Good communication is key to good business. Understand why effective workplace communication is crucial, with practical tips to help boost productivity.
Good business communication is essential to the success of any company. It helps your team work more effectively together and strengthens relationships with customers and suppliers. The right technology and tools can help a lot, but it’s important to start with the basics to support strong communication in your business.
In this article, we’ll discuss what effective communication in the workplace looks like. We’ll also share some practical tips on how to help improve your business communication.
Poor business communication can have real consequences. In fact, 86% of employees believe that poor communication is the main cause of workplace failures. That’s according to Expert Market.
Ineffective communication can be the result of many different things. It could be that instructions aren’t clear enough. Or perhaps not enough information was provided for the person receiving the message to fully understand. Sometimes the content is delivered but not in the best way for the audience to really get the message.
Have you ever held a meeting where an instant message could have been more efficient? Or received an email where a call would have got the message across more clearly? In a world with more communication tools than ever before, considering the fundamentals of good communication is more important than ever.
Simply put, a considered approach to getting workplace communications right can help your business run more smoothly.
Whatever the reason behind it, poor business communication can cause multiple problems. Let’s explore some below.
If your employees feel unheard, they may feel unmotivated. 41% of employees say that poor communication lowers their productivity. That’s according to the State of Business Communication report by Grammarly.
Miscommunications with customers could result in damaged relationships or lost sales.
Unclear expectations may cause frustration amongst your staff. A report from Grammarly revealed that that 51% of employees think poor communication increased their stress levels at work.
Your team could waste time looking for answers instead of taking action.
Proactively investing in an approach to ensure strong business communication offers some important advantages.
Effective workplace communication can help everyone understand their tasks and expectations. This can help reduce confusion and disagreements among your staff.
When your employees feel that their voice is heard, it can help them feel more motivated and committed to their job. Expert Market research shows that engaged employees are nearly five times more likely to do their best work.
Clear and effective communication with customers and partners can help build trust. This might lead to long-term partnerships and other benefits like better deals. Companies with good business communication practices are over three times more likely to outperform their competitors. That’s according to research by TeamStage.
When team members can share information clearly, they can collaborate more smoothly. This reduces mistakes and helps projects run on time. 72% of business leaders believe that effective communication has increased their team’s productivity, according to the State of Business Communication report.
Learn how to achieve collaboration in the workplace
Business communication comes in many forms. Some of the dimensions to consider are:
Considering different forms of communication and how you might use them can help you communicate more effectively to reap the rewards. Let’s explore some examples.
Verbal communication via short regular group meetings can help small, project-focused teams stay on track, sustain momentum and remove blockers quickly. This approach can also be useful to help build team rapport and culture.
Verbal communication via a private one to one meeting can be useful for discussing sensitive topics. They can be an important way to help build trust when coaching team members or dealing with difficult issues.
In conversations and meetings, body language and tone of voice can be important in conveying meaning or showing respect. Simply maintaining eye contact and nodding while listening can show attentiveness and respect.
With many interactions happening via digital tools rather than face to face in real life, it’s worth considering how to support effective non-verbal communication on digital channels.
Sometimes it might be important to have your cameras switched on to add an element of non-verbal communication to your interaction. Other times you might be comfortable for you and your team to stay off screen.
Reactions options that are available in video conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams can also help add an extra non-verbal layer when you’re communicating digitally. You might suggest your team could use thumbs-up, applause or heart emojis as signs of engagement or encouragement on video calls.
Writing can take more time and effort than talking. Yet, it can also help to clarify thoughts and summarise discussions. For example, detailed meeting notes can help team members understand next steps or their tasks.
For more time critical communications, using an instant messaging platform can be a good way to share short updates or answer simple questions. This can help solve problems quickly and keep projects on track.
Where you’re dealing with something that requires more detail, email may be a more appropriate channel. If it’s urgent, you can still use instant messaging to alert the recipient of the issue so they can prioritise your message in their inbox.
Here are some practical ideas to help you and your team communicate effectively in the workplace.
Help your staff feel safe to share their thoughts and concerns. Hold regular meetings to discuss progress and address any issues. This could lead to new ideas and contributions from employees. It can also prevent small issues from becoming big problems.
Encourage your employees to practise good personal communication. This includes being aware of non-verbal cues, such as eye contact and tone of voice.
Offer training sessions to help your team develop better business communication skills. These could be about active listening, clear writing or even effective public speaking.
Learn how to upskill your team on a budget
Business communications can involve sharing information and data that may relate to your business, employees and/or customers. This information or data can be sensitive. It’s important to think about what you’re doing to help keep communications secure.
Start by reviewing the basics of cyber security.
In today’s digital age, it’s easier to communicate than ever. People use a range of digital tools to communicate these days. Choosing the right tools for the right task can be an important part of ensuring effective communication across your business.
Business phone systems come in many different forms. A simple fixed landline could make sense for you, or you might be a mobile-first business. Today’s cloud calling and unified communications solutions combine the benefits of different phone platforms to help you communicate in a flexible and efficient way.
Spend time exploring business phone systems to choose the option that’s best for you.
Choosing the right collaboration platform can help make it easier to switch between communication options. This can make it smoother to adjust how you communicate based on what you’re trying to achieve and how you need your message to land.
AI-enabled tools can help you find efficiencies and unlock better workplace communication. For example, if you find it a challenge to carve out time to develop notes to circulate after your meetings, AI tools can help transcribe your meetings and identify clear actions. They can also help you sharpen other written communication such as your emails.
Explore more ways AI can help boost productivity in your business.
No matter what technology you use, the basics of good communication still matter. It’s important to be clear on what message you want to convey and consider your audience needs, whether you’re in a meeting or sending a quick message.
Good business communication isn’t just a soft skill. It’s a business growth strategy. It can help boost your team’s productivity and job satisfaction. It can also help you build stronger relationships with customers and suppliers.
The right tools help you and your employees stay connected. If you’d like to discuss solutions to help your team collaborate and keep your business running smoothly, request a call back from your local Telstra Business Technology Centre. We can help you find the right mobile services, business internet plans, communications and collaboration solutions, cyber security solutions and more.
Small changes can lead to big benefits. Start improving your business communication today and see how your employees and customers respond tomorrow. It could be a win-win for everyone.
Request a callback from a Technology Centre and we’ll be in touch to discuss your needs.
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