If you want a successful career, effective communication is critical. Good workplace communication can help improve teamwork and collaboration, mitigate conflicts by reducing the chances of misunderstanding and provide emotional support for every team member.
By becoming a better communicator, you will build better relationships with your employees, colleagues and clients. Other than boosting engagement, good communication can boost team buy-in and encourage creative thinking.
How to Set Up an Effective Business Communication Process
Adapt the message to your audience
One of the first things you should do for effective communication is learn how to adapt your communication (style and messaging) for different audiences. If you’re talking to your safety team about a new policy, they’re probably already aware of the problem, so you can get deeper into the weeds of execution details. But when you roll out the same policy to frontline employees, adjust your message. Most likely, you’ll take a broader approach. Explain the purpose of the policy and how it should be physically carried out in their day-to-day.
The same is true for any situation. You would address a group of kindergartners, tech entrepreneurs, cattle farmers and fitness professionals differently based on the topic, what you’re trying to convey and where the discussion is taking place.
Prepare for the message delivery
How are you standing? Is your body language open and inviting? Are you making lots of eye contact or looking at a screen?
Before any communication, whether it’s a one-on-one meeting or a major speech, prepare yourself. You might spend a few minutes taking deep breaths before a presentation or review a meeting agenda before a huddle.
Be authentic as you communicate
According to a post from Quantified Communications, authentic leaders are 50% more passionate, with messages that are 29% clearer. They exude warmth and openness. When talking to colleagues and subordinates, they have a sense of immediacy and are fully present in the conversation.
People also want to work more with authentic leaders and communicators. Being trustworthy and reliable ultimately makes your job easier because people will want to collaborate with you.
Be enthusiastic and engaged when speaking
People are more receptive to positive stimuli. Smiling and showing your enthusiasm are top strategies for better communication. By using these techniques, you make people more likely to listen to you and buy into what you’re saying.
Manage nonverbal signals to control the message
According to body language researcher Albert Mehrabian, 55% of communication is nonverbal and 38% is vocal, and only 7% consists of spoken words.
This means it’s incredibly important to manage your nonverbal signals. If you’re constantly glancing at the clock with your feet pointed toward the door, your audience will think you aren’t interested in the conversation. For better communication, your nonverbal signals and spoken words must be in sync.
Practice active listening when people respond to you
Active listening isn’t just hearing what someone says. It involves showing your engagement with the discussion by asking questions and caring about what they say. By being an active listener, you demonstrate your interest in the other person’s message and build a stronger relationship with them. It also helps you remember details from the conversation.
Do you know those people who never forget a name? They’re probably active listeners. One tactic is repeating the person’s name back to them during an introduction. But you can also do this on projects by repeating directions or rephrasing what someone has said to make sure you fully understand. Nodding, making eye contact and leaning forward also show you’re engaged.
Ask for feedback from team members
One of the most effective and efficient ways to improve your communication is to ask for feedback. After all, most of us learn and grow through change.
Start by creating a process for giving feedback. This could be a brief, post-meeting survey or an in-person discussion. Also, implement an open-door policy so employees feel like they can approach you with any of their problems.
Probe for understanding to confirm you’re being heard
Asking questions shows the speaker how engaged you are in the conversation. It also gives you more information and a natural opportunity to practice active listening.
Handle conflicts respectfully
You won’t always agree with your team members, bosses and subordinates. Even if you won’t see eye to eye on everything, you do need to communicate in a respectful way if you want to keep your working relationship going. As a general rule, never say anything in anger you would want to take back once you calm down.
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