Top 10 Ways to Communicate in the Workplace
by Rick Galbreath, SPHR
rick@performtogrow.com
As a confident and competent manager, you may think that you are a wonderful communicator! I hate to burst your bubble, but the truth could be entirely different.
What’s that? Your employees haven’t complained? Well consider it this way, a manager who doesn’t communicate well is unlikely to hear about it because poor communication is self-sustaining. It eliminates that important feedback loop. Employees don’t want to go to their manager with concerns about communication because they don’t see their manager as receptive to that kind of dialogue.
There is a seemingly infinite amount of reading material out there about communication in the workplace. Many involve vague, “feel good” terms like “trust” and “openness to new ideas.” We want to take a different, more helpful approach.
So in true Letterman style, we have provided our own Top 10 of specific things that you can do that will undoubtedly improve communication in your workplace.
Top 10 Ways To Improve Communication in the Workplace
10. Meet regularly. Employees should be kept informed of company goals and the progress toward those goals.
9. Provide the employee the data that you have and ask for their insights on what it could mean.
8. Get your staff involved in an activity away from the workplace, whether that’s volunteering together one afternoon or meeting outside for a picnic lunch. People get along better when they know a little bit about their colleagues’ lives outside of work.
7. Greet your employees by name. This small gesture can help an employee feel recognized and valued, rather than anonymous.
6. When possible, provide the agenda prior to a meeting so that employees can formulate ideas and come prepared.
5. Let the employee speak first. Actively listen to what they are saying (rather than focusing on what you will say next).
4. You’ll be amazed at how a positive tone of voice can improve communication. Two sentences with exactly the same words can have entirely different meanings depending on voice tone.
3. Address mistakes immediately, and with sensitivity. Most employees sense when something isn’t going right and are relieved when their supervisor gives them an opportunity to talk about it. Discuss options to correct the problem, and let employees choose which option works best for them so they will feel ownership in doing a better job.
2. Schedule brainstorming and collaboration into team meetings.
1. Recognize employees verbally for a job well done. This is probably the most important thing that managers overlook.
Why is communication in the workplace so important? Rodney Vandeveer knows the answer. Vandeveer, associate professor of organizational leadership and supervision at Purdue University, led a study that found that 62 percent of employees don't feel that they are well-informed by management, 64 percent said management does not involve them in the communication process and 68 percent don't believe the information they are being told.
Sounds like the majority of employees disagree with their management’s communication style. So what do you have to lose? Give our Top 10 a try and see if you can boost communication, and therefore morale, in your own workplace.
Rick Galbreath, SPHR, is president and founder of Performance Growth Partners Inc., a full service organizational improvement firm specializing in HR audits, corporate outplacement services, customer service assessments, customer service training, supervisory training, employee surveys, employee handbooks, teambuilding programs and team training, on-call and project-based HR consulting services, outsourced HR services, employee retention programs, performance improvement programs, executive coaching, manufacturing process and operations improvement consulting, training and programs, safety assessments, safety training, strategic planning, employee retention program, performance improvement programs, interim executive placement, conference speaking, keynote addresses, business turnaround consulting and a wide range of other services. Contact Rick toll-free at (877) 739-4747 or e-mail him at rick@performtogrow.com.
© 2008 Performance Growth Partners Inc.
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