When hiring, one of the first qualities managers look for in new employees are superior communication skills. Smart managers recognize that creative employees with great ideas offer little value if they lack the communication skills necessary to adequately share those ideas in the workplace. To improve upon communication at work, managers build upon strengths while identifying and eliminating weaknesses.
People begin communicating early in life; thus, it’s something many take for granted. However, some people communicate more effectively than others. Effective communicators recognize two vital aspects of communication -- sharing both the intended information and the meaning of that information with their intended audience. Most communication errors occur because one of those two aspects of a message is missing. For instance, if a supervisor instructs an employee to have a project completed by noon, but the employee hears "two," the message was ineffective because, while the proper meaning was communicated -- completing the project -- the correct information -- having it done by noon -- was not.
Skilled communicators recognize that effective communication takes forethought. For example, smart managers first evaluate their intended audience to gauge such factors as the current mood, audience education level and the context of the situation, and they frame their message accordingly. Effective communicators also evaluate all the possible channels available for communicating, such as face-to-face, over the phone and via email, and they choose the channel best suited for that particular message and audience.
Also key to communicating effectively is learning to engage in actively listening: It takes two people -- a sender and a receiver -- to communicate. Effective communicators avoid distractions and focus on more than just the spoken word. They evaluate body language and tone of voice for clues to gauge whether their intended audience comprehends the message. Skilled communicators in the workplace also encourage open feedback, recognizing that communication is a constant process.
Typical weaknesses in communication include failure to adequately consider the needs of the audience. For example, rushed employees trying to meet deadlines often overload their audience with information, losing important details in the process. Additionally, many communicators inadequately evaluate their audience and ignore the impact of such crucial details as cultural background or education level on the communication process. For instance, industry experts who speak only in jargon will lose members of a general audience lacking experience with those terms.
Ineffective communicators also underestimate the affect of physical distractions and emotional interference on their audience. Audiences often discount a speaker’s message if she uses bad grammar, appears sloppy or lacks enthusiasm for the topic.
Building Strengths While Avoiding Weaknesses
Smart business managers encourage communication strengths in the workplace by modeling superior communication skills with their own messages. Effective communicators educate themselves on the their employees’ individual frames of reference and adapt their messages accordingly. They recognize that meaning exists not in words, but in the people who use those words, and they use language that their audience will understand, avoiding slang, jargon or colloquial expressions. Most important, however, smart business managers actively listen to their audience, ask questions and encourage feedback to ensure that both the intended information and meaning of a message are understood.
- “Business Communication: Process and Product,” Mary Ellen Guffey; 2008
- Businesswoman with black binder using a phone image by Monika 3 Steps Ahead from Fotolia.com