Effective communication is key to your business' success

Communication plays a vital element in every aspect of our lives whether we realise it or not. It is defined as the exchange of information between two or more people and we often assume that this refers to just written and verbal communication. Howevercommunication is more than just words, it can be your facial expressions, your body language or the tone of voice you use, all of these things convey a message to the person you’re communicating to.

In business much of your time is spent communicating, be that internally by conveying your business goals, reinforcing your values, discussions and following up with colleagues and teaching your team, or externally by liaising with third parties, speaking with customers or marketing your product or service. This communication is only deemed successful when both the sender and receiver understand the same information. Without this understanding, a message can turn into error or frustration by being misinterpreted or poorly delivered.

Organisational communication is a core component of any business and without it, the tasks and procedures that need to be carried out in order for the business to run would not occur. We took a look at the top 5 reasons why you need to ensure that your office talk is effective. 

Builds relationships
As humans we’re instinctively social creatures (some more than others) and we have a desire to make friends. Forming good relationships at work through positive communication can make you happier and more productive. A survey by the Gallup Organisation found that people who have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.

Encourages innovation
Being innovative relies on people engaging to explore new topics, learn new ideas and express opinions. Innovation is a collaborative process that inevitably means a number of people working together to create and solve problems. Ideas almost always get better as they are shared and reworked so it is essential that the team are communicating effectively for this process to take place.

Creates a team
Open communication is a concept that many companies claim to value, but very few actually achieve. The idea is that all parties within a business are able to express ideas with one another and moves away from the traditional top down way of communicating allowing everyone’s voices to heard. Open communication creates a more cohesive team and can also boost employee morale. If your employees are well informed of the company’s vision and goals they will feel secure in their roles.

Managing employees
To lead others, you mustdemonstrate effective communication skills. Whilst good communication is important in all aspects of the business it is none more so than for a manager. Managers who are able to pass information on to their team effectively allow their staff to know exactly what their responsibilities are and what is expected of them. Equally, by forming positive relationships with their employees they create the grounding for open communication and the the ability to provide constructive feedback. 

Growing the company
If you can get all the above points right and communicate effectively within your business then, as a consequence, your setting your business up for growth. A report from Towers Watson's found that "companies that communicate with courage, innovation and discipline, especially during times of economic challenge and change, are more effective at engaging employees and achieving desired business results."

Sometimes the difference between a good and a bad job are the people that you work with. Forming positive relationships with your team benefits your company in many ways and is especially important as your small business continues to grow. This is all done through effective communication, so why not take a step back to think about the way your team communicates with one another? 

Join us for our workshop with Stephen Spencer, co-author of It’s a zoo around here, where you and your team can become zookeepers by identifying different communication styles to tame the way you communicate and dramatically improve your communication outcomes.