Three Ways to Improve Workplace Communication
The biggest issue we hear from employees about their workplace is poor communication. This is in spite of the fact that most of us communicate with our teammates every day. This tells me that communication is happening, but not about the right things. Let’s talk about three ways to improve communication in your workplace.
It starts at the top…
To be truly effective, knowledge and information needs to be shared throughout the organization, and this sharing has to become engrained in the workplace culture. In order for that to happen, it has to start at the top. Senior executives (ideally the owner/president/CEO) need to set a positive example by communicating regularly and effectively, but they also need to require everyone else in the organization to share info and communicate regularly too. Maybe this is through performance reviews and/or regular check-ins.
Where are you headed?
Does your team know and understand the strategic vision for your team/department/company? Ideally, they were involved in creating this vision in the first place, but if not, at the very least make sure you’re all “rowing in the same direction”. You don’t want to be in a situation where everyone thinks they know where the organization is headed, but their destinations are all completely different. That is not setting you up for success. Additionally, don’t make assumptions about employees’ knowledge of the strategic vision. Share the vision regularly; come back to it time and time again in discussions and decision making; and post it somewhere for everyone to see.
ASK!
Here’s the tricky thing – people want more communication, but they don’t want to have their time wasted on useless things. It’s up to you to figure out where you can really add value to your team by sharing info that can help them do their jobs more effectively. How can you do that? Just ask them what kind of info they want and how they want it.
Today’s Challenge – Ask your team where they see communication gaps in your organization and for suggestions on how to fix them.
HIGH TIDE LEARNING STUDIO
We’re Erin and Peter, a husband and wife team passionate about making your organization successful through employee training and engagement. Join us as we explore new opportunities to improve your workplace.
