Communication Skills Synonym [58 Better Ways to Say It]

I want you to think about this. You get a phone call from a stranger who wants to design your backyard for you. One person tells you that they’re the best designer in town. Another one sends you an email with photos and blueprints of some of the backyards they’ve designed. Which one are you more likely to hire? Just because someone says something is true, doesn’t mean it’s so, and hiring teams know this better than anyone.

If you’re still writing communication skills on your resume, you’re already last in the resume line compared to your peers. Everyone says this; no hiring team buys it. Whether you’re a resume writer writing resumes for clients or you’re trying to write your own resume, this article will give you many ideas on how you can show the hiring team your communication skills instead of telling them - using synonyms!

How Much Do Communication Skills Matter on a Resume

They matter a lot. Communication, problem-solving, and conflict management are three of the most common things I’ve been asked about when I recruit candidates for clients. The problem is that everyone puts things like “excellent communication” or “communication skills” in the Skills Section of their resume and it’s exactly like the example I gave above about the designer.

The other common problem I see is that people use the phrase communication skills in their work experience and summaries but use it in a way that is too vague and so it becomes another resume buzzword that lacks meaning.

So yes it matters, but it will only help you secure an interview if you illustrate your communication skills. Using synonyms will also help you sound unique and different.

One thing that is often overlooked is the way you write your resume, organize your thoughts, and deliver your message also shows how good or poor your written communication skills are. If you need help with how to organize and communicate a succinct message in your resume, check out the resume writing resource center.

When to Replace Communication Skills with a Synonym

If you’re writing a resume, here is a general rule of thumb on when to replace the words “communication skills,” “communicate,” or “communicated".

In a Skills Section

I’m going to be bold here and tell you that you should never use these words in a skills section on your resume. You’re wasting space. Here’s why. Because it doesn’t tell me anything of value. It doesn’t tell me how you used the skills. It doesn’t tell me that you’re good at using the skills. A majority of the time I would suggest not even replacing it in a skills section and instead using that section for something more valuable like listing technical knowledge. If you decide to replace it, you’re better off using one of the synonyms below.

When You Need to Be More Specific

It’s very important that people understand how you use your communication skills because they want to know how those skills will help them at their company should they hire you. The word communicate is just too vague to do that many times.

Saying you communicated something is vague. Did you pitch an original idea and then ask smart questions in a persistent and polite manner to ensure you had buy-in from all parties? Did you have to disseminate technical information to people who don’t have a technical background? As you can see, the word communicate doesn’t really do justice many times. If you’re writing about something important, it may be best to find a synonym or alternate way of saying it.

If You’ve Used It More Than Once

If you’ve already used the word or phrase, find a synonym. Repetition of ideas in a resume is a good thing. It’s hard for people to memorize new information, so you want to repeat ideas to be memorable. That doesn’t mean you want to use the same words to do so over and over again. Repetition of ideas, yes. Repetition of words, no.

58 Synonyms for Communication Skills

Below is an exhaustive list of every synonym I could think of or find within the resumes I’ve reviewed. While you can use these synonyms verbatim in your resume, you’ll get more value by using them to think of situations where you’ve deployed them.

1. Persuasion Skills

2. People skills (not my favorite, but better than the word communication)

3. Sociability or Social Skills

4. Emotional Intelligence

5. Extroversion

6. Socialness

7. Friendliness

8. Social Intelligence

9. Interpersonal Skills

10. Outgoingness

11. Gregariousness

12. Self-Confidence

13. Cordiality or Cordialness

14. Affability

15. Geniality

16. Amiability or Amiability

17. Amiability or Amiableness

18. Congeniality or Congenialness

19. Conviviality

20. Pleasantness or Warmth

21. Agreeableness or Agreeability

22. Friendship

23. Amity

24. Kindness or Niceness

25. Camaraderie or Comradery

26. Goodwill

27. Neighborliness

28. Chumminess

29. Openness

30. Companionability

31. Hospitableness

32. Approachability

33. Clubbability or Clubbiness

34. Comity

35. Civility

36. Accessibility

37. Warmness

38. Responsiveness

39. Communicativeness

40. Open Arms

41. Good Naturedness

42. Genialness

43. Hospitability

44. Coherent

45. Eloquent

46. Expressive

47. Fluent

48. Clear

49. Articulate

50. Courteous

51. Coherent

52. Impassioned

53. Well Expressed

54. Attentive

55. Considerate

56. Gracious

57. Well Mannered

58. Well Spoken

Examples of Communication Skills Synonyms in a Resume

Let’s look at some resumes that have used the phrase communication skills or the words communicate and replace them with something more impactful. All of the ineffective examples I will change come from the top-ranking resume samples on the internet (sadly). But don’t worry, we’re going to zhuzh them up (and yes, that’s a real word).

Communication Skills Synonym in Customer Success Resume

Here’s an example of an ineffective customer service resume bullet point.

Used strategic communication to translate customer feedback into actionable insights.

Transformed bullet point:

Leveraged competent questions and affability to get customers to open up and provide real feedback that then led to a change in GTM (go-to-market) strategy which resulted in a 32% increase in new logos across our sales team.

Communication Skills Synonym in Receptionist Resume

Here’s an example of an ineffective receptionist resume bullet point.

Draft and proofread emails, letters, memos, and presentations to ensure accurate communication.

Transformed bullet point:

Draft and proofread emails, letters, memos, and presentations to ensure clear, well-expressed ideas that reduced questions caused by uncertainty by 84%.

Communication Skills Synonym in Staff Accountant

Here’s an example of an ineffective Staff Accountant resume bullet point. (Honestly, this one isn’t that bad, but I’ll replace it anyhow)

Proactively identified and communicated potential problem areas related to a reporting issue, saving the company $2,000 in fees.

Transformed bullet point:

Identified and approached a logistics department head with a potential problem area related to a reporting issue, making a recommendation that was adopted which saved the company $2,000 in fees. (Note: You don’t need to say proactive. Everything in here already tells the reader that you proactively did this.)

Communication Skills Synonym in Supply Chain Resume

Here’s an example of an ineffective supply chain resume bullet point.

Monitored production schedules and communicated any delays to stakeholders, ensuring timely delivery of finished product.

Transformed bullet point:

Monitored 12 production schedules and articulated delays to stakeholders with amity, resulting in multiple teams working together to ensure timely delivery of over 200,000 products each month.

Communication Skills Synonym in Talent Acquisition Manager Resume

Here’s an example of an ineffective talent acquisition resume bullet point.

Maintained ongoing communications with prospective candidates.

Transformed bullet point:

Maintained warmness and transparency with over 100 prospective candidates each week through regular updates.

What Situations Show Communication Skills on a Resume

Ok, so we covered a lot of synonyms, but you may still be wondering how do I show communication skills besides just replacing the words “communicate” with resume synonyms. There are many ways you can do this. I’ll give you some here.

1. Write about how you communicate with team members. This could be to accomplish a goal, to lead them if you’re a manager, or to convince others to submit something that you require in order to do your job.

2. Write about building relationships with cross-functional teams or customers and how those relationships make your job (and other’s jobs) easier.

3. You can talk about how you lead teams. You don’t have to be a manager to lead. Perhaps you were in charge of a project that was made up of ad hoc team members across multiple departments. Talk about how you led them without having the title or authority of a manager. That’s real leadership!

Communication Skills Synonym Recommended Reading

How to write skills and experiences on your resume.

Resume cliches and buzzwords to avoid this year.

Five resume subtitles you should use.

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Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a botique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.