Each week we discuss different ways to improve your communication skills in your professional life. However, bettering your communication skills is only half the task. No one exists in a vacuum, and helping your employees and coworkers to better communicate with you and one another can do wonders for workplace productivity and colleague relationships. So how can you foster strong communication in the workplace?
Lead by Example: Whether positive or negative, people tend to subconsciously mimic the behaviors of those around them. One of the easiest ways to help improve team communication is simply by communicating with those around you in an open, positive, and professional manner. Others will see your behavior and its positive outcomes and often follow suit.
Reward Good Communication: When an employee displays good communication skills, be it a stellar presentation or a timely group e-mail, make sure to call attention to it. Let the person know directly how important strong communication is to you and how much you value their actions.
Provide a Framework: Guide your employees by providing structure that creates good communication habits. For example, create a simple system or protocol for allowing employees to submit suggestions and concerns, and make sure everyone is aware of its availability. When an employee utilizes the system and submits a valuable suggestion, recognize the contribution publicly (respecting anonymity if appropriate) to reinforce to the team how vital this type of communication can be.
Stay tuned: next week we’ll continue our discussion and provide more tips for creating a strong communicative environment in the workplace.
Have a tip or trick that’s worked to improve communication in your workplace? Share your story in the comments section!
Do you want to improve your professional communication skills and learn how to make your speech work for you? Give us a call at 212-308-7725 or visit us on the web at www.corporatespeechsolutions.com and let our team of corporate speech-language pathologists help you craft your speech into your most powerful professional tool. Don’t live in NYC? No problem! Our services are Skype ready, so CSS can help you improve your communication from anywhere in the world.