Whether you’re all functioning in one small office or have team members scattered across the world, communicating with your colleagues isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Luckily, it’s not the hardest either, and it all comes down to knowing who these people are and how to approach them. Also, you should think about finding ways to improve your communication as much as you can, from finding more time to talk to them face to face, to organizing special events where you and your team members can relax and enjoy some quality time together.
If these are the things you’re interested in doing as well, here are several amazing and efficient strategies that will help you take your communication to a whole new level.
Learn more about your team members
As mentioned before, this is one of the ways to boost your communication and start making the most of the time you’re spending with your coworkers. No matter how big your company is and how many people work in it, making sure every single person knows the people they work with is crucial for great communication. This also affects employee productivity, motivation, and willingness to keep bringing their A-game to the office day after day – and these are three of the most important things for the growth and success of the company as a whole.
Finding out more about the people you’re surrounded with shouldn’t be too hard, and there’s just one thing you need to do if you wish to accomplish that – talk to your team members! After all, you’re spending eight or nine hours a day together, so don’t be afraid to communicate and let them know more about you while you’re learning more about them. This also includes speaking up at team meetings and assemblies, so be sure you do that as well. Doing that might not always be easy, so remember to support each other and encourage people to speak up as often as possible. Soon, you’ll all know everything there is to know about each other, and your communication will be perfect.
Encourage purposeful communication
Regardless of the size of the company, here are two types of communication in the workplace – work-related and not work-related. And while most people prefer the latter because that includes talking about their private lives and personal matters that are much more interesting and enjoyable than talking about work, the former is more important when it comes to the general growth and success of your business. That’s why this is what you need to insist on when establishing communication with your team members.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to talk about work and nothing else all the time, but when you’re dealing with work-related matters and important issues that might determine the future of everyone’s jobs, try not to talk about private affairs. Make sure everyone knows who they’re talking to, what they need to discuss, what sort of outcome are they aiming at, and how to keep the conversation as short and effective as they can. This is the only way to update the communication within your team and make it more purposeful than ever before.
Rely on new technologies
Back in the day, the only way companies could strive was the good old regular team meeting on Mondays or Fridays. This was when all the employees would come together and assemble in one giant conference room, ready to listen to their supervisors and bosses who would tell them what they’re supposed to be doing next week. While generally considered to be semi-effective, these meetings weren’t inspiring or creative at all, which is why they’re considered to be obsolete now that we have all those technological advances and innovations available to us.
The productivity, simplicity, and practicality of these ideas and platforms are just some of the reasons why you should start using them right now as well. That’s particularly the case with tools and apps that focus on concrete projects and details that define them, from deadlines to performance assessment and everything in between. Using these employee engagement tools will make everything that’s going on easier, simpler, quicker, and more transparent than it’s ever been, and this transparency will also make your communication more effective and precise. These things are crucial for the success of your company and your team in particular, so relying on new technologies and trying them out ASAP is a win-win solution for all companies out there.
Insist on regular updates
This is another way to make sure everyone in your team is always on the same page and knows what the next steps for your team are. No matter how often you meet and organize assemblies, you need to update everyone on what’s happening and what they might expect. This is especially true in case someone misses a team meeting or isn’t in a position to follow the team communication channel on your preferred tools and apps, so filling them in is something you need to insist on the most.
Regular updates are important when speaking about the status and progress of the projects you’re working on as a team as well.
You may all know the deadline for the completion of your project, but do you know what needs to be happening week after week? Well, unless you find that out, you won’t be able to complete your tasks and help your team succeed in the long run. And the only way to make that happen is to encourage proper team communication and encourage every member of your team to share vital information and updates with everyone else regularly. If that doesn’t happen, your team members will lose trust in one another, get agitated, and, most importantly, miss deadlines and fail to complete their job.
Be ready to listen to each other
Listening is one of the pillars of great communication and it’s as important as talking. This is particularly important in the case of big teams with lots of people who have to work together to complete their tasks and get the job done. Whether you’re meeting in person or handling your communication using new technology and advanced apps, everybody needs to pay attention to the input they’re receiving and the feedback they’re getting from their colleagues and superiors.
Fortunately, even if you’re not the best listener in the world, you can boost your listening skills and get better at it than before. A few simple solutions – posing questions, asking for clarification, and paying close attention to the person you’re talking to – can go a long way and make an amazing listener. In the end, this is one of those skills that won’t just benefit your team and your entire company, but you as an individual as well. People with great listening skills are quite rare nowadays and therefore very important, which is why this is something that can make you more influential and help you take your career to the next level.
Accentuate the value of transparency
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how big, lucrative, and successful your company is – unless everyone is completely honest with everyone else, you won’t be able to realize your full potential. This doesn’t apply to the relationship between the employer and all the employees, but among the staff as well. And if you’re a part of a team of people who work together every single day, being open, honest, and transparent are the things you can’t put a price on.
Transparency is especially important when it comes to communication in your team. If you’re withholding information and not being honest about what’s going, you’ll never be able to gain your team members’ trust and make all your dreams come true. So, whether you’re in the office, functioning remotely, or working from home, you need to know all the info and be aware of what you have to do, and that’s the only way to do your job properly.
Work on constructive criticism and feedback
Here’s yet another amazing way to make everything right in your team and do whatever you need to do without wasting everyone’s time, energy, and patience. Some people aren’t fans of receiving criticism because they often see this as an attack on their performance and their personality, but the truth is that constructive criticism – and the emphasis is on constructive – could be the best way to establish proper team communication and help your colleagues perform better than ever.
Providing constructive criticism isn’t always easy, but if you know how to do it, what to say, and how to act, you’ll be doing everyone a huge favor. Some of the things you need to focus on include staying positive, emphasizing your team member’s accomplishments instead of focusing on their failures, being open for their answer, and being as detailed and accurate as possible. And once you establish open communication among everyone involved and get everyone ready to give and receive criticism and feedback, you’ll improve your communication and boost your performance.
No matter how well you know your team members, talking to them can sometimes be difficult. So, don’t be afraid to check these tips out and find out the ideas that might work for you and your colleagues the most!
