To maintain a positive and healthy environment at work, communication is the key but most of us struggle communicating with our co workers because we don’t have much idea about how to communicate professionally with someone, however, you should worry not as these simple yet effective communication tips help you with your communication problems at the office:
1. Have Clear And Robust Communication Channels
Communication at work or office can suffer if there are no robust channels available for employees and they don’t know how they should communicate with others in the office. If the hierarchy structure is ambiguous in the office, it is not clear who should report to whom, then it can also cause a hurdle in communication. Sometimes, when employees don’t know where they can find information then it can also create communication gaps.
This all can be solved if proper communication channels are put into place and a good communication strategy is developed so no one has a hard time finding his/her way around. There should be a well-defined pecking order in the team regardless of the size or functionality and each employee should know where they fit in that hierarchy. Plus, the environment of the office shouldn’t be too hard so that new employees have a hard time asking for information.
A team communication app can also be a useful team to help improve communication among the employees at your office.
2. Respect Others’ Communication Preferences
In your office, there will be people from different generations working together. Some people will be from the 80s, some will be from the 90s, and others will be from the 2000s and every member of the team is bound to have his/her preferred method of communication. Some people would like to communicate face to face, others would prefer that you email them.
You should respect your co-workers’ communication preferences and communicate with them the way they want you to. For instance, if a coworker doesn’t respond to an email then you should stop emailing him and instead talk to him directly.
You can easily find the preferred communications of your coworkers from the employee profile on the HR portal and communicate with them in their preferred way.
3. Examine Your Communication Style
Sometimes the reason behind ineffective communication is not the other party but it is all you because of the way you communicate with your colleagues at the office. You may be getting too personal with them or opening up too much that they are not comfortable with all of this. You may be sending IMs and emails to your co-workers that are full of emojis or you may be communicating with your superior at the office in a tone that is not appropriate.
Along with all of this, you should also pay attention to nonverbal cues like your body language, eye contact, etc. Both verbal and non-verbal cues are an important part of communication and how you communicate is a reflection of your professionalism.
If you are struggling with communicating with others around the office then perhaps it is time that you examine your communication style and how you sound when you talk with others. When you know your communication style and your weaknesses then it will be easier for you to rectify your weak points and communicate effectively.
4. Interact With Coworkers On A Personal Level
To have a more meaningful relationship with your co-workers, you should try to interact with them on a personal level to get to know them better. You are spending most of your time with these people and it would be nice if you can catch up with each other after work.
You can get involved in team-building activities that can help develop a healthy working relationship, you can have coffee together, play fun and quick games with each other including cards game such as Solitaire, Poker, Rummy, Spider Solitaire, etc with each other that can be very helpful plus staying in touch with each other through IMs, group chats, and email can also be a good thing.
5. Keep Written Communication Simple and Direct
Try to keep written communication short, simple, and direct because no one has the time to read all the long paragraphs that you wrote in the email and dig through the paragraphs to find out what you are trying to say. Complex explanations and recommendations can make your colleagues around you confused.
Whenever you are communicating with someone through an email or any written form then keep everything direct and simple so that they don’t need any clarification or explanation. Also, avoid adding acronyms or technical terms that can slow down the process. Even if it is mandatory to go into the details, try to keep everything simple by using headings, sub-headings, bullet points, etc to highlight the important points.
6. Be A Good Listener
One of the big reasons why we struggle with communication is because most of us are bad listeners and we don’t even know it. Someone may be talking to you while you may be involved in sorting out the documents or faxing a document to your client.
When someone is talking to you then you should give them your full attention and listen to what they have to say and when they are finished, ask questions to validate their points.