Communication is not a fad, and it’s not a soft skill either; it’s what will make or break every company in the near future. That’s because, in this technologically-oriented and increasingly computerized world, the best companies look for employees who communicate proficiently and are capable of empathy. Communication builds loyalty and begets success. Here’s why and how you can do it:
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Communication Is Key:
There are many advantages to good communication, some of which you are already familiar with, at least at a subconscious level.
More Ideas:
Good communication isn’t just about being able to talk and share your ideas – it’s about being able to listen. It often happens that superiors or co-workers listen to pitches just to rebuff ideas or, worse still, to ridicule them.
People who talk to each other freely can bring more arguments to sustain diverging viewpoints without being threatened by their co-workers.
The result is that the organization will thrive, courtesy of more creative ideas that emerge and strategies that are implemented.
Message Consistency:
When people work in an environment built under the auspices of transparent, honest communication, they aren’t confused by contradictory or ambiguous messages.
As a result, the company’s philosophy, mission, and vision compose a unitary, consistent whole that every employee can internalize. When talking with external stakeholders, like a company’s customers, the employees will transmit consistent messages.
Consistent messages are capital for building trust with your customers, so they can continue buying your products.
Build Lasting Customer Relationships:
Excellent customer relationships are the engine of any company. These relationships are built by employees who know how to:
- Solve conflicts and misunderstandings.
- Understand their customers.
- Make customers feel understood.
- Use persuasion techniques instead of coerce.
Better Team Management:
Managers should be honest, open and transparent communicators, delivering consistent messages and listening to the people under their command. These skills help improve their management style because they will know how to motivate people, how to build trustful relationships and how to manage conflicts.
Effective communication helps with team building as well. Managers who focus on communication know how to assign roles and how to facilitate communication inside the team. This way, employees are happier and more productive. Companies who are able to communicate effectively are able to find the best products for their clients, such as a detailed list of best personal loans for their clients.
Conflict Management:
Conflict management is part of team management, but it’s so important that it deserves a separate section. Besides, in 90% of the cases conflict starts because of bad communication, when employees:
- Don’t understand key information. Communication is a two-way street. It’s not enough to send a clear message, it’s important for the receiver to understand it. That’s why both the sender and the receiver should use common code. The sender (the person who’s talking) should phrase this message using common words and should take into account the receiver’s particularities, thinking style, and expertize. The receiver is responsible for asking a question each time he or she doesn’t understand something.
- Don’t understand communication patterns. Some people are verbal, others are visual. Some communicate using words, others rely on non-verbal communication. Good communicators know how to recognize different communication patterns. Even if they can’t decipher the message on their own, they can stop the person they’re talking with and ask additional clarifying questions.
- Feel disregarded or disrespected. Conflict arises when people are cut off, not allowed to speak their mind, mocked or when someone else takes credit for their ideas. A communication-oriented environment prevents this from happening because everyone is mindful to their coworkers. Besides, if a person feels wronged, they have the necessary communication tools to defend their position without becoming impulsive and overly emotional or assigning blame.
More Loyal Employees:
Whoever watches Billions knows how important is to have loyal employees.
Communication helps build a network of local people. A transparent, honest communication environment in your workplace leads to happier, and therefore more engaged people. That way, they can do their jobs better and respect the company’s vision.
But loyalty means giving something in return. A manager who is also a good communicator:
- Strives to understand their employees – what motivates them, what they need.
- Figure out the strengths and weaknesses of their employees.
- Spends time and resources to cultivate their employee’s strengths to further the company goals.
- Knows how to admit their mistakes.
- Has a good relationship with all the managers and employees.
How Can You Ensure Good Communication In Your Workplace?
It’s obvious that effective communication is what drives a company to success. Communication is a science and an art. People need to master the skills below to build a communication-friendly environment:
- Be honest and transparent: keep everyone in the loop. Discourage secrets. Make sure your door is always open to whoever wants to complain or advocate for an idea. Delegate someone to take notes during every meeting and impart them as soon as possible afterward.
- Listen to everyone: communication is based on empathy. Try to understand where everyone is coming from before making an opinion. Encourage employees to speak to you. Listen respectfully with the purpose of understanding, not with the purpose of building a counter-argument. Don’t show your impatience.
- Make sure everyone knows your objectives and expectations: this isn’t mandatory just for projects, but for every interaction. People should always know what the purpose of your communication is and what your expectations are. These things aren’t always obvious from the message, so mention your goals and expectations each time, in a respectful and clear manner.
- Send clear, consistent messages: avoid ambiguous, obscure, and incomplete messages. Use simple terms and short sentences. It’s better to be redundant rather than misunderstood. Be clear and polite. Ask people if they have any questions and try to answer them as best you can. Craft each message to your audience’s particularities: it’s one thing to address experts in a field, and something completely different to address novices. Never assume that your messages will be understood just because you understand them.
- Choose the best channel: not all mediums are created equal, and not all employees respond the same to them. Besides, some messages are best delivered online, in an e-mail or in a text, others discussed face-to-face, while others are better delivered in printed documents, with tables and infographics.
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