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Any Deloitte people trade on robin hood?
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Why are people so quiet in here?
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I used to get this kind of feedback too. “Improve PowerPoint skills”. “Improve coding skills”. This might be difficult to swallow, but this kind of feedback is essentially useless. It is so vague that it doesn’t help the receiver improve. Lastly, it indicates that the reviewer is giving feedback for the sake of it and probably doesn’t have a rationale for giving it.
I used to counter it by asking for a specific example where I could have done a better PowerPoint job or could have communicated better. If the reviewer can’t share one, I don’t take the feedback to heart. (If you can’t articulate feedback cogently, then you have no business giving it). If he can share one, I take it very seriously and work hard at it. I’d also bring back specific examples where I worked hard to incorporate the feedback.
Tbh it all comes down to confidence and delivery
Communication is more than just talking. Are you confidently and effectively communicating what you mean? Are you using the right channels for communicating, using the right tone? Are you being clear and concise?
There are 2 sides to the communication coin. One is listening or effectively receiving information side, along with the cultivated ability to comprehend or interpret information in the way that the sender intended it (which might involve asking some good clarification questions).
The second is the sending or speaking side, which as many of the comments here have noted means that your intent, mannerism, word choices & tone of voice are all “in alignment” so that your message is as clear as you can make it to whomever you are delivering the message to. You can’t be moving your eyes about or figiting your fingers if you want to send a focused message. One has to “center.”
Both sides, sending & receiving require an alignment between the verbal & “para-verbal” behaviors (body language) so that there is clarity. If you are speaking to someone & have a “gut feeling” that they have misread you, it is OK to ask “was I clear, or do you have any questions, or can I explain anything further?” There is always that fine line of someone potentially taking offense when trying to clarify, but if you stay grounded in “I speak” meaning speak from your own experience that tendency is minimized.
I often tell Students who have trouble putting their thoughts into “professional language” to read more in order to increase vocabulary. Just engaging more with language can help to expand one’s speaking abilities & professional demeanor in the workplace.
Ask for actionable feedback. Feel free to reach back out and ask if some of the ideas you were thinking of to improve your communication skills is in line with what they were thinking. You could also just directly ask for more details. How would they approach a situation/engagement that requires more nuanced communication? If you're very comfortable with the feedback giver, ask what examples they have observed where you could have done better and how.