The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted millions of businesses and institutions around the world. Everyone was forced to stay indoors and this brought about distance learning and of course, work from home setups. With such a new method of communication, many have been forced to adapt in their bid to keep their businesses running as smoothly as possible and communication plays a crucial role in this.
Without effective communication in the workplace, it is hard to accomplish organisational goals and objectives. In our course “BSBXCM501 Lead communication in the workplace”, we teach international students the fundamentals on communication and how to use this to foster an environment of like-minded individuals movings towards the same goal. So what makes communication effective? While new communication tools like Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Twist make messaging across organisations, teams, and individuals easier, the question is, is the communication effective?
COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE
Communication in the workplace is more than sending a few messages across messaging channels. It’s more than simply “getting along” with your coworkers, it is about building relationships and working productively as a group.
Communicating effectively is a crucial aspect of getting the job done. Many people falsely think communication is all about verbal communication and wrongfully assume that if you’re an extrovert, you don’t have to learn about communication. This is wrong and further exemplifies why this course is important, especially in these unprecedented times.
The question is, how do you lead effective communication in the workplace? You can do this by following the following steps:
ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS
Nowadays, life is characterised by instant, stimulating, inclusive and sensory-diverse exchanges. As such, it is no surprise that well-thought through workplace communication protocols are essential to guide and manage communication. As a result, workplace communication protocols should follow a strategic plan guided by:- Legislation: These are policies put in place to make sure everyone is safe and to ensure a successful outcome for the business or organisation.
- Policies and procedures: Failure to conform to these legislative policies can lead to warnings or fines.
- Best practice standards: As a leader, you must consider and review the best workplace communication practices relevant to your industry. For example, if you work in the design industry, GoVisually is the best tool. But if you’re a marketer or advertiser, you may want to use Slack, Clickup or monday.
possesses knowledge, but is able to share that knowledge effectively and appropriately to the right audience.
ENGAGE IN COMMUNICATION
Engaging in communication isn’t simply messages across teams, groups and individuals. The way you communicate is a prime determinant of how you are regarded by others in the workplace.To be an effective communicator in the workplace, you have to model the organisation’s communication protocols to:
- engage with your audience in a respectful and relevant way, adapting your style to suit the audience
- motivate others to communicate respectfully by considering the needs of everyone involved including differences in perspective
- explain complex information positively to influence others, presenting information in a succinct, clear and persuasive manner
- address communication barriers and negotiate a final outcome
Most times, misunderstandings and arguments arise when there are no set rules to follow and guidelines are not adhered to. Yes, we may live in a world where you can send a quick text with acronyms but it doesn’t necessarily mean you should. For example, the popular acronym “LOL” could mean “laugh out loud” or it could mean “lots of love”. The one thing you don’t want is to send lol to your team chat and your someone could misinterpret what you mean.
This is why engaging in communication the right way is vital. All persons within the organisation must be on the same page to avoid miscommunications and implied meanings to messages. In our course, you will be taught the principles of communication, barriers to understanding, communication challenges, different perspectives and so much more.
While everyone is different and will communicate in a way that reflects their personality and leadership style, as a business leader, you will need to adapt your communication style as you interact with a variety of audiences within the workplace.
REVIEW COMMUNICATION
If you want to be an effective leader, communication is key. The truth is, for many international students looking to be better communicators, you will make mistakes along the way. And because communication is a two-way process, you have to take follow-up action and what does this mean? Let’s say you ask a subordinate to work on a task but he/she can’t quite figure out how to get it done; it is up to you to make clarifications and ensure your instructions are clear and easy to understand.
Workplaces need timely, accurate and constructive feedback to succeed. Providing or seeking feedback sounds simple in theory but can be complex in practice. This is where you review communication. Here are a few examples on how you can review communication:
- provide additional information to supplement initial communication
- clarify issues that were ambiguous in the original communication
- correct errors in communications
- re-draft or revise communication materials
- provide the information in another format or using another channel, method or medium
Of course, in most cases, it really isn’t as simple as listed above. Hence, the need for a more in-depth study on how to review communication and rectify certain barriers or issues that may arise in your communication model. You also need to provide feedback as often as you ask for it. This is a two-way street and both parties need to be on the same page for communication in the workplace to be effective.
ARE YOU A GOOD COMMUNICATOR?
Communication is a skill and can be learnt and improved upon. In fact, communication is so important, it’s been considered as one of the top skills required for future employability. There is a reason it stands alone as a course that is taught in many universities as a major.
Learning this important skill will set you apart from your competition and enable you to win over your colleagues and lead a productive team in the workplace. So although you’ve learned the basics by reading this article, that is all it is, just basics. To get a more thorough, in-depth and structured classes on effective communication, sign up for our course on BSB60420 Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management.
You can also contact us if you would have questions and would like further information.