No matter what industry you work within, good communication between employees is integral to your success. This is because good communication often translates into improved workflow, efficiency and productivity. It also promotes teamwork and creates a more positive working atmosphere.
On the other hand, communication breakdowns result in poor workplace relationships and performance. For example, “86% of employees and executives cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main causes for workplace failures.”
With that in mind, here are some simple ways in which you can improve communication throughout the workplace and improve your business performance.
Embrace technology. There’s no denying that technology has dramatically changed the way in which we communicate in our personal lives. However, it can also be instrumental in widening communication in the workplace, particularly if a large percentage of your workforce is remote. For example, you can use the Dynamics 365 All Channel Solution to allow for “fast, smart, compliant connects via voice, video, chat SMS and fax”. To find out more, reach out to the D365 Contact Center.
Embrace different styles of communication. In an ideal world, we’d all adopt the same style of communication. After all, this would eliminate miscommunications and allow for things to run smoothly every day. However, the reality is we all communicate in slightly different ways. As a result, you should work to understand the different styles of workplace communication so that you’re able to adapt your practices depending on who you are working with.
Host regular one-to-ones with your employees. One-to-one meetings with your employees are instrumental in improving communication across the board, due to the simple fact that they enable you to develop a better working relationship with each other. It will also give them the opportunity to freely voice any concerns they may be dealing with so that you’re able to make necessary changes. Furthermore, getting to know your employees in this way will also help when it comes to attracting and keeping the best recruits as they feel as though their contributions, thoughts and opinions are valued.
Work on listening skills. As a business owner, it’s important that you teach your employees the importance of speaking up and using their voices in the workplace. However, it’s equally crucial that they learn to listen – whether they’re being given specific instructions or working to solve a complex problem. One way in which you can achieve this goal is by ensuring that every member of the team works to improve their active listening skills. This is a topic that can be touched upon in both onboarding and ongoing training sessions.
Figure out the cause of miscommunications. While employees may enter the conversation with the best of intentions, it’s easy for miscommunication to occur. When this occurs, it’s crucial that you get to the route of this issue – figuring out what went wrong so that you’re able to avoid this situation in the future. For example, a communication error could be based on the fact that employees are overworked, meaning their conversations are rushed.