Effective Communication In the Workplace – Part 1

Communication is far more complicated than it may sound. Sure, you can give your employees orders or issue directives to teams, but unless you effectively communicate what the business goals are with these tasks, productivity will suffer. When this happens, it impacts the bottom line of your business. To avoid this, you must use effective communication. But how do you do that and get the job done in the way you hope it will be done?

Here are a few tips on how to improve the way you communicate at the workplace:

Tip #1 – Be Prepared

What you are going to tell employees is important, regardless of the subject matter. What helps you most to get the importance of a task across to your team members is to prepare what you want to say ahead of time. This keeps you focused and forces you to stay on point.

Tip #2 – Be Clear, Be Concise

Your choice of words will be vital here. This is why it is so important to prepare what you want to say in a language that is easy to understand. Your message has to be clear and not confusing. You have to keep your wording concise to not distract from what you want to be heard.

Tip #4 – Be Careful of Nonverbal Cues

Body language is just one of many nonverbal cues that others will notice when you are communicating with them. Your hand gestures and facial expressions can often say more than you want to say. Using positive nonverbal cues that support your message is best in the long run.

Tip #5- Be An Active Listener

Listening is as important to effective communication as delivering your message. You can be an active listener by giving others your undivided attention when they speak, not interrupting them, displaying open body language, and asking open-ended questions to learn more.

There are also ways to create positive workplace communication that you can implement that goes beyond just your message. Here are a few suggestions to help you do this:

Create A Positive Business Culture

The work environment you are delivering your message will also impact that message. If the work environment is a positive one, your words will be received differently than they would be if the work environment was negative or hostile in any way. In a positive setting, employees are more open to any kind of message and are more likely to buy into whatever is required of them.

Develop A Workplace Communication Plan

With the volume of information flowing through the workplace in so many different formats on different platforms, it is difficult to get a message across that reaches everyone. This is why it is important to have a workplace communication strategy. A plan for this keeps the message loud and clear and the delivery method consistent so those who need to hear it do get the message.

Strengthen Your Emotional Smarts

When you recognise your own feelings and can harness them, you can become a better communicator. However, emotional strength is only part of the equation. You also must have empathy for others which allows you to see both sides of a situation and respond better. This helps to prevent misunderstandings and helps you should you have to deliver bad news.

Action Coach Can Help Your Communication Skills

 Leadership includes effective communication. A business coach can help you reach business goals when communication is part of the business plan. Call Action Coach Business Coaching today for assistance. They are your small business coach in Brisbane. Contact them today to discuss your business growth plans and workplace communication needs.

Conclusion

 Effective communication takes effort and time to get right. Employees need clear messages and when they are delivered properly, productivity increases, and teams work together to reach common goals. A good leader knows how to get the message across with the right words and no distractions. A business coach can help leaders develop these skills to achieve their business goals.

More tips on effective communication are to follow in Part 2.