Friday, March 29, 2024

The Importance of Good Workplace Communication

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The Power of Good Communication

Communication is the process of passing information from one person to another and vice versa.

It also educates people. The communication may be written or oral, formal, informal, and upward, downward, horizontal, diagonal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, interdepartmental, intra-organizational.

Great communicators are mindful that nonverbal communication speaks louder than verbal communication. They listen with their eyes and ears, pay attention to people’s posture, hand movements, and eye contact because these also can signal very powerful messages.

Good communication is an essential part of everyone’s daily existence. As soon as we wake up, we start taking the responsibility of making sure that we send the right messages to the friends we text or to the people inside our house. Good communication can define a productive and meaningful day.

Once we are at work, good communication is even more important and crucial to sustain. We get to deal with more people who have unpredictable moods for the day- some came to work upbeat, some grumpy, some clueless, some came prepared, and some are just ready for anything. We are faced with the challenge of communicating what are in our minds without being misunderstood. In short, we simply want to maintain a healthy and harmonious relationship with our bosses, workmates and clients while accomplishing our tasks for the day.

What is a good communication at work?

In an organization communication facilitates the smooth flow of information and understanding between different people and departments through different media using all the channels and networks. This flow of information is vital for managerial effectiveness and decision making in general and for human resource manager in particular as he has to be in contact with the managers of various departments, employees and workers and trade union leaders.

Research shows that businesses who communicate effectively are 50% more likely to have low employee turnover rates. This is why developing strong communication skills has become one of the leaders’ top priorities. In the corporate world, many employers believe that proper internal communications can significantly increase employees’ productivity

Although communication itself seems easy and manageable, no matter how we rehearsed what we are about to say, there is always that chance of being misunderstood by the receiver of the message. It can cause conflicts and frustrations in personal or professional life in relations with other people.

Developing Strong Communication Skills Is the Key 

According to the blog by smarp.com, Successful communication can deepen relations in personal life or professional life. In personal life, they can help us understand better people and situations that happen on a daily basis.

Effective communication can impact the following at the workplace:

  1. Better response from all stakeholders
  2. Quick problem solving
  3. Strong Decision Making
  4. More productivity
  5. Consistence in the work flow
  6. Strong business relation
  7. Better control
  8. Advanced professional image

The Power of Strong Communication Skills in the Workplace

With strong communication skills, you can clearly impact your business. Great communicators are the ones who bring solutions, drive change, motivate and inspire their colleagues. 

By improving communication skills, we can improve  employee engagement, teamwork, decision-making, and interdepartmental communication in the workplace.

This makes communication skills as the most demanded soft skills that employers are looking for in their employees. 

Top 10 Most In- Demand Soft Skills

(source: https://blog.smarp.com)

Managers have to possess good communication skills to enable them to receive and send negative or heavy messages without causing hurt, disorder and disruption of trust. This is important so employees stay motivated and engaged. 

Employees today wants to be informed in every aspect of the business. They do not want to be left behind with the important details that concerns their contributions to the company.

Therefore, employers need to have a well-set strategy about how to keep their employees informed and engaged

They expect from the leaders to communicate regularly their expected targets or goals. This can be in a form of emails, regular meetings, office bulletin, or daily updates flash through the convenience of the office’s free digital signage.  Employees expect continuous feedback on their work, as well as easy access to these important pieces of information. With the rise of technology, companies can aid in paperless campaign. They can take advantage of free digital signage software to minimize clutter in the office. This innovation can also promote a smooth way of communication between the employer and an organized workflow in the workplace.

5 Effective Communication Skills

With constant practice you can be on your way to a great communicator. Below are five effective communication skills enumerated by www.tuw.edu.

1.Being able to listen to others is imperative in the communication process. This means not only listening with your ears but also being able to comprehend what the person is saying.

2. Having empathy is very useful in communication. Empathy involves seeing things from the point of view of others. Put yourself in the other person’s position instead of being judgmental or biased by your own beliefs.

3. Encouraging others will heighten morale and appreciation in the workplace. By praising and offering words of encouragement, you help others feel they are wanted, welcomed and respected by co-workers.

4. Being aware of others and their emotions mean being sympathetic to misfortunes and praising positive milestones. Getting to know co-workers on a first-name basis and holding meaningful conversations through the work week creates a better and more productive work environment.

5. Body language can greatly impact how others perceive you in the workplace. Be sure to maintain eye contact the majority of the time you are speaking with someone, and use hand gestures to help you form clearer thoughts. Smiling is incredibly dynamic and creates a noticeable difference in how you are perceived. People who smile more are seen as more approachable and trustworthy.

Just like any other skills, it takes a lot of practice, time and effort to develop these skills and become a successful speaker. The more effort and practice, the more one will possess good communication skills. These skills become a part of who you are. Eventually, you become more spontaneous and more instinctive both in verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.

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