Communication is vital in any workplace, especially offices that have many different departments and teams. But with busy schedules and inefficient tools, maintaining strong communication in the office can be a challenge. Don’t let poor communication bring your team down. Think about these five ways to boost communication in your workplace.
Fewer, but better quality meetings
Sometimes more meetings mean less quality communication. Think about how often you really need to meet. If a session doesn’t have a compelling purpose, it might be a waste of time. Send out a meeting agenda prior to the meeting, to get everyone on the same page. This way, the team can come prepared with talking points, and you have an agenda to keep the conversation on track. Put a time limit on meetings to keep them efficient, and be sure to circulate the minute notes afterward. It’s vital to have the discussion points and agreed actions written down to refer to later.
Informal opportunities for communication
It’s not all about official meetings. Establishing an open door policy can ensure quality communication between managers, HR, and the team. This is all about making staff feel comfortable to approach management with any issues that affect their work, whether that be related to the office or problems in their personal life. Having a clear line for communication can really improve the dynamics in the office.
Learn about different communication preferences
In your team, you’re likely to have a mixture of personalities and preferences. Some people will be more introverted or prefer to communicate via email and Slack, while others will enjoy the ability to bounce around ideas in the office freely. No single communication style is the ‘right’ one. But understanding how others differ is really important for workplace harmony and can prevent coworkers from jumping to conclusions, or getting on each other’s nerves. Try to encourage an environment where people can speak openly about their working preferences.
Get the right tools for the job
There are so many tools out there to aid in workplace communication. Find the ones that are right for your team – for instance, if you often work onsite, you might opt for two-way radios from Altech Electronics Inc., while if you are based in-office you’ll likely need cloud-based communication software to be installed on each staff computer – but try not to overcomplicate it by spreading conversations over multiple platforms or devices. If this happens, staff will end up wasting a lot of time searching for the information you’ve discussed as a team. Using cloud email for your business can help to keep calendars, emails, and tasks all in one place.
A multifaceted communications platform such as SkySwitch would definitely be able to help you consolidate all your communications technologies into one place. This will make it easier for you and your staff. It is simply better to streamline your communications as much as you can to make them more reliable and efficient.
Think ahead
In many workplaces, often there are so many moving parts that decisions are made without key team members being informed.
Try to find ways to avoid this, as it can lead to inefficiencies and breed resentment or ill-feeling. If possible, inform the relevant parties of decisions in plenty of time and have systems in place to spread important news within the company. This could be as simple as a weekly email from HR going through the key news for each team. Helping staff to stay in the loop is crucial for morale as well as for productivity.
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