In recent years, most people have become more aware of the importance of adequate communication in creating successful relationships. However, this doesn’t only apply to personal connections and is just as true for professional ones.
There are many qualities that make someone a skilled communicator, from the well-known ones, including being a good listener and remaining polite and friendly, as well as some characteristics you might not associate with adequate communication immediately, including confidence, empathy and observance.
Creating the perfect workplace communication is a complex endeavor because there are so many different personalities you have to interact with. The relationship dynamics are also different compared to the ones within your family or friend group, and there are other challenges you must tackle.
While all workplaces are different and communication must be tailored to an individual’s specific needs, a few characteristics define good communication regardless of the industry or business niche in which you operate.
Remain Concise
A large part of communication isn’t about what is said but rather the way in which it is said. The words you choose are critical, and, as a general rule, you should seek to remain as clear and straightforward as possible. Whether you’re communicating verbally or in writing, brevity remains vital since it means there’s a reduced likelihood you’ll be misunderstood, or your words will be left open to interpretation.
Before you communicate anything, it’s essential to consider your audience. Doing so will enable you to transmit your message in the best possible way. Include all the necessary information, and eliminate any irrelevant details that will detract from the main point of the conversation. Make sure you don’t repeat yourself too much. Doing so frequently will cause your audience to be much less attentive than you’d want them to be.
The Right Tools
Technology is constantly changing the business landscape, making everything more efficient. Netpresenter helps streamline employee communication which can support an organization in several ways, such as during an acquisition or merger, leadership changes, if there’s a system outage, and even during emergencies. Keeping the employees informed at all times helps keep them safe, as well as more productive and actively engaged in business procedures.
Strategically using apps for communication means utilizing a tool that can be employed throughout your company. Choose a platform that uses employee feedback to help organizations be more successful and evolve.
These solutions have been created with the knowledge that communication is the core of company information. As a result, you can use an application that sends any announcements, newsfeeds and internal reports directly to your employees’ devices, regardless of where they are.
Nonverbal Communication
Part of the reason optimal communication is so difficult to achieve is because it entails so much more than simple, spoken utterances. Body language can and often does say more than words ever could.
Depending on your behavior or mannerisms, some people can establish whether you’re being truthful or not and if you’re angry, calm, apprehensive or confused. Research indicates that body language could have over 90% more impact in a conversation than what you’re saying.
When you have a conversation with one of your employees, you might be able to find out a lot more from the nonverbal cues than from the words they use. This is particularly important, for example, for team members unwilling or anxious to voice any disagreement they might have for fear of being rebuked. Their discomfort can be easily visible because they might keep their arms folded and their eyes lowered. By paying attention to these nonverbal signals, you can better understand your team members’ unspoken concerns and thoughts, enabling you to address any issues and build stronger relationships based on trust and understanding. Effective conflict resolution strategies such as active listening, empathy, and finding common ground can significantly resolve value conflicts. Encouraging open dialogue, facilitating constructive discussions, and promoting mutual understanding are essential ways to resolve value conflicts and promote a harmonious work environment.
To make nonverbal communication work in your favor, you must first become aware of its impact. This can be difficult to achieve sometimes, as a lot of body language actually happens subconsciously and can therefore be challenging to control. However, its significance cannot be underestimated.
At best, a conflict between your verbal and nonverbal messages can cause mild confusion among your employees. At worst, it can directly impact your team’s confidence and the trust they’re placed in both you and the company.
Manage Your Tone
The way in which you say something carries a lot of weight. Depending on how you use it, you can either add emphasis to your message or undermine yourself.
Perhaps the most important situation in which you have to be mindful of your tone is when you have to mediate conflicts. Being aware of how your voice sounds to the other person and adjusting it if necessary is very important, particularly if you feel that your message hasn’t come across as intended.
Having a tone that’s too strong can lead to the belief that you’re trying to impose your will and beliefs by any means necessary and to the detriment of others, which impacts the overall wellness of those involved in the conversation.
When it comes to written communication, the tone might be easier to control, but you should be careful in this regard as well. To make sure, you might want to read the whole thing aloud or even ask someone else for their opinion. That is, of course, if doing so wouldn’t be a confidentiality breach.
Emotional Intelligence
Becoming a better communicator is impossible without first improving your emotional intelligence. While a neglected aspect for a long time, employers have begun to acknowledge its importance within the workspace and its potential to build a solid foundation on which better teamwork can develop.
The reason why emotional intelligence is so important is that understanding both your personal feelings as well as those of the people around you enables the development of more conscious choices about what you say, as well as how and when you say it.
It allows you to become more sensitive to the needs of others and be an active listener. While this skill doesn’t necessarily come naturally, it can be learned and mastered. There are several courses out there that can help you, and you might even take them together with your team. Learning new skills together will be an overall empowering experience.
Creating a better space for communication within your business can be challenging, but when you use the right tools, it becomes much easier to achieve.
