Communication is the foundation of any successful business. It’s so important that miscommunications can be detrimental to your company’s bottom line. As a business owner, it’s your job to ensure that everyone in your team is communicating effectively.
- Profile your employees (it’s also a great tool for your other relationships too hehe!) Profiling is a great way to understand how you and how your employees communicate. Some people communicate better through visual presentations, while others prefer written reports. Once you get a sense of how everyone communicates, you can tailor your message to each individual’s needs.
- Embrace the silence. As leaders, we feel like we have to have all the answers. That we need to be in control of the conversation and speak more. This can lead to reacting rather than responding, which means sometimes our point won’t come across accurately. Instead, I challenge you to take a deep breath before you respond, sit into the silence for 3-5 seconds and see how much clearer your communication becomes.
- Create safe words or safe spaces. These phrases have ranged from “I need to think about this, I’ll get back to you in 24 hours.” or “The story I’m telling myself is…”, or even just saying, “I’m not feeling great today, can I please get back to you when I have space to take in what you need to tell me?”. By creating a safe space for your employees, you’ll encourage open, honest communication which can only help your business.
- Encourage a horizontal business structure. I have never liked the traditional business hierarchy as it often stifles us from forming relationships with our co-workers and managers. That’s why I encourage you to think about arranging a business organisation chart that doesn’t place any individual above another. Trust me, this makes a HUGE difference!
- Communicate in the way that will best have your message heard. Whether it’s an email or a face to face conversation, it’s important to tailor your message to your audience. Take the time to understand how your employees like to communicate, and adjust your communication accordingly.
Communication is at the heart of any successful business, and miscommunications can be detrimental to your bottom line. By profiling your employees, embracing the silence, creating safe spaces, encouraging a horizontal business structure, and tailoring your message to each individual, you can help foster open, honest communication within your team. Remember, communication is a two-way street, so be sure to listen as well as speak. With a little effort and attention to detail, you can overcome miscommunications and keep your business thriving.
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1 年Couldn't agree more Jade Green - communication is key and can make or break a situation. All these tips are fabulous - I particularly love the embracing silence piece. When I went to Harvard a few yers ago, as a student, I experienced the incredible shift in understanding, insight and perspective if the facilitator is brave enough to hold the space of silence knowing that at some point someone will choose to fill that space and unlock the conversation that actually needs to be had. It was such a phenomenal thing to experience that I incorporate silence and space to think and percolate in all my corporate training programs.
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1 年So much yes, communication is key!!!