Sometimes we just do not get each other. When recruiting we tend recruit individuals with the right experience, technical skills, and competencies. Usually, this person is the right fit, you know it from the interview, but there is always uncertainty how they fit into the team.
But what if that isn’t the case, what if there are other factors causing an employee to struggle with communication – be it education, life experiences, external factors, or just internal beliefs?
Good communication can result in:
Conflict typically comes down to misunderstanding or feeling misunderstood – different communication styles can create misunderstanding. Consider how the individual you are communicating with likes to hear the information, how does your audience listen? It can also come down to feelings, yes, all the feels – tensions can rise from feelings of disrespect or being disregarded. Exploring communication styles within your team is a big step towards mitigating conflict.
Communication is not just about talking, it is connecting with people. A culture of good communication results in engaged employees who are aligned with company objectives and goals, doing their job well!
Good communication by employers can improve employee engagement through better understanding what your needs and goals of your employees are, what motivates and fulfills them. By building a connection between co-workers you have a more positive work environment. This leads into better relationships with between the team. Easy. Have a look at what information you share with your staff, what information do you seek from your staff and how do you go about it?
So, it follows on that if your customer service or client facing employees are happy, then their interactions will be the difference between satisfied or disgruntled. They can understand the needs of the clients, work to resolve any issues, listen to the customer and work with the customer to enable them to hear what they need to understand. Understanding customer communication styles is just as important as understanding your colleagues.
At the end of the day, you will know a whole lot more about your team, your clients, how to communicate with everyone, how they communicate with you and why they communicate with you. Everyone is productive when they are happy, when they know what they are doing, that they are appreciated for it and rewarded accordingly.
Communication is integral to everything we do, take some time to explore how you and your team communicate. It is a step you will not regret.