Effective Communication

personality, perception, reactions and so on that define the quality your communication.

German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is famously quoted to have said, “Behavior is a mirror in which everyone displays his own image.” I believe that says it all.

Who’s responsible for effective communication in the workplace?

Forbes Magazine states there are two subjective factors, each of which might create a misunderstanding, which influences the quality of communication.

The first factor is people’s expectations about others. Most expectations create an illusion that all people are the same (i.e., they perceive things the same, process them the same, and understand them the same.) When something happens, a new revelation arises. We are, in fact, not the same. At that point, people often shift into a fresh way of thinking (i.e., we are all completely different, we will never understand one another, we cannot work together, etc.). When this happens, we might lose our motivation (and such behavior is common for all of us) and looking for others who are similar until their next disappointing interaction. This process continues to repeat itself, given that, as a general rule, people believe the cause of misunderstanding is because of others.

Therefore, the second factor that influences communication is about personal responsibility. Who do you think is really responsible for business communication, a sender or a recipient? In fact, both are equally responsible, but the scope of responsibility is different.

•  The sender is responsible for:

o  Attracting and holding the attention of others.

o  Delivering a message clearly and answering questions.

o  Ensuring that people understand them and paraphrasing if needed.

•  The recipient is responsible for:

o  Being attentive and focusing on others.

o  Actively listening and asking questions if needed.

o  Providing feedback that the initial message is understood.

You have effectively communicated when the person you are sending a message to understands it completely.

How To Encourage Effective Communication

To ensure your workplace is one that enables successful communication, it’s important to first understand what demonstrates a lack of effective communication within companies, such as:

• Conflicts and misunderstandings between departments, teams and colleagues.

• Incorrect implementation of strategies, agreements or plans.

• An atmosphere that does not include collaboration, openness and trust.

• No initiative to communicate, ask for help, share or criticize.

• The employees’ inability to identify with the company’s mission and vision.

• High staff turnover, despite adequate remuneration and scheduling.

If you’re seeing any of these signals, you likely need to work on your communication techniques.

1. Explain the motivation behind changing poor communication habits. Employees should understand the purpose of this change, which can be promoted through stories of success and how they benefit from the outcome. You can also ask for additional input from formal and informal leaders who support the change. A measure of the success at this level is when staff shows interest and starts generating ideas.

2. Educate your employees about characteristics that make us different. With that, practice the technologies of effective communication. I believe a corporate training format is always the best option, given that it transforms the communication process from reactive to proactive.

In proactive communication, a person finds the origins of reality in themselves, while in reactive communication they believe that the origins are in others. According to Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, proactivity is one of the most important qualities of any successful person, not to mention leaders, whose efforts are directly associated with the achievements of any company. Success at this level can be measured by an increase in the frequency of interactions between employees, teams and departments.

3. Start implementing common standards of communication. These standards should be first established in one team or department to address terminology, channels of exchanging information, level of urgency, expected results, employees’ roles, needed feedback, deadlines, etc. Special forms with a brief description of each business interaction do create effectiveness. This step might incorporate paperwork, brainstorming, group discussions, case studies, etc. The measure of success at this level is a noticeable positive atmosphere within employees who begin to sense the first tangible effects of change. Then these standards can be promoted throughout the entire company.

Success in business still remains as one of the most challenging facets in today’s turbulent economy. External factors are now more volatile and unpredictable; more importantly, a constructive and operable system from the “inside” is paramount to survive such conditions. Ensuring functionality under such conditions is based on two components, people and finances, which are strongly interconnected. Competent leaders do play a role whereby they react to challenges, but effective leaders with a developed proactive attitude address challenges before they manifest.

Excerpts of this article was taken from Forbes Magazine https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/04/how-to-develop-effective-communication-within-a-company/?sh=30cdd4375edf