Improving Communication In the Workplace
Just like communication is necessary for our normal life to communicate with each other, it is equally important in the workplace to make sure every team member understands what they are expected to do. To make sure everyone understands their role in achieving the organization’s goals it is necessary to improve communication.
In the workplace, different communication barriers may arise either from the organization’s side, employees’ side, or because of any reasons. As said communication is the foundation of human civilization, it is also a crucial tool for organizations to work smoothly.
The following are some of the notable points in which you can improve communication in the workplace for smooth performance and increased productivity.
Be A Good Listener
A good manager is also a good listener. Make sure to build trust in your employees that you are interested in their works and words and if possible be open to sharing your interests with them too.
Employees want the manager to hear their concerns. By being open, employees get to know more about you not just as a manager but also outside your work life. In the process, they are more likely to like you and be open enough to share their concerns.
Use Simple Language
In your organization, not everyone is equally skilled, educated, and competent enough to understand every matter. Using harsh language, multi-meaning words, unfamiliar technical jargon, etc. will degrade the quality of your communication.
Such languages create difficulty for employees to understand your message or information. Thus, make sure to use simple language while communicating with your employees.
Utilize Feedback
It is said that the success or failure of communication lies in feedback. After communicating with them take time to listen to their feedback.
In addition, when reviewing your team’s work try to be positive and ensure giving constructive feedback. Criticizing employees for not doing jobs properly, or giving useless feedback reduces the trust and interest of employees.
Try to see the solutions to the problems instead of criticizing them. Make employees calm that mistakes are common while doing jobs. This will not solve the problems but helps to maintain the trust that they are free to be open to communicating with you if such things happen again.
Read Also: Strategies To Manage Teams in the Workplace
Ensure Two-Way Communication
Effective communication needs to be two-way, which means as a manager when you order as well as give instructions to employees you should let your employees speak or give feedback about the order. Similarly, in meetings when you speak on a point, employees should also get a chance to speak in return.
On the other hand, one-way communication does not let the manager understand what impact the message has made on the receiver. To make communication effective in the workplace, you should ensure two-way communication.
Avoid Information Overload
One of the reasons employees are not able to work on the expectation of the manager is that they are flooded by a lot of information at a time. In such a situation employees become confused about which information should they proceed with first and which one second, and thereafter.
Develop Mutual Trust and Confidence
Among employees as well as between managers and employees having mutual trust and confidence is necessary for good communication and smooth performance of the organization. Try to make a cooperative, healthy, and friendly work environment where every organizational member trusts each other and is open to sharing the necessary information.
Encourage Teamwork
In organizational settings, performing tasks in order to ensure the organization’s goals achievement is not possible by a single person, the working of teams is necessary. Teamwork makes the completion of complex tasks easy.
However, motivating team members is necessary. For this, make regular meetings with them, listen to their queries, and try to maintain a sense of team spirit among them.
Use Appropriate Channels
Communication channel also has an important role in making effective and improved communication in the organization. To improve communication, you should choose the right channels.
For instance, if the information is important use the channel like letters and other written means. For simple information word of mouth, communication is enough.
In addition, you have to choose communication based on the importance of information and the ability of the receiver to understand. E.g. for the deaf receiver using body language would be a viable option.
Communicate Accordingly
Communicating according to employees’ expectations, ability to understand, interests, communication style, etc. is one of the best ways to improve and maintain healthy communication in the organization.
It is obvious that every employee is different in one or another way so their communication style will also be. Before communicating with them, first, try to understand them and communicate accordingly.
Communicate On a Personal Level
It is excellent when you are able to solve your employee’s problems on a group level. But this way every employee’s problem or concern might not be solved or listened to.
Read Also: Levels of Management
To avoid this, try to communicate with them one by one. This will let you understand your employee’s problem more deeply and also increases the chances of finding the best solution for them. Further, doing so also reduces the chances of conflict that might happen while in the group.
Make Clear Roles and Responsibilities
Unclear roles and responsibilities make employees confused about their role in the project work or even what they are doing in the organization. Such a situation neither lets them work smoothly nor communicate. And, if they communicate there is a high chance that they will share wrong or incomplete information.
Share Important News and Company Updates
Transparency is important in the workplace. Employees deserve to be aware of what is happening in their organization. When they hear about important news and their company updates from other people instead of their manager, they feel undervalued.
This reduces the motivation of employees. Company updates and news have an impact on what the employees are communicating with customers and others about the organization.
If out-of-date information is shared with customers, customer satisfaction will also be hampered. Thus, it is necessary that you should communicate with employees when any news, updates, or changes take place.
Take Time To Communicate Directly
The best way to make communication effective is through face-to-face communication. Although, now various digital tools are available for communication and provide various benefits too. But they do not beat face-to-face communication for conveying tone and attitude.
Most of the time employees want to directly communicate with their manager. However, communicating with them via video calls or using other indirect means would make them feel you do not make an effort to make time to meet them physically. Such emotions of employees also have an impact on communication in the workplace.
How To Improve Communication: Conclusion
Whether it is small or big projects, communication between the organization’s members is vital for successful operations. The above-mentioned 13 tips can be useful to improve communication in the organization.