For most employees, the working week involves a wide range of tasks and responsibilities that are often undertaken at speed to manage increasing workloads. The working day may start with a brief conversation with a colleague whilst logging onto the company systems and then projects and tasks begin to dominate the day. Companies need to encourage high-quality communication in their organizations, as it can lead to a wide range of benefits. Effective communication can allow employees to be fully aware of their roles and responsibilities and undertake non-routine tasks to a high standard without needing full supervision. An organization can disseminate corporate goals and objectives clearly and effectively with highly developed channels of communication. In this article, three top tips to improve communication in the workplace will be explored in detail.

Team Building Sessions

Team building sessions can be a highly effective way of improving communication within a group and across a whole organization. When a new team forms, there may be staff with a wide range of personalities and preferred ways of working and communicating. In the early stages of a team working together, conflicts may emerge and there may be differences of opinion on how to approach and undertake various tasks. Team building sessions can help staff to understand the other values and viewpoints of their colleagues. It can be an especially beneficial way of improving working practices within a team. Common team-building activities include the construction of various items as a group and to a predetermined design or limited supplies. These activities aim to encourage effective working within a team and clear communication as a group.

Feedback Systems 

Feedback systems are now commonplace in many high-performing organizations. They function as a way for employees to communicate in a more meaningful way with senior managers and leaders who they may not be in regular contact with. Most organizations recognize that the “knowledge base” and expertise of a company are contained at lower levels of the company. Put simply, staff who perform vital daily functions and tasks tend to be the experts at these. Often, high-performing staff members will recognize opportunities for improved ways of working. These need to be communicated to senior managers and leaders for them to be approved and integrated into working practice. Companies must ensure that they have a range of communication channels for staff to disseminate their suggestions and thoughts to managers. These can include dedicated CEO email boxes for staff suggestions or “meet the executives” sessions where ideas can be put across. 

Offer Communication Training to Staff 

As a final top tip, staff should have access to training opportunities that can improve their communication skills. When staff complete a communication training course, they will gain skills and techniques that will allow them to communicate more effectively with a range of other employees at all levels of an organization. It is important to recognize that senior staff and team leaders will often be required to deliver training or presentations to other teams or employees. Communication training courses can help to improve core skills that allow a staff members to speak clearly and in a way that illustrates the value of what information they are delivering. 

By Manali