The Essential Interview Questions for Communication Skills

Whether you're hiring marketers, engineers, product managers—or anything in between—strong communication skills are a must-have for virtually any role. In this article, we'll outline some the best communication skills interview questions and practical tips to help you decipher a candidate’s ability to listen actively, speak clearly, adapt their style to various audiences, and flex between different communication modalities.

Why to Assess Candidates Communication Skills in Interviews

It goes without saying that good communication skills lay the foundation for a well-functioning work environment. They keep collaboration running smoothly and prevent time-wasting misunderstandings. On the other hand, poor communication skills can sabotage strong teamwork, hinder an employee's impact, and reduce productivity. Evaluating communication skills in interviews is crucial in determining how well a candidate can work with others and persuade key stakeholders.

Best Interview Questions for Communication Skills

• Explain how you break down complex information for easier understanding.
• Give me an example of a time when you had to explain a complex concept to an audience with little to no background knowledge of the topic. 
• Can you think of an example when you overcomplicated a message and it had a negative impact on what you were trying to achieve?
• Can you give me an example of a time you had to deliver bad news to a client or stakeholder? 
• Think of a time when you had to deliver the same message or presentation to multiple groups of people. How did you adjust your communication style or communication channel to account for the nuances of each audience? 
• Can you think of a time when your communication style hindered your message from landing well with your audience? What would you have done differently?
• Can you share an example of a conflict you were involved in at work and how you handled it?
• How do you handle working with someone who is difficult or challenging?
• Describe a situation where active listening helped you solve a problem.
• Tell me about a time you clarified a misunderstanding in the workplace.
• Tell me about a time you used your written communication skills to persuade an important stakeholder. 
• Imagine a big customer has emailed you negative feedback on your company’s product and customer service. How would you go about composing an email in response? 
• In what situations do you think written comms are a more effective tool than verbal communication? (e.g., an in-person meeting, or phone/video call)

Communication skills can take many forms: written, oral, internal, external, persuasive, informative. When evaluating communication skills in the interview process, it can be helpful to focus on a few key sub-competencies to make sure a candidate has a well-rounded communication skillset. 

Clarity and simplicity

One of the most crucial communication skills is the ability to convey complex ideas in simple, easily understandable terms. Whether it’s a software engineer needing to explain technical concepts to a legal team, or a marketer distilling complex product functionality to end-users, simplifying intricate concepts is a must-have for effective communication. 

Here are some questions you can ask to test a candidate's clarity of communication:

• Explain how you break down complex information for easier understanding.
• Give me an example of a time when you had to explain a complex concept to an audience with little to no background knowledge of the topic. 
• Can you think of an example when you overcomplicated a message and it had a negative impact on what you were trying to achieve?

What to look for in responses:

You’ll want to dig into specific examples of the candidate's ability to break down a complex topic and distill it to its most salient points. They should be adept at making strategic judgments on what an audience needs to know, and what can be left out. Look for evidence of of candidates flexing their communication skills by finding creative ways to simplify complex ideas through analogies, visual aids, or real-life examples.  

Empathy is also important to consider here. What specific tactics has the candidate used to better understand their audience? How do they then use that information to adjust their communication style and content accordingly? You'll want to make sure they know how to think about the audience's perspective and take that into consideration when crafting communications.

Adapting communication styles

Adapting communication style to suit different audiences and situations is a fundamental skill to build positive relationships and influence key stakeholders. Interview questions designed to assess this skill should focus on a candidate’s capacity to listen actively and demonstrate empathy.

Here are some questions you can ask to test a candidate's ability to effectively adapt communications:

• Can you give me an example of a time you had to deliver bad news to a client or stakeholder? 
• Think of a time when you had to deliver the same message or presentation to multiple groups of people. How did you adjust your communication style or communication channel to account for the nuances of each audience? 
• Can you think of a time when your communication style hindered your message from landing well with your audience? What would you have done differently?

What to look for in responses:

You’ll want to look for evidence that the candidate avoids a one-size-fits-all approach to communication. They should clearly explain 1) how they seek to understand different audiences’ needs and 2) how they use that information to adjust their communication style effectively. 

Challenging the candidate to reflect on situations when they had to put themselves in someone else’s shoes helps to test their empathy and curiosity. Look for examples of active listening, identifying common ground, and respecting differing viewpoints. 

Non-verbal communication, emotional intelligence, and body language of course also play a role in painting a picture of a candidate's communication skills. Bonus points if a candidate mentions how these factors play into their communication approach. You can also get a read on non-verbal communication through your own interactions with the candidate throughout the interview process.

Conflict resolution

Questions about conflict resolution help assess a candidate’s ability to handle disagreements, manage difficult conversations, and find solutions while maintaining composure. These types of interview questions evaluate important qualities such as collaboration, active listening, and ability to facilitate open dialogue—all hallmarks of a strong communicator. 

Here are some communication skills interview questions specific to conflict resolution:

• Can you share an example of a conflict you were involved in at work and how you handled it?
• How do you handle working with someone who is difficult or challenging?
• Describe a situation where active listening helped you solve a problem.
• Tell me about a time you clarified a misunderstanding in the workplace.

What to look for in responses:

You'll want to hear that the candidate gives their undivided attention and actively listens when they are in a conflict, rather than simply trying to get across why they think they are “right". They should be able to demonstrate how they've created environments where the other people involved are free to communicate their point of view.

It's also key to see that the candidate has a demonstrated history of persuading others in a conflict to rally around a solution forward. Look for leadership and initiative in their approach to conflict resolution that proves they can bring others along with them towards solutions.

Written communication excellence

Especially as work becomes increasingly asynchronous, written communication skills are just as important as verbal ones. Whether it’s emails, proposals, reports, or customer service inquiries, effective written communication is crucial.

Aside from asking a candidate to share an example of their written work, here are a few interview questions you can use to test these skills: 

• Tell me about a time you used your written communication skills to persuade an important stakeholder. 
• Imagine a big customer has emailed you negative feedback on your company’s product and customer service. How would you go about composing an email in response? 
• In what situations do you think written comms are a more effective tool than verbal communication? (e.g., an in-person meeting, or phone/video call)

What to look for in responses:

In candidates’ answers, keep an eye out for concrete examples of the impact they’ve been able to achieve through their written communication abilities. Probe their process and how craft effective written work. What factors do they take into consideration? Do they naturally bring up how they assess the efficacy of their written communications?

You should also ensure that they have a strategic framework for deciding what forum and mode of communication will be most effective for achieving their goals. They should have insights to back up how and why they choose to deliver their message in a certain way.

Summary

Assessing communication skills during job interviews is crucial for identifying candidates who can collaborate effectively, persuade and influence, and overcome communication challenges. Be sure to use some of these communication interview questions in your next hiring process to rest assured you're well-prepared to find the right candidate for the job.