To make communication efforts as effective as possible, communication should be

Have you ever thought of a considerable good idea at the workplace, which you think and firmly believe, bring about changes in the fortunes of your organization?

You communicate an idea to your superior or manager or before your team, and it is met with polite apathy. And then a week or month passes, and the idea seems to have outrun from the mind of everyone, seemingly it was never articulated at all. To have your idea heard by every team member present in the meeting, you need to effectively communicate it in a way that’s notable or everyone finds it important. Some of the world’s greatest effective communicators such as Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, and certain other global leaders understand its significance. And therefore, they use certain techniques when effectively communicating or giving a speech that makes their message stick.

Effective communication is considered as the most important element of any successful organization. Communication should be free from barriers so as to be effective. Effective business communication may be defined as a process of sharing information between two or more parties wherein a message being sent by one party should be easily understood by each person.

Since business organizations are made up of certain individuals who carry out specific tasks during the entire organizational process, effective business communication always plays an imperative role in the success of the company.

Here’s a list of eight ways to successfully attain effective business communication:

• Eliminate assumptions

It has been observed that assumptions every so often lead to misunderstandings which ultimately further end up creating some sort of troublesome situations. Thus, it is vital for the company's part to avoid unclarified assumptions. It is always better to openly communicate the requirements and expectations for boosting business relationships. An organization should not assume that what happened earlier will happen again. There can be a possibility of changes and organizations should be forward-looking in this regard.

• Come up with a suitable time and place for all involved to talk

Distraction is always likely to hamper the communication process. The communication must be held in a quiet place and where required privacy can also be ensured. There should be steps to reinforce communication at certain time intervals or whenever needed to solve an urgent problem.

• To be heard, listen first

The inability to listening to things properly is also sometimes identified as the major reason behind the hampered business communication process. An organization should pay heed to the feedback from the other side, absorb it and come up with a solution that is mutually beneficial to the parties involved. This ultimately helps in fostering good business associations and thereby finding a mutually acceptable solution.

• Ask questions

Asking questions is also one good way through which a good listener may seek feedback, show interest towards the speaker, confirm the understanding and can also give respect to the speaker. If an individual is not sure about a particular detail, then he may ask for confirmation from the other end. In this way, asking also promotes powerful two-way business communication and improving business relations with the new as well as existing clients.

• Expressing emotion is important, but always be respectful (or Emotion savvy communication) 

Emotion savvy communication is also significant when it comes to deal with effective business communication in the corporate world. There are instances that have proved that good feelings or emotions of an individual sometimes enable them to close the deal more quickly and on expedient terms. Further, emotions may also hamper the teamwork process and can also lead to ruining the collaboration and decision making efforts. Thus, it is imperative on an individual's part to communicate in an emotion savvy way so as to respond to opportunities, expectations, concerns, and doubts quickly in various corporate associations.

• Pay attention to nonverbal messages

Nonverbal communication is defined as the process of transmitting messages or signals through nonverbal platforms (eye contact, gestures, facial expression, etc.). An individual should respond and maintain an open posture in the business conversations so that he may show that he is taking in what other person is saying. Further, it is better to give time to the situation (that is waiting until the situation gets better) when the non-verbal messages are overwhelming the conversation.

• Recognize and reinforce progressive deeds. 

Effective communication should be seen as a win-win situation for the parties involved. It should keep the communication channel open to all the involving parties. It is a constant practice and one should express gratitude towards the other individual for accommodating him.

• Be patient and don't expect miracles

The effective communication process does not happen overnight. Good business communication is all about strengthening business associations and business associations do not form overnight. The management of the company should make consistent efforts to foster positive changes in the effective communication process. Proper engagement with people can be helpful in this regard for the accomplishment of organizational goals.

The significance of effective business communication in the corporate world:

• Improves employee engagement

Effective business communication is undoubtedly considered as a driving force for engagement. Leadership communication is the top factor in internal communication that statistically shows a relationship as to how engaged workforces are. Internal communication teams have a substantial part in guiding, mentoring and reminding leaders of the significance of communication.

• Reduces employee turnover

Business firms having more engaged and satisfied workforces tend to enjoy reduced employee turnover rates. It has been observed over the period that employers keep their employees well informed about their roles and responsibilities so as to ensure young talent in the organizational workforce.

In order to attract and keep Millennials and younger generations in the workplace, employers have to make sure to keep their employees informed about what's relevant to their jobs. On the contrary, too much immaterial or irrelevant information often becomes the reason for stress, disengagement, frustration, and high employee turnover. Thus, an organization should frame a suitable strategy (that is a strategy promoting open communication and transparency) for business communication purposes.

• Increases employee productivity

It is evident that 80 percent of employees feel improved job performance as a result of effective internal business communication. Effective business communication process (as a result of free-flowing communication across all departmental units and among the workforce) also helps in building trust and collaboration at the workplace.

• Eliminates email overload

Despite the various communication methods, emails always get some sort of priority when it comes to formal communication. Emails are used for a variety of purposes ranging from employee communications and feedback, document sharing, notices from HR on a few team activities to benefits and birthday wishes.

From all the emails that we receive over the period, only a small proportion of emails deserve our immediate attention. Thus, employees should sort the emails on the basis of the priority. There are companies that have resolved the email overload problem with the use of modern employee engagement and communication tools.

Key takeaways:

• Communication always forms a part of an individual’s self-concept, and it further helps an individual in developing an understanding for you as well as for others. It aims at solving problems and learning new things and ultimately building your career.
• One way to get attention is to describe a problem, and then explain how the business or product solves that problem.
• Communication should be free from barriers so as to be effective.
• All communication with the media should be clear, concise, and contain all of the pertinent information.
• Communication is important for a variety of reasons which include increasing employee engagement, boosting employee productivity, and reducing employee turnover.

What does your organization do to deal with problems arising on account of trouble with communication? Do you conduct seminars or offer mediation for disputes? Tell us by commenting below.

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