Seven Secrets to Effective Communication at Work

The skill of effective communication is something we are all keen to master.

However, it is not always that easy.

There are times when we could ‘kick ourselves’ for not saying the right thing.

Some good examples of this might be when negotiating a pay raise, promotion or annual performance review.

Fortunately, there are some proven ways to becoming an effective communicator at work.

In a recent article on the Business Insider website, an executive coach outlines seven of the best ways:

1. Plan out what you want to say

Whenever you are having an important conversation that can affect your job, it makes sense to plan ahead. The secret is to draft up a paragraph about what you plan to say. This does not have to be written formally but should be more of a ‘vision’ for how you want the conversation to go, with (preferably), a positive outcome. Of course, it also pays to be prepared for a negative response, just in case 

2. Be clear when delegating or receiving work

Many problems in the workplace occur when colleagues are either delegating or receiving jobs. Therefore, as a manager you need to be crystal clear about the terms of the assignment you are giving a staff member, the deadline, and the outcome required. Similarly, if you are receiving work, you need to clarify the information by making sure you understand everything correctly, including deadlines and outcomes

3. Encourage openness and employee engagement

For an employee to feel fully engaged and valued it is essential an organisation adopts a culture of open communication - and remains committed to it. It can do this by encouraging its employees to openly share their ideas and concerns, which in turn helps its people feel more valued and appreciated. This also goes hand in hand with creating an open and trusting environment, as well as better employee engagement and communication

4. Use ‘Non Violent Communication’ (NVC)

Well-known American author and psychologist, the late Marshall Rosenberg, first put forward NVC as an excellent vehicle for effective communication and ‘constructive’ criticism more than 20 years ago.

NVC can be very useful when delivering feedback on workplace behaviour. Basically it involves stating your feelings and observations calmly and clearly, and using the ‘I’ word rather than ‘You’, when communicating. This helps ensure the person you are communicating with feels less defensive or offended, by what you say, especially in sensitive situations

5. Be polite and professional at all times

This is another useful secret to effective communication, as by encouraging your staff to be gracious, polite and empathetic, the word will soon spread. Indeed, by practising empathy and courtesy throughout the organisation, this culture of respect and professionalism should soon become synonymous with the company itself, leading to many benefits

6. Learning to connect emotionally with people

Another important secret to effective communication is the ability to connect emotionally with people. Often called Emotional Intelligence (or EI), the area has in recent years been made world-famous by renowned US author and psychologist Daniel Goleman. Put simply, EI is a learned ability that greatly affects the quality of our decisions, behaviour and responses towards other. Importantly, EI is not just about how you feel, but also how aware you are of your own state of mind, and that of those around you

7. Practise ‘active listening’

Finally, by practising active listening, you can ensure people feel heard and valued when you are communicating with them.

Some good ways to do this include:

·     Listen more, talk less

·     Never interrupt

·     Avoid finishing other people’s sentences

·     Do not answer questions with questions

·     Reiterate what the other person has said to ensure you understand them correctly.