Effective Communication
Effective communication within a team could be the cornerstone to your business’s success – the flip side of this is that poor communication can lead to productivity being undermined, resources being used inefficiently, and low staff morale.
Whether it’s to boost output or connect a hybrid team more closely, this is why you should look at the processes you use for your team’s communication today to check that they’re serving your company as well as possible.
Builds Strong Work Relationships
At the heart of all communication is the drive to build some form of relationship or connection. At work, this means that great communication will lead to a stronger team that is more closely united in the pursuit of the company’s goals.
Taking the time to build healthy work relationships within your team through good communication will promote better employee satisfaction (and subsequently retention), help to develop a strong inter-team support system, and even boost productivity.
To this end, ensuring that remote workers are kept in the loop and are as involved in meetings and brainstorming sessions as their in-office counterparts is crucial. Make the most of an app like Spike video meetings to engage with all your team members, no matter where they’re working. Keeping everyone involved and on board can help ensure parity and that all colleagues feel equally valued. Not to mention that your company will get the benefit of the combined brain power of your whole team, rather than a fraction of it. This leads to the next reason for prioritizing the quality of your team’s communication….
It Can Help a Hybrid Team Work Together
If you manage a hybrid team – one in which some employees come into the office to work while others work remotely – building proper communication can bring its own unique challenges but is even more vital to ensure the team works well together. Remote workers can easily feel left out of the loop, while office-based staff may feel resentful if they’re not afforded some opportunity for flexible working.
Good communication processes can provide the bridge between the two sections of your team and keep the workflow smooth, whilst avoiding possible tensions, too. Find ways to engage remote staff and to ensure that both sets of workers feel part of the same team, working towards the same goals. Use online collaborative tools, cloud solutions that allow colleagues – no matter where they’re physically located – to create and edit documents together in real-time, and virtual notice boards to keep everyone engaged, motivated, and on the same page.
It’s Essential for Effective Workflow
Without proper communication, there’s the risk of inefficiencies, such as the duplication of work, unnecessary tasks being generated, or deadlines being missed. Every team member should be clear on their role and responsibilities, as well as that of every other member of the team. Who is undertaking which task should be set out at the start of each project, and interdependencies highlighted so that all colleagues know how their part of the process affects everyone else’s.
Regular meetings, the use of project management software to create a visual guide regarding who’s doing what and when, and shared calendars can all help workflow to run smoothly and prevent time or resources from being wasted.
Boosts Engagement
Great communication with and between your team members can work wonders for employee engagement. It’s likely to lead to a culture in which colleagues feel comfortable voicing their concerns or speaking to you about an innovative idea that they’ve come up with!
Increased engagement leads to a workforce that’s both more committed to their tasks and the vision of the company, and that feels appreciated, recognized, and heard.
How to Create a Culture of Communication
So now we’ve looked at a few of the ways that great team communication can benefit a business; what are some of the things you can do, as a manager, to promote better communication within your team? Try these little tips to see a big difference:
- Encourage engagement by ensuring those team meetings aren’t just an opportunity to impact information: make time for group brainstorming, and encourage team members to come forward with their ideas and thoughts.
- If you’re made aware of – or sense – a problem, tackle and resolve it as soon as possible.
- Ask team members to make the most of instant messaging and email chat apps to keep up a steady flow of communication.
- Have regular one-to-ones with staff members, and ask for their feedback as well as supply your own.
- Build team spirit and morale by arranging team-building sessions, friendly inter-departmental competitions, and social events.
- Foster an open-door policy: leave your office door open or, even better, sit in an open-plan office with the rest of your team.
- Provide training courses for staff members that focus on how to communicate effectively in person or in writing – this can be a great means of boosting self-esteem, too.
By taking the time to build a strong foundation of effective communication, your company will be both well-positioned for success and a happy environment in which to work.
Mustafa Al Mahmud is the Founder of Gizmo Concept and also a professional Blogger, SEO Professional as well as Entrepreneur. He loves to travel and enjoy his free moment with family members and friends.