Good communication is a fundamental element to business success because is one of the best ways to ensure everyone in your team understands what is expected of them. It isn’t just about mitigating conflicts or sorting problems; good communication is also an important factor in client relationships, productivity, team effectiveness, and employee engagement.
When communication isn’t working appropriately, confusion, frustration and a lack of trust can arise among different levels of the organisation. Nevertheless, there are many ways you can improve communication in the workplace, some of them focus on creating an environment that allows people to communicate more openly while others involve improving communication skills and use adequate tools.
In this post, we share 7 actionable tips for you to improve communication in the workplace.
- Create a safe space for your team to communicate
It is essential to create an environment where people feel comfortable expressing their opinions and asking questions. An atmosphere that encourages communication on a regular basis offers the team a message of transparency which is an important concept for building trust. Building your team the physical and mental space to create and collaborate is very important to improve communication in the workplace.
- Build the team spirit
Team spirit in the workplace can have powerful effects on employees. This not only about giving everyone the opportunity to get to know each other better, but also about generating an environment where everyone feels they have a relevant role.
A report by AON indicates that when communication improves, employee engagement also increases. If employees are engaged, they speak more positively about the organization, they stay longer and they feel more motivated within their job role.
- Ask for your employee’s feedback
Communication is a two-way activity which means you should ask for feedback on your ideas and plans to give other people a chance to speak out. Nevermind the means you use to communicate, always request your employees to share their thoughts and get involved into the discussions. You can provide your team the chance to submit feedback anonymously using tools like DataScope to collect employee feedback on a regular basis.
- Schedule weekly team meetings
These are the perfect occasion for people to share their goals for the week, their current challenges and to find out what other people in the team are working on. Weekly meeting can lead to greater transparency and more opportunities for collaboration within the organization. They are also a good chance for managers to announce new projects, progress on current tasks and anything else that might be relevant for the company. At the end of each meeting, you should have a Q&A section where people can ask questions and vocalize their concerns.
- Make regular 1-to-1 meetings
These meetings will allow some people to speak their mind in a more private environment. They are great to focus on ongoing priorities, to set goals and find out if your team has enough time and resources to accomplish their goals. It’s also relevant to create space for people to voice their concerns and share ideas that could be valuable for the team and the organization.
- Get to know people on a personal level
Communication isn’t only about making sure the right people in the organisation have the right information to do the job; it’s about being able to connect with them. Get to know your team is essential to improve communication in the workplace. It can be as simple as asking about their weekend, remembering their partner’s name or finding a few common interests that you can talk about when the conversation isn’t focused purely on a work-related issue. Spending time with your colleagues and employees outside of a work environment can result in a more honest communication and might help to make the work environment more enjoyable.
- Incorporate mobile technologies
At present, more people are using smartphones and tablets for everything. Mobile technologies are becoming essential tools in the workplace and can keep a workforce in touch with each other even if workers are mobile. Apps can be great for collaboration to enable discussions, interactions, bonds and to share great ideas between employees.
Trying to improve workplace communication within your organization is a time-consuming activity that requires an environment where people feel comfortable enough to express what they are thinking. Effective communication in the workplace is a foundation for success, both for your company and overall employee happiness. What are you doing right now to improve communication at work?
DataScope is a platform which allows various industries to streamline, organize and evaluate the work of their field staffs thanks to online forms which provide real time indicators 100% adaptable to any field.
