Career Advice
Why Effective Communication at Work is Crucial
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 9 Aug 2017
Businesses are built on effective communication and, without it, neither an employer nor an employee can thrive or grow. It’s not something we are born with as an innate ability, but is instead an important skill that has to be learnt and developed.
Even the most successful business leaders recognise the importance of good communication. Richard Branson, arguably one of the most defining businessmen of our generation, said “communication is the most important skill any leader can possess.”
There are plenty of statistics that support this too. A study by the American Management Association (AMA) in 2010, surveying over 2,100 business leaders, found that 80.4% of the participants said that communication is the most important skill that businesses should be investing in for their employees.
Furthermore, The Holmes Report 2011 found that roughly $37 billion is lost every year in poor employee communication and misunderstandings, and it is also estimated that roughly 57% of projects fail due to a breakdown in communications.
Clearly, the importance of communication can’t be understated. So how can you develop and nurture this skill in your own organisation? It starts by having the right processes and systems in place.
There has been a wave of new technologies developed in recent times in order to aid the process of seamless communication, collaboration and project completion. Consider using tools such as Trello, designed for effective project management, or shared platforms such as Google Docs so that the team are working on the same thing at the same time.
Also think about how you communicate too. Email is still a highly effective form of communication, with an estimated 205 billion emails sent every day. However, it’s important to change and adapt with the times, and in an increasingly fast paced world, tools such as Slack allow for much more instant and effective communication between the team.
Next, it’s crucial that you place a focus on the way in which you interact as well. Without a good strategy, it doesn’t matter how many of the right tools or systems you have in place.
Create an environment in your organisation that is open, transparent and with a flat hierarchy. Allow for honest questions or feedback without the fear of reprisal, and develop a process where any of this communication is delivered effectively to the right people.
Also, avoid unnecessary buzzwords, catchphrases or jargon. Glassdoor recently ran a survey that found many businesses are keen for phrases such as “blue sky thinking” or “we’re on a journey” to be banned.
Phrases such as “we’re on a journey” are overused to the point that they almost have no substance anymore. What are you actually trying to achieve on this journey, and how are you going to achieve it? These are the questions you need to answer before communicating your message, rather than using catchphrases.
By getting this right, and having a good structure and process in place, you’ll find that teams work better together, and the business as a whole will grow.
Glassdoor Team
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