Communication in all aspects of our lives is important, but in the workplace having proper communication skills allows for building relationships with coworkers and the overall organization, permitting increased productivity, defusing negative conflict, and meeting teams goals effectively.
Why is communication so essential in the workplace?
Communication more often than not, boosts employee morale because employees feel that they can trust themselves, others, and the companies they work for to be open and honest with them. Open communication combined with exceptional morale makes way for increased productivity and satisfaction, better team collaboration and cooperation, and overall growth for all parties involved.
Currently in Ukraine, businesses and employees are working together to solve conflict in their own workplace even in the midst of working within a conflict zone. We can all take some lessons from how they are continuing to strive even in the face of adversity.
How can I better improve my own communication skills in the office?
We’ve all been there: we see signs of poor communication on our end and don’t know how to make it better, or we are trying to understand how to communicate certain information to certain people. Try asking yourself the following questions when it comes to communicating at your job:
- Am I following up with others?: Check-ins are essential to any form of open communication; they allow for consistent feedback where all parties are on the same page. While these check-ins don’t have to be frequent, it is necessary to perform them every once in a while in order to encourage collaboration.
- If you are an employer, are you implementing an open door policy?: For many people, communication cannot be achieved if they don’t feel comfortable or if they don’t trust the other person enough. Are you ensuring as a supervisor that your employees feel comfortable bringing anything to management? While there are certain boundaries to set when it comes to what is and isn’t appropriate to share in the workplace, are you making sure to communicate to your employees that sharing concerns or questions with management is a judgment-free process?
- Are you making an attempt to meet face-to-face with others?: Quick, effortless communication can be achieved via email or text message, and it often gets the best of us: we either don’t want to have certain conversations in person or find ourselves too busy to make time for excess human interactions. However, setting aside time to interact with others while discussing projects, tasks, and overall organization helps to get everyone’s voice heard and build relationships
- Are you attempting, as either an employer or employee, to build a sense of community?: This can be done in several ways, including not leaving anyone out of important conversations, creating newsletters or online docs that everyone can view and contribute to, and celebrating each department’s successes and achievements
- Are you being self-aware of both how you communicate and how you receive communication from others?: Recognizing your triggers and emotional responses to stress, including stress from any conversation, is a crucial component of this
- Are you communicating empathetically?: Sometimes when we have conversations we may say the wrong thing or misunderstand part of what another person is trying to tell us because we are not listening with empathy. Listening and communicating with empathy requires imagining what the other person might be experiencing even if you may not know what it feels like yourself
- Are you listening with curiosity?: Conversations and projects easily die out when we don’t put in the effort. Try asking open-ended questions to connect and engage
Communicating validation in the workplace looks like the following:
- “You’re doing great work and I recognize that you are a great resource to our team”
- “I am confident in the fact that you are capable and driven; and I have no doubt that you will continue to be successful in your role”
- “It is my goal to ensure you are empowered to do your best work here. How else can I ensure you are your most successful self?”
Checklist for being an accountable communicator:
- Set clear expectations from the start
- Follow through with your commitments
- Be clear and concise in your communication
- Take responsibility for your communication
- Be open to feedback
Business teams that invest in growing productive communication are more likely to experience long-term growth in the areas of engagement, higher productivity, and low negative conflict. Be the part of your organization that brings forward movement, not backwards.
Email: info@centerforworklifecounseling.com
Website: https://centerforworklifecounseling.com
Phone: (321) 758-5161
