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In theory, communication should come easy – we spend most of our lives engaged in some form of communication, be it speaking, listening, reading, or writing. However, being able to communicate effectively at work requires a specialized set of skills.
With this workplace communication guide, we will walk you through the best practices for communication to promote strong and successful office environments and offer clear examples.
To start, understanding the basics of professional workplace communication will help you establish strong relationships with your colleagues, sharpen your teamwork skills, and increase your work quality. In the case of supervisors, managers, and employers, knowing how to promote effective workplace communication will boost employee productivity and office morale.
Whether you are talking to your partner or engaging with work colleagues, effective communication combines a set of four skills:
Professional workplace communication skills are difficult to master. The following tips can help you implement effective communication in your day-to-day operations and make your work a more positive place.
Excellent listening skills are crucial for promoting effective workplace communication. Engaged listening is the act of focusing solely on what the other person is saying during a conversation – no phone contact, no listening to others conversation, no planning what you will say next.
According to workplace communication expert Elisia Stewart, when you listen to someone, they are more inclined to listen to you, too. Stewart offers the following tips for effective, engaged listening:
When you practice engaged listening, a rich exchange of ideas occurs during the conversation. Since you’re not distracted by your next project deadline or what you’ll be eating for lunch that day, you (and your conversation partner) will absorb more information from your conversation. This information can improve your professional relationships, contribute to current projects, and even create innovative ideas within the workplace.
It is important to pay attention to nonverbal communication and body language when discussing effective communication in the workplace. Body language is crucial to establishing professional relationships. Paying attention to your gestures, posture, and facial expressions will help you convey positive and open messages with your body language. These positive and open messages are crucial to communicating effectively at work.
Keep the following concepts in mind when assessing your nonverbal communication:
Stress and out-of-control emotions can harm how you communicate effectively at work. Stress causes a person to act in ways that they may later regret, such as lashing out unexpectedly or breaking down due to a minor inconvenience.
Stress also implicitly affects your body language and your focus; when you’re stressed, you may find yourself becoming more restless and distracted. This can create undesirable body language cues, such as a shaking leg or avoidance of eye contact, which communicates disinterest to your conversation partner. This also impacts your ability to practice engaged listening.
The following tips can help you manage stress effectively:
These tips may not work for everyone; it’s important to find management strategies and apply these strategies to tricky situations that may involve difficult communication.
Communicating in a direct and assertive way is an effective strategy for workplace communication. This provides clarity to your statements. Sometimes, when people are trying to be nice, they sound passive instead. Your self-confidence and decision-making skills will improve through this honest and open communication strategy.
However, there is a fine line between arrogance and assertiveness. You do not want to come off as hostile, aggressive, or demanding. The goal of professional workplace communication is to understand the other person, not to combat them.
The following tips can help you effectively improve direct and assertive communication strategies:
By analyzing and understanding the basics about workplace communication, it can help to come up with a strategy that works best for your work environment. See how employees are communicating with one another and learn what communication skills work best with each. Every person is different, so what might work for one, may not for another. Whether it be talking with your colleagues, listening to them, or reading their body language, understanding these skills and learning to work with them will help to create a more productive work environment.
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