fruits of those labors include better relationships, less stress, deeper meaning, greater satisfaction, higher confidence, fewer miscommunications and misunderstandings, and more. Aren't these worth putting in a little bit more effort?

The full text of this article highlights 10 essential practices for skillful, effective workplace communication.