Learn a new skill to set you up for the future

Working in housing means upskilling regularly to do better professionally, but learning new skills can also do great things for your personal life. Whatever your goals, challenging yourself to try new things keeps your brain active and enriches your life. When learning a skill, it can be helpful to set an end goal so you feel motivated to keep going, so try to think about where you want to be at the end of your journey. Here are some skills you can commit to bettering yourself at and some targets to go with them. 

Public speaking 

A lot of people shy away from public speaking because of the anxiety it causes, but feeling nervous about something doesn’t mean you’ll be bad at it. Maybe you’ve got a presentation coming up at work, you’re speaking at a tenant meeting, or communicating with your local authority about an important issue — whenever your next opportunity for public speaking, you can make the most of it by building up your skills beforehand. 

Planning thoroughly is key. Write down your ideas in an order that makes sense so they’ll be easier to remember and think about what you want your audience to take away from your talk. It can be tempting to memorise an exact script, but it’s more helpful to read your main points out loud and see what filler words and sentences come naturally. This puts less pressure on you to remember every single word and helps you relax into your normal rhythm of speaking. Remind yourself that the people you’re talking to are interested in what you want to say, and that nerves just mean you care.  

Clear communication 

Being able to speak well and get your point across is incredibly useful when it comes to communicating with tenants, especially if you’re relaying information about sensitive or complex subjects. Much like if you’re trying to improve your public speaking, planning can help here too.  

Before entering a meeting or an important conversation, make sure you know what points you want to get across and what sort of tone you want to use. Plan for how the other person may react and for any questions they might have. For housing professionals, listening can sometimes be more important than speaking. If a tenant trusts you with their lived experiences, try asking open ended questions to learn more and wait to respond so they can get their point across. Ask for further explanation before jumping to conclusions and enter every conversation with an open mind. 

Seamless teamwork 

When you’re dealing with the everyday stresses of work, it can be easy to forget that you’ve got a team of colleagues there to support you. Even if you’re the only person in your department, you could reach out to other parts of your organisation for advice or attend a CIH event to make wider professional connections.  

Teamwork means coming together to reach your collective goals. Sometimes you’ll help others, and sometimes you’ll need their support too — it’s about taking advantage of your shared strengths and expertise. You could aim to become a great team player in time for your next big work project, or for the next time you participate in a committee or board meeting. When you’re with your team, make sure that you’re all clear on the targets you’re working towards and how to achieve these. Outlining who’s responsible for what means that everyone is held accountable for their work, and that people know who to contact for specific queries and problems.  

Another thing you can do is regularly ask for feedback. This gives your team an opportunity to share helpful guidance and to jump in with their own knowledge, creating a collaborative and open environment. 

Digital skills 

Digital skills are essential in today’s world of work, but the ever-changing systems and software can make it hard to keep up. If there’s one piece of software you’re struggling with at work, why don’t you dedicate some time each week to fully understanding it? Technology can help you communicate better with residents, coordinate key areas of your organisation, and understand where to make improvements to your services, so it’s important to keep on top of it. 

If you’ve got a colleague who is known for being a digital expert, you could book some time in for them to show you around the programme you’re struggling with. If it’s a more universal programme like Word or Excel, you could even ask a friend or family member to show you the ropes. The programme’s website is also a good place to start, as it will often feature tips and tricks, handy articles, and a chatbot that offers advice. Your HR department might also be able to source some training sessions for you and your team — it’s worth speaking up as you don’t know who else might be struggling!  

Putting the time and effort in to learn a new skill can lead to big rewards and improvements in your job performance. There’ll always be new ways to better yourself, so selecting a few problem areas and making a plan of action is a good way to start. If you want to know more about upgrading your performance as a housing professional, have a look at the CIH Housing Academy’s training courses and qualifications.