Have you ever tried to convey a simple point to your colleague and had your attempts at communication in the workplace be perceived as entirely hostile? Have there been emails that you haven’t been able to interpret as anything but incendiary even when you thought you shared a healthy relationship with the sender? Were there any disagreements in the past that turned into conflicts in seconds? We’re sure you know what we mean when we say effective communication in the workplace can make or break an organization. But why is communication important in the workplace? It’s because, in the workplace, communication skills season the atmosphere for every single person who works there.
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Forbes Advisor found that over 40 percent of workers found poor communication to be the reason for losing trust in their teams and leaders. Remote workers were more affected than their offline counterparts, which checks out when you think of how their work format entirely relied on effective communication in the workplace for any work to happen. Grammarly’s State of Business Communication report found that poor communication could cost businesses up to $1.2 trillion every year—approximately $12,506 per employee per year. That is a lot of money for something that can be resolved simply by taking things out. We’re about to dive into a topic a little deeper, starting with the types of communication in the workplace.
Types of Communication in the Workplace
Communication within a workspace extends far beyond talking things out. While the ‘communication is conversation’ pipeline is easy enough to follow, there are more forms of communication you might be missing out on, but let’s start simple.
Verbal Communication
Effective communication in the workplace does in fact start with simple conversations and interactions that you experience on a day-to-day basis. Whether it is a greeting in passing or a more prolonged face-to-face interaction, what is said and how much of it is understood, both greatly contribute to workplace communication.
These interactions tend to form the baseline of your experiences within an organization. Even if work is hectic and occasionally overwhelming, knowing that you have a team you can talk to can greatly reduce the stress of work. Pumble found that teams that communicated effectively in the workplace could see a 25 percent increase in productivity, clearly indicating the importance of communication in the workplace. Yet, there are often breakdowns in the communication chain due to language barriers, discriminatory or depreciative talk, partial information provisions, poor communication skills, communication of non-essential details, etc. For an organization to thrive, training on communication skills in the workplace could be a worthwhile investment.
Non-Verbal Communication
Management courses, public speaking trainers, and leaders everywhere constantly emphasize the importance of non-verbal communication but we often restrict thinking about it to meetings and presentations where we have all eyes on us. In our day-to-day interactions, non-verbal communication is often ignored as unimportant. But this is simply not true. While our verbal exchanges provide material to interact over, body language and context clues supplement the interpretation of what we can hear. This can include posture, facial expressions, personal space, hand gestures, eye contact, tones, etc.
If a coworker says it was great to collaborate with you but the tone is disinterested and their body language conveys a desire to leave, you’re highly unlikely to trust anything else they say to you either. Pumble’s mention of the Mehrabian myth, stemming from the age-old research by Mehrabian and Wiener, explains that when inconsistent messaging is encountered, people concentrate on body language at 55 percent and tone of voice at 38 percent in order to interpret the message. As a result, when the receiver is uncertain of the speaker’s communications, they derive only 7 percent of their intention from the actual words. Evidently, non-verbal communication is a component of communication in the workplace.
Written Communication
Communication skills in the workplace extend beyond what is performed in person. Written communication has always been a core component of workplace communication, whether in the form of memos, faxes, or other physical documents. Over time, written communication has evolved to the digital platform as well in the form of emails and instant messaging platforms.
Grammarly, Inc. found that workers spend over 21.36 hours every week on written work-related tasks. Of this, 5.49 hours are invested in writing communications to others and 4.61 hours in responding to others’ communication. An unfortunate 2.91 hours are spent on reviewing your own written material, however, we still tend to get written communication wrong. The numbers tell us just how much of our interactions take place in written form, and indicate the importance of ensuring it is spent on effective communication in the workplace.
Formal and Informal Communication in the Workplace
The importance of communication in the workplace can also be understood through the diversity in formality levels in the workplace environment. Some communications require a very serious, formal approach to tone and content. A business report summarizing sales numbers needs to effectively convey those numbers so further plans can be built on the basis of its results. If the numbers are bungled and the writer isn’t able to properly convey who and what contributes to those sales, grave decision-making errors can arise as a result. Formal communication also plays a role in how professional you appear within the official space.
Conversely, there is also the aspect of informal communication in the workplace. Breakroom talks, conversations across desks, unofficial gatherings outside of work—there are many unofficial conversations that take place. Some of these may revolve around work, such as your disappointment at working overtime or dealing with unruly clients, while other unofficial communications might pertain to your life outside of work, for example, how you’re planning to spend your weekend. It is important to be aware of your environment in both situations and ensure that a professional undertone is still maintained, no matter how comfortable you might be with the coworker. The much-loved water cooler gossip might threaten the stability of your positions and work and it is always better to tread with care.
Role of Technology in Communication in the Workplace
It would be impossible to explore the types of effective communication in the workplace without mentioning technology. The digital era has both simplified and complicated communication for everyone, by providing immediate access to each other on a constant basis. While this helps teams remain in touch and resolve queries immediately, it also causes an excess of communication to take place, even outside of work hours.
Forbes Advisor reported that 46 percent of their survey respondents experienced heightened stress levels on seeing messages ignored for extended periods. 45 percent of them felt stressed just by the sight of the notification of their manager typing out a message to them. In the online version of being called to your boss’ office unexpectedly, workers now experience similar panic from unexpected video calls from leadership last minute. Digital communication now expands far beyond emails, although they are still the preferred means for 18 percent of workers.
There are a growing number of internal messaging tools that are used for communication in the workspace. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and many others have turned the tides of work communication ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and they continue to rule across industries today. They have further heightened the challenge of perfecting online communication in the workplace.
Why Is Communication Important in the Workplace?
We can all agree that interaction is essential for companies to accomplish anything but is it still important to prioritize if there are no major issues? The answer is a resounding yes. Workplace communication should not be a priority only after a fight breaks out or an employee gets in trouble with a client, it should remain a focal point at every stage of functioning. There are many reasons why communication in the workplace is important.
- Clarifies everyone’s roles and the expectations placed on them regularly
- Enhances teamwork and inter-departmental collaboration
- Provides new learnings from each other
- Enhances productivity with everyone on the same page
- Improves quality of results produced
- Reduces time spent on correcting errors and redoing tasks
- Makes employees more adaptable to change
- Facilitates brainstorming and innovation
- Provides solutions at a much faster pace
- Enhances alignment with the organization’s culture and values
- Builds trust with clients and vendors
- Promotes inclusivity when communication is well-informed
- Improves workplace harmony
- Improves retention when employees appreciate the feedback systems
- Simplifies policy-making and adherence
- Improves employees’ quality of life with a reduction in stress and burnout
Important Communication Skills in the Workplace
We understand the importance of workplace communication but we often stumbled when it comes to taking action and developing communication skills in the workplace. There are many angles to consider while trying to prioritize what communication skills are necessary for your workforce.
1. Active Listening
Being a good listener is crucial to communication. If you do not pay attention to what is being said, you will only be able to make irrelevant responses that leave both communicators unsatisfied. Active listening while communicating provides a firm ground to build your response on, while also letting the other person feel heard and understood. Gitnux reports that active listening has the potential to reduce misunderstandings by 40 percent and that managers trained in this communication skill saw a 30 percent improvement in employee satisfaction.
Often, communication takes place not just because someone wants a solution but only to have their ideas expressed out loud. Being an active listener can help you provide support even when you do not have the answers for them.
2. Clear Verbal Articulation While Communicating in the Workplace
Effective communication in the workplace means being able to clearly state your thoughts and ideas when appropriate. Being nervous or not knowing our material can often cause us to ramble from topic to topic. Not only does this open up room for miscommunication, but it can also lead to irritation when the listener needs to quickly move to the next task.
It is necessary to analyze your current communication patterns and determine what aspect of verbal communication you struggle with. This will allow you to create a plan of action to further develop this skill.
3. Written Communication
The lack of nonverbal cues does indeed complicate written communication and it is critical to do what you can to ensure there are no misinterpretations in the text. It can be a smart move to be straightforward and concise, without treading into ‘rude’ territory. Using bullet points, graphs, and images to summarize your communication can ensure that nothing is lost in translation. Further checking grammatical accuracy will ensure your receiver pays attention to your communication in the workplace.
4. Clarity and Brevity
Being brief is necessary in the fast-paced world where a receiver might have only a few minutes to glance at an email or attend to your call. Practicing what you need to say in advance can make it easier to get key points across. It is also ideal to avoid metaphors and similes, and unnecessarily wordy conversations if you want your listener to listen. Effective communication in the workplace can include examples where appropriate to simply an explanation, however, overdoing it can become tiresome. Use language that is simple and easy to understand, even for someone without a strong grasp of the language.
5. Non-verbal Skills
Nov-verbal communication skills are an art that takes practice to perfect but there are always ways to keep working at it. You might want to actively remind yourself to sit straight at your desk in a manner that is appropriate or concentrate on your body language while you get better at your active listening skills. Hand gestures are an often-used method of emphasizing a point, but overdoing it becomes distracting.
Your body language can also communicate your confidence levels, and in a meeting with clients, it can be very detrimental to their faith in your services if they feel you do not fully know or believe in your product. It is a good idea to seek feedback from those who will give you an honest response.
6. Empathy While Communicating in the Workplace
Good communicators know when it is necessary to be sensitive to the experiences of those you are communicating with. While you may not always agree with someone’s opinion or situation in the workspace, you should still be able to respect their difference of experience and where they are coming from. These communication skills in the workplace will ensure that you do not encounter too many conflicts. When you do, it will help you better understand the other person and communicate in a way that is expressive and non-offensive.
EY Consulting’s research found that workers who feel mutual empathy between employees and leaders can lead to increased efficiency, creativity, job satisfaction, idea sharing, innovation, and revenue. So, with empathy, not only will there be a more harmonious workforce, but a more satisfied and productive one as well.
7. Negotiation Skills
Communication in the workplace extends to how well you are able to negotiate, whether that’s in conversation with HR for a good package or discussions with a client on the budget. Being a good negotiator can put you in many advantageous positions and help you take a stand for your perspective within a company.
Often such negotiations can lean towards becoming aggressive for those untrained in the skill, and this outcome does not spell good things for anyone. Good negotiators are able to communicate their perspectives in a calm and controlled manner. They are also able to listen to the other person and construct a response that counters or contributes to their claims, without getting emotional or offended.
8. Presentation Skills
Presentation communication skills in the workplace are representative of how often you are able to secure roles that put you at the forefront of a project. There are various workplace responsibilities that might require you to present to a group. Sometimes it can be on a small scale while discussing ideas with your team or exchanging task updates. Other times, you might have to present to senior leaders or even external parties who are associated with your company. You should be able to list your points without stumbling, speak loudly, enunciate clearly, and answer just as confidently in order for your perspective to be heard more often. This is why it is an important communication skill to develop.
9. Sensitivity to Diversity in the Workplace
We are all aware of the conversation around diversity today, and developing your vocabulary in accordance with changing times is ideal. It can be difficult initially, to keep all aspects of culture and preference in mind, but if you are open to learning and adapting, it will soon come to you more easily.
By keeping an open mind, not only will you have an easier time settling in, but communicating in the workplace will come more naturally as well. Do not hesitate to talk to HR or those who have a greater understanding of the topic to better understand how to communicate sensitively, whether it is in reference to pronoun preference or inclusionary language.
10. Adaptability
There is more than one right way to communicate effectively in the workplace. Some communication channels will require a more formal and professional tone in all communications, regardless of content. In other situations, such as talking to peers or juniors, you might find it more beneficial to adopt a more jovial tone to help them feel more connected. Adapting to these situations is a useful communication skill that will let you interact with everyone in an appropriate manner. The same formality you use in your legal documents and contracts does not always have to be replicated everywhere.
11. Honest Communication
Being honest while communicating at work does not require harsh truths and confrontational approaches for it to be effective. Being overly direct can be counterproductive and cause more issues than resolve them. However, it is better to be open and upfront rather than beat around the bush until the problems escalate.
Learning how to give genuine, honest feedback can help both you and the receiver grow if done in a constructive and polite manner. Even choosing the right communication channel, such as a private conversation rather than a team debriefing can make a big difference in how the communicated content is received. Honest communication often pertains to taking a stand for yourself as well, and it is important to tread the divide between aggression and assertion carefully.
12. Initiative in Communication in the Workplace
It is a good look when you take the initiative to communicate information without waiting for the other person to request details. A good communicator can preemptively determine what might be required by another individual in the workplace and provide relevant information accordingly. If you know that weekly reports are due every Friday afternoon, you can choose to write out the report in advance, create a template for what you need to communicate, and send the report without the manager having to ask why it hasn’t reached them yet. This will allow you to contribute to any additional queries or changes they might request without rushing around for the details.
Even while communicating with clients in the workplace, you might already know what kind of questions they might have from your past experiences with such projects. If you collate and present that information upfront, your competence is likely to be acknowledged and appreciated in the area.
Strategies for Effective Communication in the Workplace
It is ideal for employees to prioritize communication themselves and improve their skills gradually, however, employers can also aid them along in the process. By reviewing strategies and examples of effective communication in the workplace, employers and employees can both find a middle ground for productivity and harmony while growing together.
1. Establish Clear Objectives
Have your communication intention clear in your mind before engaging in the process. Regardless of who you intend to communicate with in the workplace, understand the importance of communication and value the other’s time accordingly. In written communication, it becomes even easier to state the subject and curate your communication in accordance with it.
2. Know Your Audience
Effective communication in the workplace can only take place when you look at the context and the receiver, and then shape your communication accordingly. Some people will be more open to humor and sarcasm while others will be greatly upset or offended by it. Choose how you communicate by keeping the receiver in mind.
3. Ask Questions
If you are unsure whether to address someone formally with a Mr. or Sir attached, it is better to ask and find out rather than appearing dismissive. Ask your HR team, immediate peers, or your managers directly as well, in case you need to understand the workplace dynamic or build your sensitivity towards a group you might have worked with professionally before.
4. Choose Appropriate Channels
There are so many ways to communicate in the workplace now that each channel offers something different If a message needs to be explained in detail to the whole team, it might be smarter to get on a video call and explain everything in detail, taking questions as necessary, instead of sending a memo out that can leave them confused. If you need information set out to workers but it is the weekend, it can be very unfair to ask everyone to join a video call then, in which case an email scheduling a meeting for the next working day might be preferred. Choose the right channel for the content that has to be communicated in the workplace.
5. Encourage Open Communication
A workspace that encourages communication and also provides the necessary avenues to facilitate it will find their employees much more satisfied. Employees can be encouraged to set up regular meetings to align their interests and work out their differences of opinions. In case external involvement can simplify the matter for them, they can also be guided to HR or their managers to help with the resolution. Unresolved conflict often takes on passive-aggressive tones that can be unpleasant for everyone around as well.
6. Develop a Feedback Mechanism
A lot of communication gaps arise from how feedback is communicated and received. Training managers and employees to improve how they word feedback can change the impact of the review. By simplifying the process of performance reviews to be focused on development rather than criticism, it can become a productive experience rather than an emotionally draining one. Choosing the right employee evaluation phrases can create a much more positive impact while communicating. Teaching them conflict-resolution strategies is also useful.
7. Train Employees and Conduct Workshops
If your employees are still asking “Why is communication important in the workplace?” then there is still room for growth in your communication strategies. The importance of communication in the workplace should be seen and embraced by all and this can happen through training that allows them to experience the difference of improving their communication skills.
8. Emphasize Collaboration
Encourage inter-departmental activities and cross-team collaborations that allow employees to gain new perspectives by working with different people. Working within a single team all the time can make workers get very comfortable working with each other but then struggle as soon as a new member is introduced. It is useful to provide examples of effective communication in the workplace across the company and help the entire organization familiarize themselves with each other.
9. Showcase Diverse Perspectives
A company that celebrates diversity and features a collection of voices will see more people identifying with its values and speaking up with their perspectives on different matters. This can help all employees develop the empathy and sensitivity necessary for effective communication in the workplace.
10. Use Technology Efficiently
A large number of companies expect the workforce to join their company with existing fluency in operating these multiple communication platforms but that isn’t always the case. Users unfamiliar with tech might miss out on the nuances of communication on these platforms, so training them on its use should be a part of the onboarding. Someone who exclusively uses words to communicate at work may be out of place in a work culture that has shifted to the trends of using gifs and memes. An initiation into the technology used and protocols followed is an efficient way to start an employee’s communication journey at the company.
While these examples of strategies for effective communication in the workplace are going to be useful, it is also good to reach out to employees and ask them what changes they would like to see in communication. This will both initiate an honest conversation as well as provide strategies specific to your workplace. Remind your employees about the importance of communication and take action to infuse them with the communication skills necessary to flourish at work.