Importance of effective communication strategies

Communication is essential when collaborating with colleagues, interacting with clients and doing almost anything in business. Improving communication can help your company in many ways. Here are some reasons why effective communication strategies in business are important:

• Employees are more productive when they have all the necessary information in a clear, concise format.
• All employees receive the information they need to do their jobs correctly and to meet deadlines.
• Collaboration improves because employees bounce ideas off one another and build off each other’s thoughts and experiences.
• Employees can better handle conflict when they know how to communicate their ideas and listen to their peers to create a solution.
• Effectively sharing ideas can enhance creativity and innovation, which can help grow your business.
• The company culture improves because people feel heard and know what’s happening.
• Relationships between employees and with clients are strengthened.

1. Offer transparency

Being transparent with your employees is one of the most effective communication strategies you can use. Keeping information from employees or failing to communicate regularly can make them worry that something is wrong. They’ll start filling in the blanks and drawing conclusions, which can lead to growing rumors.

Sharing openly shows your employees that you trust them with the truth. Building trust with your employees can grow loyalty and reduce turnover while creating a more positive work environment. Your employees may also be more likely to share openly with you in return.

2. Use active listening

Learning how to put your thoughts into words and share them clearly is only one part of effective communication. You also need to learn how to tune in to what others are saying through active listening. Many people hear the words others say, but they don’t listen for the message. They listen only enough to form a rebuttal, or they get distracted by other things and don’t absorb what the person is trying to say.

When talking with someone, eliminate distractions so you can focus on what they’re saying. That might mean putting your phone down or moving to a quieter location. Maintain eye contact with the other person and listen to what they’re saying. Avoid jumping to conclusions or judging, and don’t start formulating a response in your head while the other person is still talking.

With email communication, read the message slowly and carefully instead of skimming. Reread the message as necessary. Give yourself time to absorb the message and fully understand what it’s saying.

3. Clarify what you hear

Another component of active listening is clarifying the information that you hear. You might interpret the message differently than the person intended. By clarifying, you can ensure you understand them correctly.

One option is to restate what you heard back to the person. Phrase it in your own words to ensure you fully understand what’s being said. This opens up more dialogue and gives the other person an opportunity to reword it and help you understand.

Asking questions can also be helpful, especially if you know you don’t fully understand the information. Be specific with your questions to express where you’re confused.

4. Choose appropriate communication channels

Using multiple communication channels helps you share necessary information clearly and effectively. Some information is best shared in person while other things are more efficient when sent as an email. Sending the same information via multiple methods ensures employees receive it. You might follow up on in-person communication with an email to summarize the conversation and action steps.

Include communication policies in your employee handbook to set expectations for various channels. You might include which channel is appropriate for different situations and channel-specific guidelines. For example, you might require employees to encrypt emails or not include sensitive information.

5. Be consistent

Consistent, organized communication is more effective and reduces miscommunication. Regular newsletters, email updates on projects, meetings and other forms of communication help set expectations. Employees know when to expect those interactions.

Using consistent formats for different types of communication is also important. You might send all minutes from meetings via email and post them on an internal website for easy access. Employees learn to go there for that information. If you do these things inconsistently, it makes it more difficult for employees to find the information they need.

6. Notice nonverbal cues

Paying attention to nonverbal cues helps you better communicate with your staff. You might notice that the person looks confused even if they say they understand what you’re communicating. Nonverbal communication might tell you that someone you’re talking to feels frustrated or doesn’t agree with what you’re saying even if they don’t state those feelings.

When you tune in to those nonverbal cues, you can change your communication to match the person. If they seem confused, you might rephrase what you’re saying or ask if they need more clarification.

7. Personalize the communication

Interactions with employees can’t always be the same for every person. Customizing the communication based on each person’s style and personality makes communication more effective. Some people may get nervous with face-to-face communication, so sending an email is better. You might have employees who prefer direct, no-nonsense communication while others need a gentle approach. Getting to know your employees and tailoring how you communicate can make your interactions more effective.

8. Accept feedback

A strong business communication strategy relies on two-way communication. Create a company culture that encourages employees to share opinions and feedback freely. If you shut down communications and feedback from your staff, they stop communicating with you. This makes it difficult to know what’s happening within your company. It also causes you to miss potentially business-changing ideas that employees don’t feel comfortable sharing.

You don’t have to take action on every piece of feedback or suggestion your employees make. But, give them time to share their opinions and show that you’re listening to what they say.

9. Keep it simple

Simple, straightforward communication is ideal in all business interactions. Using technical jargon with clients leaves them confused or annoyed. Those terms may be natural to you, but in many fields, they’re not things clients or people outside the industry understand.

When communicating with colleagues or employees, they should understand many technical terms. However, keeping communication brief and simple saves time and reduces the chance of miscommunications.

10. Deal with poor communication

Effective communication strategies don’t come naturally to all employees. If you notice weak links in the communication process, address the issue immediately. Set expectations for communication clearly. Talk directly to employees who display poor communication when you notice the issues. Explain why their communication isn’t appropriate and give examples of how they can improve.