We all know that workplace communication needs to be top notch in order for a business to flourish. When communication is unclear and messy, it leads to major problems and even conflicts between employees.
Even the world’s best communicators and public speakers are always looking to improve and that means learning how to improve communication skills in the workplace should be high up on everyone’s development list.
Check out this video for a few ideas on how you can do exactly that.
There are certain ingredients that need to go into the mix when looking to improve your communication. Let’s explore 7 must-haves for effective communication skills in the workplace and beyond.
- Listening - Communication isn’t just about speaking, it’s also about being able to listen to what someone else is saying and also read between the lines, looking at their body language and listening to their tone of voice and speed of speech too. Nonverbal cues are just as important as the verbal ones.
- Clarity - You need to choose the right words to explain your meaning in a way which is clear to the person you’re speaking to. A lack of clarity leads to misunderstandings.
- Understanding - You have to understand that your view isn’t the only one, that your point isn’t the most important all the time, and that other people have a right to speak too. Understanding also means being able to put yourself into the shoes of someone else when you’re listening to what they’re saying to you and use empathy in your response. This is particularly important when speaking to customers and clients.
- Respect - This is key. When speaking to someone, and especially when collaborating as a group around the modern boardroom tables, you need to respect other people and allow them to speak. Don’t interrupt, don’t speak over people, and don’t belittle their contributions or views.
- Knowledge - You need to know what you’re talking about and have a clear understanding of it, otherwise how can you explain it properly to someone else?
- Patience - If you’re busy, if you have a huge amount of work to do at your office desk, you might be impatient and try and rush your colleague through whatever they’re staying, pleading with the to just ‘get to the point’. That’s not only rude but it’s also going to lead to misunderstandings and problems. Have patience when you’re communicating.
- Curiosity - A good communicator asks questions. By doing this, you get more out of the other person and this could lead to some interesting creative ideas and solutions.
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These 7 key ingredients make up the recipe for effective and high quality communication. They also ensure that office conflicts are reduced, and that your employees aren’t feeling disengaged from their work, simply because they’re constantly being misunderstood, they’re surrounded by arguments, and nobody has the time to listen to them.