Communication is classed as a soft skill, but it has real-world consequences when it breaks down. Effective communication between the different levels of a business is necessary for the proper functioning of the company.
Presenting a united front to consumers, investors, and partners relies on your company to communicate what it represents effectively. Looking the part is necessary, but communicating your business goals and ideals is just as important. People judge a business by how well-maintained its facade is, whether it has an attractive lobby or a regular window-washing service. But the positive impressions of the look can only be maintained if they receive clear and cohesive messaging when they begin doing business with you.
Sending a cohesive message relies on creating effective communication strategies that address your employees' needs and allow them to work together as a unit.
Listen to Your Staff
Your employees are the hands-on people who understand the internal workings of your business. Listen to their suggestions and check-in with them regularly.
Communicate through your actions that you value their work and their input. This will inculcate feelings of devotion and loyalty towards the business.
Evaluate Your Current Internal Communication Systems
This is probably the first area which will show great improvement due to collecting input from the staff. Part of the reason your internal communications were suffering may have been due to the ineffective communication options.
Look into the system currently in place and evaluate it for weaknesses and strengths so that you know what to replace and what to keep.
Adopt Software Solutions to Communication Issues
There are many options of intranet software solutions you can implement to create an internal communication network. The range of options at different price points will allow you to find the solution that works best for your company's needs.
This software is gaining popularity because it is intuitive to use and allows employees to share ideas and answer questions without delay.
Create an Environment of Collaboration
Communication is not just making sure that conversation happens. It is also about providing access to information easily and removing barriers to make accessing the information easier. If your employees need access to internal documents or information but have to jump through unnecessary hoops to access it, this will create inefficiency and delay productivity.
Trust your staff with the information they need to do their job effectively and give open access to information and documents that are not expressly sensitive.
Social Media Usage Within The Workplace
Some businesses limit social media usage while at work or outright ban the use of phones in the office. This is short-sighted and can lead to resentment. Your employees are adults who are capable of managing their own phone usage.
Social media is an effective tool to ensure that your internal communications are in line with the messaging your business is sending out to the world. Encourage dedicated company-centric social media usage in the workplace. This will lead to your employees interacting on the social media platforms, creating more engaging content. They will also become aware of the messaging the company is sending out and adjust their work to align with this overall branding.
Reward the Behavior You Want to See
When an employee or a team displays effective communication and collaboration, reward them for their initiative. People like being acknowledged for their efforts, and rewarding them in some small but sincere way will encourage them to continue giving their best to the company.
It will also encourage other employees and teams to work harder, make their communication better, and improve their collaboration. A healthy sense of competition in the workplace is a good thing as long as everyone knows the common goal is the business's growth.
Build a Virtual Break Room
Once you begin using internal communication software, you should create a virtual break room where staff can find out what is going on within the company. This is especially necessary for a business where different departments largely work separately from each other.
A virtual break room gives employees a common space across departments to interact, learn about each other's successes or learning opportunities, and engender a feeling of unity. This will make it easier for departments to work together when needed as they will already have a common base on which to build a collaborative dynamic.
Look into using team-building strategies outside the workplace to help bring your employees closer together. People tend to view team-building retreats as a waste of time because they are not effectively planned and organized.
But a properly planned team-building retreat can help bring the employees together as a cohesive unit. You have to find the right type of team-building exercises that allow employees to appreciate each other's unique abilities and what they bring to the business.
Communication thrives in the right environment for it to grow. Make your workplace into the right environment by helping your employees to see each other as collaborators rather than individual workers.
