10 Tips for Improving Communication at Work
“Sharing is caring,” and it’s no different at the workplace than it is outside of it.
Communication is crucial for a good dynamic at work, as it is by definition about sharing information.
It’s important for people to have freedom of speech and to be heard when expressing their opinions and thoughts in order to feel valued. If you want your employees to stay for the long run and be more productive, follow the steps of big, famous companies. Invest in improving communication within your team.
However, it’s not only the employees who need to be more aware of open communication. It starts with the people who are in charge of the company. They should be the ones setting the right example.
I’m about to give you 10 tips to kick-start the process of improving communication at your workplace effectively.
1. Set up weekly or monthly 1:1s.
The most effective way to build trust is to organize weekly or monthly 1:1 meetings, depending on how big your team actually is.
As a manager, this gives you the chance to let your people open up to you in a more private setting without them feeling like a burden because they want to talk to you.
The spotlight is on them, and they know that this is the perfect chance to speak up.
It suddenly becomes possible for them to share whatever they have on their mind that they cannot deliver to you in a formal way, such as ideas, frustrations, or complaints.
These meetings are meant to build strong relationships between co-workers.
Making time for your team members is the first step to establishing trusting relationships with them. Furthermore, it’s the ideal way of staying up to date with what’s going on while providing mutual feedback to help each other grow and excel career-wise.
2. Explain why you’re asking your employee to do something.
If your team seems to be struggling when it comes to delivering results and successfully accomplishing tasks, it might be because of poor communication from the leaders.
When the bigger picture is unclear, it’s harder to work towards set goals.
It’s crucial, however, for leaders to first clearly understand said goals in order to be able to transfer the necessary information to the rest of the team.
Everything always starts at the top.
Start with why.
Explaining in a very clear and understandable way what you’re asking your employees to do can only be fully comprehensible if there is proper reasoning behind it to reinforce it.
Give your team the time needed to fully understand the bigger picture, allowing them to ask as many questions as needed and making time to further clear up the air.
It’s crucial to clarify priorities and simplify the message.
Make sure your team is aware of the impact their efforts have on the overall company, including the product, the customer, and even the world.
The employee needs to feel like their job has a bigger purpose than their daily tasks in order to really invest themselves in it and give it their all.
3. Listen and give your full attention.
Of course, being able to communicate something in an efficient way doesn’t mean you should only master talking.
A good communicator needs to learn how to listen properly and focus on the conversational partner in order for the exchange to flow smoothly back and forth.
It’s important to be totally involved in listening to really hear what the person is saying. Body language and concentration play a big role in active listening.
It might sound challenging at first, but if you genuinely engage, it’s worthwhile for both parties.
Remember to make sure there are no distractions that may break the focus and to provide a non-confrontational setting that allows enough room for being straightforward so nobody ends up making the wrong assumptions.
There is no risk of awkward silences when a noticeable effort is being put into communication.
Moreover, science has shown that quality conversations leave people feeling happier.
It’s a win-win situation no matter what, so why not have more smiling faces at your workplace?
4. Be open to reciprocal feedback.
Feedback is very important when it comes to the success of a business.
It’s the key to improving performance, motivating the members of a company, and moving forward effectively.
It’s important to understand that nobody’s perfect, and even the best employee is going to have a bad day or even a bad week eventually.
It’s very easy to go down the rabbit hole once things start going south, especially when we only see things from one perspective.
Being open to reciprocal feedback creates plenty of room for improvement and growth for both the company and its employees.
However, don’t forget to be responsible when giving constructive feedback.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that what is being said should be based solely on observations and facts, not judgement.
You should expect to get what you give in return.
Sending the message across in a humane way and giving them the chance to respond is the best way to show you value your team and want to grow with them.
You can do this by figuring out what the best process is for you and your team to share this kind of information with each other.
5. Keep workflows and processes transparent.
In order to accomplish goals in alignment with deadlines and expectations, it’s necessary to provide all the relevant information about a project so that everyone feels on board.
By keeping the workflow as transparent as possible, you avoid speading confusion and frustration.
You are all contributing to the same business, and it should therefore be normal to communicate regularly about what is going on — both the good and the bad.
The people working for your company are most likely very smart and capable (otherwise they wouldn’t be there), so don’t treat them any differently.
People are more likely to cooperate positively if they feel included in the process.
Unless we’re talking about sensitive business information, there’s no valid reason for you not to share what’s happening in the company with your team.
It builds trust and credibility.
6. Use modern tools to improve communication.
One of the biggest benefits of the current era is that technology has developed to the point where it has the power to make everyday tasks easier.
When it comes to internal communication at work, there are plenty of practical tools available that can ease the process.
Depending on the needs, having the right tools, intentions, and habits plays a huge role in successful communication.
It’s important to make sure your team still feels connected outside of the workplace.
Being able to keep in touch with colleagues anywhere and at any time significantly improves team communication.
However, as useful as these tools can be, by choosing the wrong ones, you might end up hurting the business rather than improving it.
Setting up clear rules and boundaries when using any communication tool is a good idea.
Each individual has a different style of interpretation, so unless you critically explain the use of the tool you’re introducing, everyone will end up using it differently.
Your team should know when it is time to work and when to play, and to keep the formality when it comes to important matters.
7. Create a communication-friendly culture.
The external success of a company comes from effective internal communication.
Aligning employee behaviours and company policies with the goals of the business creates the healthiest form of workplace culture.
Including communication in the culture itself and encouraging its practice builds a more unified environment.
This small addition can have a huge impact on overall productivity and employee satisfaction, and once it becomes incorporated into the culture of the company, you won’t have to push it anymore.
It’s going to cohesively secure and automatically promote all of your other efforts when it comes to improving communication.
Your team should feel comfortable from day one and be aware that, regardless of what they are used to, speaking up is considered a value and that important issues should always be addressed.
8. Have an “open door” policy.
Letting the members of your team know that they can and should approach you whenever it is needed is of extreme importance in order to reinforce established relationships and promote fairness.
Motivating employees to have open and honest conversations without feeling the need to sugarcoat things just because they’re talking to someone in a higher position sets the tone for the overall communication style of the company.
That should primarily eliminate any existing barriers between levels of management.
This kind of approach is very useful when it comes to shutting down rumours and false information.
It should be made known that there is only one place where one can get the truth they are seeking: the manager’s office.
A company shouldn’t have a mysterious and secretive feel, especially with regard to its employees.
Giving them the right to ask questions and seek explanations is fundamental to improving the overall environment.
9. Share news via an internal newsletter.
Another practical way of effectively communicating what is going on in the company is to send out periodical internal newsletters with the purpose of updating all the employees on both bigger and smaller happenings, as well as the industry’s changes.
Depending on how your company is structured and operates, it’s important to figure out the best way to deliver those messages in order to give them the importance they deserve.
By practicing sending newsletters that deliver quality information, you can make your employees feel more valued.
It’s beneficial for both the success of the company and the happiness of its employees.
10. Do fun stuff to boost morale.
Team building has become an essential activity that must be included in a company with the purpose of strengthening the bond of an existing team and increasing its effectiveness in the workplace.
Any fun activity that is going to bring people closer together and give them a chance to get to know each other is worth organizing, as it is going to bring amazing results in the long run.
After all, a team spends so many hours together in the workplace that changing the scenario once in a while to a more social and relaxed atmosphere can be truly rewarding as it eliminates the boundaries that the work environment sets.
Who said encouraging people to communicate better and work together had to be boring?
You can get as creative as you want here, so start planning your next team-building activity!
Sharing is Caring
Effective communication has a noticeable weight to it, and it should not be taken for granted but rather used to its full potential.
Remember that it’s the employees who build a great company, and they should be valued for it.
By taking care of your people, you’re taking care of everything else.
To encourage, listen, and give back, apply these 10 tips and communicate your way to success!
Thanks for reading until the end! I hope there was something useful in it for you. Enjoyed my article? Recommend me by clicking the clap icon below, and feel free to leave constructive criticism or your own opinion on the topic.
