It does not matter if your company has two employees or 2000, effective communication in the workplace is vital for you, your employees and the business. Most employers understand the concept of workplace communication, but they don’t necessarily know how to facilitate it. Effective communication in the workplace takes time and coordinated processes; however these helpful tips will help you create a line of effective communications in your place of business.
Open and Honest
The key to facilitating effective communications is openness. It is important to facilitate meetings among employees, not lead the discussion. People know when there is a problem and when you practice honest, open communication skills, everyone involved will follow your lead.
Active Listening
Listening is one of the most important factors of effective communication skills. It is easy to hear what others are saying, but listening takes concentration and focus on the speaker. It is important to acknowledge that you are actively listening when someone is speaking to you. Focus your attention on the speaker, interject with words of agreement and occasionally repeat back what you heard. As the conversation progresses and at the end of the conversation, make sure to paraphrase what you think was heard.
Ideas and Feedback
Part of maintaining a policy of open communications is to encourage employees to share their ideas about assigned tasks, problems they encounter and ideas for improvements. Keeping employees involved will prevent the loss of enthusiasm, so encourage employee communications that allow their opinion to be heard. Always provide feedback, whether it is through one-to-one conversations or in a group meeting, voice your thoughts and encourage others to do so as well.
Sources of Communication
Encourage the use of various methods of communications including bulletin boards, company newsletters, email and telephone. It is also important that ensure the communications will be two-way and ensure that feedback will be given on a regular basis. Employees may feel intimidated with face to face communications, but need to have an immediate response to their concerns, so always respond as soon as possible whether it be in person or through an email.
Praise
Although praising employees may not seem like a source of communication, the truth of the matter is, it is an excellent source of communications. Praising employees for a job well done is communicating to them that you are noticing their efforts and appreciate their dedication and hard work. Communicating with employees through praising will encourage morale among everyone involved.
Ask Questions
Asking questions shows the speaker that you are actively listening to the conversation and that you have an interest in what is being said. When you ask questions it also gives the speaker an opportunity to clarify exactly the point being made. Make sure to ask questions that are related specifically to the current conversation and do not bring up questions or statements that pertain to other matters.
Interrupting
One of the quickest ways to lose the other person during a conversation is to dominate the conversation or to interrupt as they are speaking. Conversations are meant to be two-way, so let the other person speak as well as finish what it is they are trying to say. When they are done speaking, clarify that you have been listening and respond as well as encourage a response to your response.
Engaging in Conversations
Employees often feel uncomfortable when approaching management about a difficult situation and may feel that if they do not discuss their concerns, the situation will simply go away. It is important to encourage employees and employers to effectively communicate their concerns. A great way to give employees an opportunity to open up about concerns is with a comment box. Make it clear that the comment box is open for any ideas, concerns or problems that an employee wants to discuss. Do not simply promise a follow up to the comments, but make an effort to engage the employee in an open, honest discussion about their problem and remember to follow up with questions a few days after the conversation.
Body Language
As a manager, it is important to understand body language as well as verbal communications. When information cannot be verbalized, employees may unknowingly attempt to communicate their concerns with body language, such as putting their head down, avoiding face to face contact, slouching and purposively going the other way. In order to effectively facilitate a conversation, there are times when you may have to initiate a conversation with another person that is unwilling to communicate. Encourage conversation with small talk, questions and remember to actively listen to what they are saying, even if it is in being said in one or two words.
Open-ended Questions
Ask questions creatively and keep them open-ended. Having effective communication among employers and employees means knowing what others are thinking and feeling. Ask questions that require a response, but try to avoid always asking business questions. For example, asking someone if they have eaten at a local restaurant and what they thought about it demands more than a simple yes or no response; it encourages the other person to communicate their thoughts and opinions.
Effective communications are essential for good business skills; however, it is important to understand that effective communication is not about talking, it is about the exchange of information between two or more people. Effective communication means that everyone involved will take something valuable away from the conversation.
About author: Hugh Milward is a human resources director. He enjoys blogging about company strategies he’s found to be successful. For more information about business solutions that work, visit Cirrus.
Vijayraj Reddy
