Oluwaniyi BadmusA workplace is a place where many people spend most of their day. It is also an environment that can be stressful and difficult to navigate if you are not sure how to communicate effectively with others.
What is Workplace communication?
Workplace communication is the art of communicating in a way that keeps everyone happy and productive. It includes knowing how to communicate with your boss, coworkers, clients, vendors – basically anyone you deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Healthy communication in the workplace will bring you and your co-workers closer together. It can also help create a more productive work environment that benefits everyone involved! Here are 20 ways to improve workplace communication:
1) Establish a rapport
Establishing rapport with your co-workers will help you understand their personality and what makes them tick. You can also learn how to interact with them on a more personal level – which is helpful in building healthy relationships at work!
When establishing rapport, make sure to find something that the two of you share in common. From there, it’s easy to build trust and respect for one another.
2) Exemplify your trustworthiness
One of the most important aspects of healthy communication is trust. Establishing yourself as trustworthy will help you build rapport with your co-workers, and it’s a valuable trait in any workplace!
Be honest, Don’t be afraid to admit if something went wrong. If there is a conflict, be humble and apologize.
You can successfully build rapport by finding something that you share in common with your co-workers. From this point, it’s easy to establish trust and respect for one fellow team member!
Establishing yourself as trustworthy helps build strong relationships at work. You are more likely to be well-liked, respected, and trusted if you are honest.
3) Keep a transparent workflow
Work is a social activity, and transparency builds trust. Keep your team updated on what you are working on as well as the progress of projects. This will give them peace to work without worrying about changing priorities or additional tasks being thrown their way!
Transparency also helps create more autonomy in your workspace. As long as you keep everyone informed they are likely to trust that you are doing your job and will not micromanage.
4) Be thorough and definite with task
Be a team player by staying on top of deadlines. If you’re not sure when something needs to be done, ask your manager or the person in charge – it’s better than assuming and then being wrong!
If someone asks for feedback, give them what they are looking for without sugar-coating anything. Be clear about giving constructive criticism.
Lastly, if you’re not sure about something your coworker asked for or wants from you – ask questions! The worst thing that can happen is they provide more information and the issue gets solved.
5) Practice active listening
One of the most important steps in improving workplace communication is being a good listener. This does not mean just sitting with an open mouth and nodding your head while they speak, but listening actively!
Sometimes people will give you feedback that isn’t what you want to hear – this is the time for active listening because it could be valuable information if there is a missed detail or misunderstanding.
If you think they’re wrong, be respectful and ask them for clarification – this is not the time to defend your stance on something.
6) Avoid making quick assumptions about other team members
When you’re interacting with other team members, avoid making quick assumptions about their competence. If they have a question or issue that relates to your expertise, offer guidance and help them problem solve if possible.
Sometimes people will make mistakes – the key is not being frustrated but rather understanding how it happened so we can all learn from it together!
7) Know one another’s strengths and weaknesses.
We can better understand how we fit into the system by understanding what each other does. How well this is done depends on our willingness to learn about one another and share information openly with each other.
Some people are great at managing finances, others may be much more gifted when it comes to marketing or design. Understanding these talents will allow us to use our strengths and work together to fill in the gaps.
8) Make clear delegations and role assignments.
We often work in teams and on projects. When delegations are not clear or if we change them, it can lead to confusion about tasks, establishing expectations or deadlines for the team member who is carrying out that task.
Understanding what each person should be doing and why will make this process much simpler. Make sure everyone knows their role and what they need to do in order to complete the project.
There are a few ways you can go about this, for example: Giving one person the responsibility of managing timelines and assigning deadlines (often called an “editor”) or creating responsibilities lists that everyone signs off on before beginning work.
9) Choose the right medium of communication
Ineffective communication can happen on a variety of levels. Decisions are not communicated, instructions for tasks are unclear or there is no documentation to refer back to when questions arise.
Sometimes it’s the way we go about communicating that causes issues and other times it’s what channel we use (email versus face-to-face).
If you have a team working on a project, try to assign one person the responsibility of managing timelines and assigning deadlines (often called an “editor”), or create responsibilities lists that everyone signs off on before beginning work.
Email can be frustrating because it’s easy for messages to get lost in our inboxes. Try using chat instead as it’s a quick and easy way to collaborate with others.
In the workplace, it can sometimes be difficult to admit that we need help or provide feedback on something in order for our ideas to get heard. But those who are able-bodied should do their best not only by pointing out what needs improving but also offer ways they might see things differently.
10) Work on Feedbacks
Everyone can benefit from constructive feedback, but disabled people are more likely to be fearful of it. Try approaching your manager in a private space and ask for their thoughts on how you’re performing or what they think might help you improve.
When we work in teams, we often forget that different people have varying levels of experience with the topic and need different types of information to get the work done.
It’s important for everyone on a team to remember their contributions and see how they fit into the bigger picture instead of solely focusing on what they’re assigned to do.”
It’s important to remember that feedback is a two-way street. You should be able to give and receive it in order for the workplace environment to thrive.
Extras
Don’t forget your manners at work, like saying “please” or “thank you.” It might seem old-fashioned but these small words can make all the difference when interacting with coworkers.
Conclusion
The workplace is a quick and easy place to make or break relationships. Learning how people communicate at work will help you find your way through difficult conversations with co-workers, colleagues, bosses, and clients in a more productive manner.
If you’re looking for ways to improve communication skills at the office, read on! Here are six tips from our blog that can help everyone get along better when communicating about deadlines and responsibilities.
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