The Power of Strong Communication

My entire life has revolved around sports – baseball in particular. I never thought I would

get the opportunity to work for a professional baseball team until my final semester at Salisbury

University. When I first met with the communication internship director for Salisbury University,

Professor Bown, I had no idea what internship I wanted to do. She then enlightened me into the

possibility of applying for an internship with the Delmarva Shorebirds – a professional minor

league baseball team affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles. As soon as I heard this, I knew it was

what I wanted to do. Being a communication student, I knew there were vast opportunities to

connect my skills in communications to many different jobs and industries, I just didn’t know

which one. The professional sports industry has taught me so much throughout my internship,

and I want to communicate my experience with you. The topic that I want to introduce to you is

no matter what internship you decide to take on in your time in college, your communication

skills will be the deciding factor on if you succeed or fail in your career. I’ve always been told

the saying “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” In my internship, I’ve learned that

communication is key in any industry and work environment. If there’s a particular individual at

your work that isn’t communicating efficiently, they can bring the entire team down with them.

Communication is a broad topic, but the communication I want to harp on is the ones you have

internally with your managers, coworkers, as well as future clients. My goal of this essay is to

inform you that no matter what situation you’re in, you will have a significant advantage if you

have elite communication skills. My first point is that in most internship and entry-level roles,

people don’t know your capabilities yet – so they judge based on how you present yourself.

These can include examples such as meetings, interviews, and introductions. Communication is
what drives people first impressions and gives credibility on why they should want to work with

you. Another point is that strong communicators build better relationships and networks.

Connecting with managers, coworkers, and clients can determine opportunities for yourself

throughout your journey as a professional. Asking good questions and showing you’re engaged

can really go a long way in building rapport with someone you want to network with. Third is

that poor communication can create costly mistakes. Misunderstood instructions can result in

wrong result, lack of clarification can result in wasted time, and vague communication can result

in team confusion. Asking good questions and showing you’re engaged can really go a long way

in building rapport with someone you want to network with. Lastly, communication is essential

for leadership. You don’t need to have a title or high-profile job to lead people – all you must do

is prove it through consistent actions. This can include speaking up in meetings, explaining ideas

clearly, influencing decisions, and overall, just taking the initiative to get better at your craft.

Leadership is always started by being understood and trusted.

In the real world, first impressions mean everything. According to Forbes, “First

impressions are made in seconds, but they set the tone for all future interactions with your

business” (Atallah, 2024). This comes from the psychology that we as humans have evolved to

make quick assessments as a survival mechanism. A great first impression can be achieved by

several necessary steps: a confident smile, good eye contact, proper posture, and honesty. These

are the four main factors that influence people’s first impression of you. Even if you don’t

consider yourself a confident or extroverted person, checking off these steps can lead to a

successful first impression and influence how people perceive you in a matter of seconds. In my

case, one thing I can say I’m most proud of during my internship is how I’ve built a great

reputation in the office by executing these first impressions. When you go out of your way to talk
to someone for the first time without being asked to, it makes them feel important, and in turn,

lowers their guard and allows you to communicate on the same playing field. On the first day of

my internship, I got to spend time introducing myself to a lot of the employees that work for the

Shorebirds. You may be thinking, “Why would any of these employees want to take time out of

their busy schedule to talk to some first-day intern?” Trust me, I thought the same thing going

into that day. There was something in me that knew some stranger coming up to them showing

they care about who they are could make their entire day. Showing empathy and compassion for

people can help build the base for an excellent connection, and in some cases, a great long-term

relationship. After making my introductions, I did my due diligence and connected with all of

them on LinkedIn. I knew that even if I wasn’t going to pursue a career in sports marketing or

advertising, having these people in my network can’t hurt. This was a great way to extend that

first impression and show I not only remember their name, but also care about them

professionally. From day one, everyone in the office has shown me respect in the same fashion I

showed them. This was honestly something that surprised me. From what I know about sports, I

assumed that in the way many coaches can act stubborn and hardheaded, would translate to the

people who work with the team. I can say that couldn’t be further from the truth after working

there for three months. The comfortability I felt in the office day-in and day-out was a big factor

in me enjoying this internship to the fullest capacity.

This leads me into my next point: strong communicators build better relationships and

networks. I first want to identify what makes a strong communicator. In an article I read on

Indeed, I learned that the number one trait of a strong communicator is being an active listener. If

you haven’t heard that term or don’t know what active listening is, let me educate you. This is

when others are speaking or communicating with you and you “respect them by remaining quiet
and allow you to learn more about the speaker or the subject of conversation” (Editorial Team,

2025). From taking sales classes in my time at Salisbury University, I’ve learned that active

listening is the key ingredient to effective communication. When you’re trying to learn more

about someone or something, eighty percent of the conversation should involve you listening and

twenty percent speaking. That ratio may seem off to you, but when you think about it, it makes

perfect sense. How is one supposed to learn while they’re doing all the talking? You ask the

questions, and they give the detailed answer. From here, all you must do is sit back, interpret

what they’re saying, and clarify what you heard. There are many other aspects of what makes a

great communicator, such as being empathetic. In an article published by Johns Hopkins

University, Dr. Stacy Mitchell writes on how empathy is “extremely valuable to hone for any

professional in the workplace,” and that it is “not only a mindset or set of practices, but also an

invaluable tool for managing conflict and navigating disagreement” (Mitchell, Empathetic

Communication Matters). This is one trait that I definitely picked up on while interning for the

Shorebirds. There were many days throughout the semester where people in the office would

complain about problems they were having at work and how tired they were. Even though I was

busy doing the work assigned to me, I would often empathize by asking questions. These

questions would include: Why do you feel like that? What happened? Is there anything I can do

to help? These questions make people feel heard. Most people seek to be understood, and in this

case, my job was to understand why people feel the way they do. Empathizing is the key to

getting people to let their guard down and feel comfortable getting open and honest with you.

Learning as much as I have on being an effective communicator and applying it to network and

create job opportunities have led me into a career in sales. I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to

do with my career at the time of getting my internship, but now I’m much surer that I don’t want
to pursue a career in sports marketing or advertising. While I’ve enjoyed my time with the

Delmarva Shorebirds, this semester has allowed me to learn more about myself than every other

semester combined. I’ve learned that I have a unique ability using my personality to drive

engagement and build relationships. This ability has even led to me to getting hired for my first

professional job. Before accepting this recent job offer, I was interviewing for many different

entry-level sales roles before getting recruited by a financial advisory firm in Columbia,

Maryland. It’s ironic, because I came to college with the idea I was going into financial planning,

but quickly switched my major. I would go on to switch my major many more times before

stumbling into communications. I’ve proved that no matter what you do and what degree you

get, you can do whatever you want if you’re a great communicator and can sell yourself. My

decision to pursue communications seemed like a mistake for a long time, especially while all

my friends were business majors and pursuing internships in sales and finance. I’ve since learned

that choosing communication as a major is far from my worst mistakes, and I don’t regret it in

the slightest.

This transitions me into my third point: poor communication can lead to costly mistakes.

Something that every employer wants in their employees is to communicate clearly with one

another. If someone isn’t revealing the entire truth or is concealing information, people can be

misguided and make costly mistakes effecting the business. In other words, transparency is the

key contributor in this form of communication to ensure everybody is on the same page. I read

up on another article from Forbes that mentioned leaders’ commitment to transparency, and they

pointed to a specific instance where companies weren’t transparent with their customers and

clients. The company WorldCom misrepresented the company’s financial health by “falsely

inflating assets and profits, communicating those numbers to investors and regulators.” Another
company Enron’s downfall was attributed to how they used “complex financial structures to hide

debt and inflate profits… misleading stakeholders about the company’s true financial state”

(Stevens, 2024). Misguiding people’s decisions with their money and investments is obviously a

serious crime, and these acts of miscommunication underscore the critical need for honesty and

clarity in all communication situations. While I’ve never miscommunicated anyone to this degree

or executed any criminal intent, I’ve had certain instances where I could have communicated

better to avoid disaster. The one time where I wish I communicated better was when we were

organizing College Night for the first Thirsty Thursday of the regular season. My supervisor,

Ben, made it clear to all the interns that if we beat last year’s number of college tickets sold for

the game (255), then he would take us all out to lunch for promoting College Night. I was using

some of my connections in other organizations to drive ticket sales, and when I sent the link to

someone I knew in a fraternity, he said that another organization, Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority, was

hosting their Mock Rock event that same night and that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to make

it. Without thinking to double check or at least question if this was credible information, I

immediately told Ben that there was a scheduling conflict and advised him to try and either move

College Night, or host another one during the next home stand. Since the college connection Ben

uses is Jamal – director of FSL and Greek Life – he wrote him an email saying he wish he was

informed that College Night fell on the same day as this Mock Rock event. After I left my

internship that day, I told my girlfriend about it, and she told me that the person I reached out to

gave me the wrong information, and that I should contact Ben immediately. While I was scared

how he would react, I called him right after learning this news and told him there was in fact no

scheduling conflict. Instead of getting mad, Ben was relieved and just happy that there wasn’t

enough time and money to invest into advertising another College Night. In fact, he was able to
delete that email he sent to Jamal like nothing ever happened. This is the one time I disappointed

myself and should have just checked the date myself to make sure this was credible information I

was receiving. I feel like learning from this mistake and near disaster taught me to not always

believe everything you hear, and to trust the information I have access to before believing what

someone says. I was ready to take accountability for my actions if serious results fell on my

wrongdoing, but employers would rather you be honest with them rather than hide information.

This brings me to the final point, and that is communication is essential for leadership. I

first want to discuss leadership and what it means to be a leader. Before coming to college, I

often pictured a leader as a coach or teacher that would instruct individuals on how to go about

their job. Now, I’ve learned that leading doesn’t have to be just verbal and is rather more

effective when it’s done through actions. I also thought that being a leader meant you were above

everyone else – at the top of the hierarchy. I now know that this isn’t the always the case. There

is some truth to saying an owner or CEO is a leader in their respective industry, but they were

also in an entry-level role just like you. It was their consistent actions and behavior that created

the opportunity to climb in a company or organization. Anyone can be a leader, and I want to

express my experience along with others on how bad leadership can affect a team. In an article I

read on LinkedIn, the writer, Gearl Loden, recalls a time where he worked under an inconsistent

leader. He mentions how “One day, they were approachable and encouraging; the next,

withdrawn or harsh,” and how their “inconsistency left us (the team) on edge and deeply affected

our work” (Loden, 2025). Being in a high position such as boss, manager, owner, CEO, etc.,

demands a great amount of responsibility. Part of that responsibility is leading by your actions.

When people working for you look to you as the one to guide them, they don’t want an

individual who is overly emotional in stressful situations. Something that you may not know
about me is that I’ve been in leadership positions my entire life. From team sports to the

organization I’m a part of on campus, I’ve experienced a lot of time where people have looked

for me to lead them. A specific time I can recall is when I was the External Vice President of my

fraternity. I held responsibilities such as organizing off-campus events, formals, away weekends,

and the overall relationships with all other organizations on campus. One semester, we were

planning a party for parents’ weekend. My job was to work with the president and treasurer to

come up with a budget for expenses on food, decorations, and drinks. It was very stressful

because we had a lot of mixed opinions from the rest of the organization, and they all looked to

me to come to a consensus. I became flustered and often lost my composure in heated dialogue

with other people in the organization. When I realized that a lot of the problems were coming

from my own actions, I learned that leading by example and proving that I can handle myself in

high-pressure environments was the key to earning their respect and trust going forward. Being a

leader is challenging, but it starts with effective communication and consistent actions that prove

why you deserve to be where you are. During my internship, I was given a lot of responsibility

from day one. The biggest stress that I faced while working for the Shorebirds was overseeing

the 30-Day Countdown series. Us interns helped come up with this media series idea to celebrate

the 30-year anniversary of the Shorebirds becoming a franchise back in 1996. The goal of this

series was to post something on the Shorebirds Instagram every day leading up to Opening Day –

30 posts total. My job was to design the outline, essentially coming up with post ideas, captions,

and graphic designs. I had a difficult time at first coming up with ideas, and when I got stressed

out, I relied on guidance from my supervisor, Ben, to help me out along the way. Not only does

this example relate to dealing with stressful situations, but also my supervisor’s ability to act as a

leader and communicate to me exactly what I could be doing better or change. His guidance
really contributed to my success as an intern, and I cannot thank him enough for the leadership

that he’s taught me.

To conclude this paper on effective communication, I want to review some of the main

takeaways. Making a strong and powerful first impression can open doorways and connections

for yourself that you never imagined were possible. To make a strong first impression in just a

few seconds takes a nice smile, good posture, eye contact, and the ability to be open and honest

while showing empathy for that person. This is probably my favorite part of being an effective

communicator, and it really is the easiest step to make. Second, is that being a strong

communicator can also lead you into networking opportunities as well as giving you the tools to

build a strong relationship with somebody. Communication isn’t just having the ability to talk to

somebody, but also to understand them. Active listening is the biggest component of a strong

communicator. If you don’t know what someone’s problem, situation, or circumstance is, then

how are you going to identify the main points of the conversation? Third is how poor

communication can lead to costly mistakes. I’ve already shared my experience of having poor

communication, and I hope it enlightened you into the consequences of making that mistake in

the real world. When you make a costly mistake in the real world, you can waste peoples time,

energy, and most importantly, money. It’s important to be confident with the information you’re

supplying or receiving from someone, even if it’s your boss or someone higher in a company

telling you. You not only make your job, but everyone else’s job around you much harder by

miscommunicating. My final point is that effective communication is essential for leadership. A

good analogy to leave you with regarding this main point is that the general of your army should

never waver in the heat of battle. Their words and actions are what sets the tone for his army.

Without leading by strong character, everyone looking for his leadership will fall short. As I
previously stated, my goal of this paper was to inform you that no matter what situation you’re

in, whether that be job, internship, or class, you will have a significant advantage if you have

elite communication skills. I’ve learned a lot in my time at Salisbury University, and it’s crazy to

think that this chapter in my life is coming to a close. From my specific internship with the

Delmarva Shorebirds, I learned that communication is the heart that powers everything. Having

the ability to communicate effectively with the people around you gives you a great advantage

over someone with limited communication skills. The possibilities are endless when you have

the power of communication at your belt. I’m thankful for the opportunity to share my insights

on what an effective communicator is, as well as my internship and life experience in relation to

this specific topic.

Atallah, A. (2024). Council Post: Mastering The Art Of The First Impression: Building A

Lasting Brand Legacy. Forbes Technology Council.

[Link]

impression-building-a-lasting-brand-legacy/

Fajin-Riveiro, L. & Mitchell, S. (2024). Empathetic Communication Matters. Johns

Hopkins University. [Link]

matters/

Indeed Editorial Team (2025). 19 Qualities of Good Communicators (With Tips). Indeed.

[Link]

Loden, G. (2025). The Power of Being a Consistent Leader. LinkedIn.

[Link]

Stephens, J. (2024). Council Post: How Leaders Can Improve Communication To Avoid

Costly Mistakes. Forbes Technology Council.

[Link]

communication-to-avoid-costly-mistakes/