A workplace is made up of various teams, each with different personalities and characters. For a company to run, it is essential for there to be communication between individuals of each team and team-to-team communication. If there is clear and effective communication, then the company objectives will be met more efficiently, and hence the business will become more successful.
Clear communication is when two parties talk and listen to each other simply and concisely. Effective communication is when what was communicated has been done in a way that results in both parties sharing a good understanding of what was said, and then acting on what was communicated to them. To ensure clear communication as a manager, it is important to have a good plan of what they are going to say, perhaps in the form of bullet points, so they are confident that they will cover all the points that they want to address. So, overall, the communicator must choose their words carefully. If this is done, and communication is clear to individuals of a team, then they will understand what is asked of them and their job role, and therefore they will know exactly what they have to do in order to meet the organization’s targets. Additionally, to ensure effectiveness, it is important for the communicator to manipulate their volume, pitch, and tone of voice so that their audience is engaged, because the more engagement with the talker, the more of what is being said will be absorbed and understood. In addition, a manager’s facial expressions and body language must match what they are saying, otherwise, it looks as if that person is being dishonest. People will not listen to or follow someone who is saying one thing and acting another way. In a workplace, if the manager is preaching to do something according to business standards but they themselves are acting inappropriately, this does not set a good example, and you will find work members start to get relaxed and don’t care or follow the company’s standards and protocols as well. When there is no mutual respect between the parties, there is bound to be conflict. So, how someone presents themselves in the way they look, listen, move, and react to someone else is essential to successful communication, as well as the words that were said. If the team lead communicates clearly, concisely, accurately, and with full confidence, they come across as a person that has confidence, knowledge, and presence, and therefore it is more likely that the team will respect them, come to them for any problems, and follow their lead. So, therefore, having a good team leader is important to achieve the company targets.
Clear and effective communication is needed in the workplace so that work colleagues can connect with the manager and understand what they are saying. If something is communicated well, it comes across as that person understands what they are talking about, so it is more likely the person who is receiving the information will have confidence and trust in that person, creating a trustworthy bond between these two people. If the members of a team don’t feel comfortable enough to go to someone in higher authority for help, then the tasks won’t be completed and to the standard that is expected because the team is scared to ask for help, so it is very important for the team lead to communicate well. Also, if a team lead is consistently and clearly communicating with everyone and they are doing it effectively by using good body language, smiling, having eye contact, and listening to their team members, then it will come across as that person is genuine and is a nice and friendly person. People work for people, and if there is mutual trust between the team, the business will thrive. On the other hand, if a team lead was rude, did not talk to anyone, and was fiddling whilst someone was trying to communicate with them, there won’t be any motivation for the team members to work hard because there is no mutual respect. A positive and friendly work environment ensures individuals work harder for a manager that they have trust and respect and a good relationship with, ensuring a more thriving and successful workforce. Building good relationships between work colleagues is important in a workplace because everyone is there for a shared common goal, and the friendlier everyone is to each other, it creates a more positive work environment where people will work to their best potential and engage with their other colleagues. Also, by knowing what everyone is doing at work or having people there that you know you can approach, everyone can therefore work to their best ability. This leads to good job satisfaction and a sense of self-worth and belonging, ensuring that the person will want to stay in the company and work hard for it. Good relationships keep morale up in the workplace where things can usually become quite stressful. If work colleagues did not get on with each other because of unclear and poor communication, then there wouldn’t be a happy positive working atmosphere, and everyone will be in rivalry with each other rather than working in unison like a team should.
Another reason why clear and effective communication is important is so you can express what you really mean. For example, a team leader has a responsibility to inform and educate. This can only be done by having good communication. If the team lead is clear with what they are saying, then the team members are more likely to understand because everything is said quite simply and to the point. If the team lead is not clear enough, then they haven’t achieved the job role of a team leader because they are not relaying to the team what is needed of them, and as a result, the organizational targets may not be met. The individuals of the team may come to their own conclusions about what was said, and therefore everyone may work differently from each other, which can lead to conflict. Also, if the team lead uses effective communication via different methods, for example, keeping the colleagues entertained or being persuasive and giving incentives for achieving targets, then it is more likely the team members will retain the knowledge rather than just simply understanding. If team members understand what is said at a team meeting but do not remember it the day after, then the whole meeting was pointless, and it leads to the whole team once again not having a shared common goal, and this can create conflict between individuals.
Another reason why is it important to communicate clearly and effectively is to navigate through challenging situations at work. For example, if a work colleague can clearly and concisely explain to their team lead what is leading to their underperformance by speaking about facts more than emotions, then it is more likely that the team lead will empathize and understand the work colleague because the individual is being realistic and understands that they have a responsibility towards the company. It is already hard to deal with a challenging situation, but if someone can address this as a concern by communicating, then both parties can work to some form of conclusion. This can avoid any conflicts within the workplace environment. Sometimes, if a problem is kept quiet, it can build up to a point where it leads to frustration and annoyance within a team. Ultimately, it may lead to one of the team members leaving. So, to avoid this and any misunderstandings and to put less pressure on the business, it is important to communicate clearly, so that if there is a problem, it can be rectified.
And a final reason why effective and clear communication is important in the workplace is because it increases innovation. The more conversations that are had between team members at work, the more likely they will be stimulating and will spark creativity within some individuals. By communicating clearly and effectively with each other, it is more likely that the team will collaborate and come to a decision much more easily and quickly than a team who do not talk to each other or talk aggressively with each other. By having more engagement within a team, it builds the team up, and therefore it helps with making key decisions, which then leads to an improvement in company performance. Successful communication leads to teams working in a way that is necessary for the business to flourish and thrive, and furthermore, without innovation, the company cannot grow, it becomes stagnant, and it is less likely to continue to be successful.
To sum up all of the above, clear and effective communication is extremely important in the workplace, as it contributes to the creation of a favorable environment in which the company's goals will be achieved more effectively, and therefore, the business will undoubtedly be successful.