Effective communication skills are crucial for a successful business. Although good communication can be challenging, using the right strategies can significantly improve the way your employees speak, listen, and understand one another. In this article, we discuss why having good communication skills is essential in the work environment and 12 strategies you can use to boost communication skills in your workplace to reduce stress, improve productivity, and enhance your company culture.

Why having good communication skills is essential in the workplace

Communication skills affect how we socially interact. They determine how we get along with our family, coworkers, and friends. Strong communication skills typically hold high value in the job market. Someone who communicates well is a valued team member—usually more reliable, organized, and easier to work with. In addition, a good communicator makes establishing work goals and expectations simpler.

How you can improve workplace communication

Here are some effective communication strategies that you can implement within your organization:

1. Active listening

Active listening is vital when trying to establish effective communication. It not only shows people that you’re listening, but it helps you retain the message they’re conveying. Unfortunately, we’re all guilty of not listening once in a while because we’re too busy thinking ahead to what our response should be—this can hinder our efforts to communicate effectively.

Show the communicator you were listening by paraphrasing what they just told you. For example: “If I understood you right, your issues are XYZ, and you would like me to ABC”? Never consider your response before clarifying that you understand what they’re saying.

During a conversation, the person you’re speaking with should be the most important person at that moment. It matters to them that you really listen.

2. Hold regular team meetings

An organization that doesn’t hold regular team meetings often tends to have communication gaps. Regular meetings that promote open and effective self-expression lead to better communication across the workplace. Team meetings foster spontaneous interaction between employees—encourage them to continue this interaction outside meetings and throughout daily business processes.

3. Offer positive feedback

It’s the leader’s responsibility to deliver negative feedback when problematic situations arise. The only way to stop the same mistakes or poor behaviour from recurring is to address it openly and honestly in a private setting with just the manager and the employee. Never call an employee out in front of their colleagues—this will only lead to anger, embarrassment, and resentment.

An effective leader also regularly hands out positive feedback. Recognizing a job well done or giving a pat on the back boosts company morale, encourages open communication, and teaches employees not to fear their leaders.

4. Get to know your employees

Taking an interest in your employees’ roles, productivity, and personal interests is good practice for effective communication. Invest time in learning who does what within the organization, acknowledge employees by name, and never hesitate to ask how they’re doing or if they need anything to do their job better. Getting to know your employees on a personal level is crucial to effective communication. Talking about things unrelated to work makes you easier to talk to and more relatable to your employees. Likewise, knowing what they like to do in their spare time and how their family is doing increases your camaraderie and strengthens your team.

5. Double check your messages before sending them

Always re-read your emails, texts, and company bulletins before sending them out to ensure you’re communicating your message without the possibility of misinterpretation or awkward replies. You may use acronyms when emailing or texting your friends or kids, but avoid them in the workplace. Acronyms are very informal, and not everybody knows what they mean. The goal of effective communication is for the recipient to understand what you are saying, so say it clearly and professionally.

6. Always think before communicating

After listening to someone, pause and think before replying. Especially during uncomfortable conversations. Blurting out the first thing that comes to mind can leave you feeling embarrassed and unprofessional later.

7. Schedule one-on-one meetings

Regular team meetings are essential, but when you only have team meetings, you may miss out on vital feedback from your shy, quieter employees who don’t like speaking in crowds. Even with an open-door policy, timid and reserved employees may still feel like they’re being a bother. Initiating one-on-one meetings is vital to an organization’s culture. Making everyone feel included is a great way to encourage open communication and a never-ending stream of new ideas.

8. Study your audience

Communication and business presentations go hand-in-hand. For a presentation to be successful, you have to know what your audience wants to learn from it—not what you think they want to learn. Different departments are concerned with different aspects of the business, but there is some common ground. Communicate your presentation in a way that answers their questions without including details that don’t involve them.

For example, the sales team doesn’t want to hear about endless data analytics, just as the accounting department doesn’t want to hear about the best ways to land a client. Save those details for separate departmental meetings. What all departments need to hear are the shared sales trends, company KPIs (key performance indicators), and numbers you extract from your current data. Once you study your audience, you’ll know when and what to include in your presentations.

9. Smile and be positive

Smiling and staying positive while communicating invites a positive response from your recipients. Even when speaking on the phone, you should make it a habit to start your conversation smiling as it sets a positive tone and eases the person on the other end.

Here are some ways to include positivity in your communication:

10. Document meeting highlights and share them with the team

Team meetings sometimes leave people with conflicting outcomes—especially those unable to attend the meeting. Documenting the highlights of the meeting and sharing them with all employees ensures that everyone is aware of everything you discussed and on the same page. More importantly, it helps bring clarity to conflicting messages. Meeting minutes are also handy to reflect on if someone forgets something or has an entirely different takeaway from the meeting.

11. Consider communication skills training

Everyone benefits from ongoing training. Following the above strategies can boost communication skills in your workplace, but there’s always room for improvement. Offering training to improve communication skills can only make your efforts and organization more effective.