Communication is a major part of any relationship. In business, there is no way to have a positive working relationship without great communication. A lot of time and effort goes into getting your employees the tools they need to potentially be successful, but without the right mindset and practices, nothing will go the way you anticipate. Let’s look at four variables that are needed by you and your employees if you want to have crystal clear communications.
Nothing is more frustrating than going through a whole plan of action only to have a person or people on your team not be on the same page because they were not paying attention to the particulars when the team was going through them. Whenever you are in a group setting, providing your undivided attention, while admittedly difficult with the constant stream of things going on all the time, is important. No matter how boring or redundant you may think a topic is, avoiding spacing out or compulsively checking your phone is not only critical, it’s just polite.
When a person monopolizes a conversation, it makes the other people around them tune them out. Even if you are a team leader or decision maker that has very specific demands of how a project or task gets completed, you need to take the time to listen to the questions and concerns that the people who are working on it have.
When you are in a leadership role, it is important that you not only direct action, but also educate and inspire the people around you. If your communication is going to cut through to your whole team, you need to ensure that what you say is well thought out and has substance. The best way to accomplish this is to plan your meetings ahead and be ready to inspire and lead rather than question and degrade.
Finally, you will want to follow up in writing (or via your CRM) after you have a meeting with your team. Failing to do so may be detrimental as line-items that you may have briefly touched on and thought everyone understood could be overlooked. Not only should you come into your meeting with a general outline of what you need to touch on, you should also assign someone to take down notes in the meeting and have them share them with the team.
Business communication isn’t all about technology. It is also about how you and your team use that technology to improve the outcomes of your projects and tasks. At First Column IT, we work with Northern Virginia businesses of all types and sizes and help them get the communication and collaboration solutions they need to drive their business forward. We can certainly help your business. Give our consultants a call today at (571) 470-5594 to learn more.
