How to Improve Your Communication Skills in 5 Simple Steps

While your business may have separate departments of operation, you are all working toward a common goal for the business. Everyone works differently, which is why the key to any business’s success is strong communication between all teams in your business. Regardless of where your team is at currently with communication, these simple steps can help your team work together more cohesively!

1. Be an active listener.

Are you truly listening to your team members? If you’re doodling away in a meeting, writing emails during a Zoom call, or interrupting with your own ideas or solutions, you’re not actively listening.

2. Hold effective meetings.

If you just start adding meetings to the calendar every other day, you’re probably going to have a lot of groaning and grumbling employees. Improving communication doesn’t mean hosting more meetings. The trick is to host efficient and meaningful meetings instead.

3. Explain the why.

When you ask an employee to start doing research for a new project or download reports, try explaining why you’re asking them to do the task. You may ask an employee to download reports for something they worked on last month.

With no explanation, they may worry that their performance was poor and they are in trouble when really you just want to apply the numbers to a new company initiative you’re working toward.?

Regardless of the task and reason, share why you are asking for certain things. This can also help avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications among the team.

4. Check-in with employees.

Even if you have an open-door policy that invites employees to speak their minds to you at any time, not everyone will take advantage of this open communication line. Some employees may feel nervous to share their thoughts or prefer to keep to themselves.

Host one-on-one meetings periodically, perhaps once a month or per quarter, to check in with each team member.?

5. Ask for feedback.

Communication is a two-way street. In addition to leading productive meetings and checking in with employees on their tasks and project progress, you should also welcome feedback on your own performance and the company as a whole.

This can happen during one-on-one meetings, or offer regular surveys for employees to fill out. Offer an option to submit feedback anonymously as well, which can help some employees feel more comfortable speaking up.

How many of these communication skills would you say you feel are strong within your business? Which do you think you could spend some time improving upon? Regardless of where you’re at with your business, these simple steps can help foster strong communication between all members of your team!

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