10 Effective Ways To Communicate In The Workplace
Communication is a very important aspect of any organization because it forms the basis of any work environment. Whether we’re talking about vertical communications between senior and junior employees or horizontal communication between team players, communicating effectively fosters good relations at the workplace. On the other hand, when there is a lack of good communication, there is often a high turnover of employees. You might also see poor work delivery and generally unsatisfactory results.
Here are a few tips to foster effective communication in the workplace.
Establish An Open Door Policy
This is a situation where team leaders make themselves available for consultations, discussions, inputs, contributions, clarifications, and even suggestions. When employees feel that they are always welcome to share what is on their minds, it helps to clear tension. Tension at the workplace leads to poor work delivery.
Conduct Open Meetings
This is a one-on-one kind of meeting unlike when meetings are held at online platforms or communication is done through email. This way, one is able to use other tools of communication such as gestures, facial expressions, tonal variation, and body language to put emphasis on important issues of discussion.
Use Simple Words
Choosing the right words to express a certain point is also important because the meaning could be lost in between. Some words when used in a certain context can easily come across as being offensive. Words used in communication must be simple and easy to understand. If you use hard and complex language you might need to explain yourself and in the process loose meaning during communication.
Listen
Listening is also a very important aspect when communicating. This is because communication is a two-way street. Encourage the team players to open up and air out their concerns. Ask questions. Ask for clarification if necessary. This way, everyone can offer some guidance and also feedback about whether you are making your point or not.
Use Visual Aids
The human mind is more visual and so things seen are more easily remembered than things said. That’s one reason why PowerPoint presentations are so effective. Add tables, images, charts, and graphs. This way your presentation is not boring and it is broken down into small portions for easy understanding.
Be Articulate
This a very important tool used by speakers. If you are not articulate, you end up losing your audience’s concentration and thus you fail to communicate effectively. Articulate simply means audibility, a good mastery of the language, and even a good understanding of the topic of discussion.
Encourage Modern Forms Of Communication
Depending on the information being presented, modern forms of communications such as the use of the intranet, social media platforms, and video conferencing may prove to be more effective than simple open meetings. Some employees would prefer discussions about certain issues to take place on social media platforms. This is also a way of encouraging interaction between employees, which is very important.
Organize And Participate In Social Events
Celebrate important occasions in the organization once in a while by sponsoring employee retreats, end-year parties, team building, and even employee promotions. This could be a good way to reward all employees across the board and also motivate individual employees to work harder in their stations. It offers a good change of pace and provides valuable time to rest and rejuvenate so as to improve productivity.
Orient New Employees
In order to ensure that new employees fit in properly, it is very important to take them through the basic structures of your organization. Introduce them to the other employees and also ensure that they are aware of the communication channels in place. The first day of work can be hectic for anyone. With effective communication, use of friendly gestures, and hospitality, the employer can make a new employee have an easy time settling into their new position. It’s not possible to take new employees through all there is to know about your organization. Be sure to make all your internal training documents available so they can read through these in their spare time. This will make it easier for them to adopt the organization’s culture and within no time they will become effective team players.
Assess Your Internal Communication Strategy
This can be achieved by seeking feedback from the employees. Ask them to forward their suggestions on how to improve the communication strategies in place. Employees know what’s going on at the grassroots level. They may be able to share a fresh point of view.
Conclusion
It is not possible to achieve 100% efficiency when it comes to communication in the workplace. This is simply because of various barriers such as cultural differences, languages, socio-economic differences, and many other obstacles. However, there are some important ways we can all improve the way we communicate with others.