Why is Communication Important: Great Communication at Work

Communication is Key

In all aspects of life, this is a very important tool. Whether it involves telling your boss you made a mistake, expressing yourself to a loved one, or your body language and tone of voice when discussing ideas with a friend, communication permeates every aspect of our lives.

But why is communication important? What does it offer us in a professional sense? And how can you improve communications within your organisation? By the end of this guide, you should have all the answers you need.

How Important is it to Your Personal & Social Life?

Communication is very important in both our personal and social life. It allows us to interact with others, build relationships, and share ideas. It also helps us to resolve conflicts, understand different points of view, and make better decisions.

In our personal life, its how we express our feelings, needs, and desires. It’s how we tell our partner that we love them, or how we ask our friend for a favour. Good communication can strengthen our relationships, but if its poor, it can damage them.

In our social life, communication is how we interact with the world around us. It’s how we make new friends, share ideas, and build relationships. It’s also how we resolve conflicts and make decisions.

Factors of Communication

Communication involves more than just the words we say. It also includes our body language, tone of voice, and the way we listen. All of these factors can affect the way our message is received.

For example, have you ever been in a conversation where you could tell that the other person wasn’t really listening to you? Maybe they were looking around the room, or their body language suggested they were distracted. This can make us feel devalued and unimportant.

On the other hand, have you ever been in a conversation where the other person was making eye contact, nodding their head, and smiling? This can make us feel valued and appreciated.

It’s important to be aware of all the factors that affect communication, so that we can make sure our message is being received the way we intended.

How Important is Communication to Your Professional Life?

In the workplace, communication is just as important as it is in our personal life. It can help to build relationships, resolve conflict, and make better decisions. It can also help to improve job satisfaction, teamwork, and productivity.

On the other hand, poor communication can damage relationships, cause conflict, and lead to decreased job satisfaction, productivity, and teamwork. It can also result in miscommunication, which can have a ripple effect throughout an organisation. Let’s explore some of the key reasons why communication is vital in the workplace.

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Factors of Communication at Work

There are many factors that can affect communication in the workplace. These include the type of organisation, the size of the team, the culture of the organisation, and the relationship between employees and management.

It’s also important to consider how technology is used in the workplace. With more and more people working remotely, connecting a disparate workforce through the use of email, an intranet, or an Enterprise Social Network such as Yammer or Workplace from Meta is essential, so it’s important to consider how these tools can affect communication.

For example, have you ever sent an email that was misinterpreted? Or had a conversation via an instant messenger that left you feeling confused or frustrated? These are just some of the ways that technology can affect communication in the workplace.

It’s important to be aware of all the factors, so that you can make sure your message is being received the way you intended.

Here’s further reading on people management skills.

Why is Communication Important in the Workplace? Eight Key Reasons

1. Effective Communication Builds Relationships

In the workplace, communication is how we build relationships with our colleagues. It’s how we get to know them, share ideas, and resolve conflicts. Good communication can help to build strong working relationships, while poor communication can damage them.

This becomes vital when we work in teams, as strong working relationships are essential for teamwork. Good communication can help to build trust, understanding, and respect between team members. It can also help to create a positive team environment and improve your overall team culture.

2. Strong Communication Resolves Conflict

Conflict is a normal part of any relationship, and the workplace is no different. Whether it’s a clash of personalities or a disagreement about an important issue, conflict can arise in any workplace.

Good communication is essential for resolving conflict in the workplace. It can help to build understanding, respect, and trust between employees. It can also help to find a resolution that is acceptable to both parties.

3. Improving Communication Improves Productivity

In the workplace, communication is how work gets done. Whether it’s instructions to employees, sharing information with colleagues, or discussing ideas with clients, it is essential for getting work done.

It can improve productivity by ensuring that work is done efficiently and effectively. It can also help to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication, which can lead to wasted time and resources.

4. Direct Communication Makes Better Decisions

In the workplace, communication is how we make decisions. Whether it’s deciding on a new course of action, negotiating a contract, or resolving a conflict, communication is essential for making decisions.

Good communication can help to make better decisions by ensuring that all parties have a chance to share their ideas and concerns. It can also help to find a resolution that is acceptable to all parties involved.

5. Engaging Communication Improves Job Satisfaction

In the workplace, communication is how we interact with our colleagues and our boss. It’s how we give and receive feedback, share ideas, and resolve conflicts. Good communication can improve job satisfaction by ensuring that employees feel heard and valued.

With improved job satisfaction comes high employee retention rates. When your workforce feels satisfied in their roles, they’re less likely to look for a new job. This can save your organisation time and money in the long run.

6. Better Communication Improves International Prospects

In a globalised economy, it’s more important than ever to be able to communicate effectively with people from other cultures. Good communication can help to break down cultural barriers within your organisation and improve international relations.

It can also help to improve your organisation’s international prospects by making it easier to do business with people from other cultures. With better communication skills come better relationships, especially when cultural differences are a potential barrier to communication.

7. It Encourages Diversity in the Workplace

Good communication can encourage diversity in the workplace by ensuring that all employees feel heard and valued, and by widening international prospects. This can help to attract a more diverse range of employees, which can bring new perspectives and ideas to your organisation.

Encouraging diversity in the workplace is essential for creating an inclusive environment that values all employees. It can also help to improve your organisation’s reputation and make it a more attractive place to work.

8. Boosted Communication Can Boost Employee Retention

By building stronger communications channels, you can encourage a more positive workplace culture, which can lead to improved job satisfaction and higher employee retention rates. As such, good communication is essential for any organisation that wants to retain its best talent. 

This will involve keeping employees engaged with regular meetings and ensuring that their voices are heard with regular feedback opportunities.

Organisations with high employee retention rates can also save on their costs. This is because they don’t have to spend as much time and money on recruiting and training new employees.

Different Types of Business Communications

Internal 

Internal communications are communication within an organisation. This can include communication between employees, between departments, or between an organisation and its shareholders. This is vital in the workplace. By engaging your employees and stakeholders regularly, you can start to improve your operations from the ground up. Some examples of internal communications include:

• Emails: Sending updates or memos to employees.
• Meetings: Hosting regular team meetings or departmental briefings.
• Intranet: Sharing news and announcements on your organisation’s intranet.
• Employee newsletters: Publishing a regular newsletter for employee.
• Employee manuals: Creating a manual or guide for employees, which could include company policies.
• Employee surveys: Conducting pulse surveys or similar to gauge employee satisfaction.

External 

External communications are communication between an organisation and the outside world. This can include discussion with customers, suppliers, the media, or the general public.

These are essential for building and maintaining relationships with your stakeholders. By engaging with your stakeholders regularly, you can ensure that they remain loyal and supportive of your organisation. Some examples include:

• Customer service: Providing excellent customer service to maintain customer satisfaction.
• Marketing: Creating marketing campaigns to promote your organisation and its products or services.
• Website: Creating and maintaining a website to share information about your organisation and communicate your brand effectively.
• Social media: Using social media to connect with your audience.
• Media and PR: Managing your organisation’s relationship with the media and conducting public relations activities.

How to Tell if Your Communications Need Improvement

If you’re not sure whether your communications need improvement, here are some signs to look out for:

• You’re not reaching your target audience: If you’re not reaching the people you want to, then your communications need improvement.
• Your message is getting lost: If your message is getting lost in translation, then your communications need improvement.
• There’s a lack of engagement: If people are tuning out of your communications, then your communications need improvement.
• You’re not getting the results you want: If your communications are not achieving the desired outcome, then your communications need improvement.

If these issues are impacting your business, communications could be the key to unlocking your organisation’s potential. With these factors in mind, poor business communications can have a drastic impact on your bottom line.

Don’t let poor communications hold you back. If you want to improve your organisation’s prospects, start by improving your business communications.

Improving Communication in Your Organisation

Create an Internal Comms Strategy

The first step to improving communication in your organisation is to create an internal comms strategy. This should be a document that outlines your goals and objectives for internal communications, as well as how you plan to achieve them.

Your internal comms strategy should be designed to improve employee engagement and help you achieve your business goals. It should be tailored to the needs of your organisation and reviewed on a regular basis. Some key steps to follow when creating an internal comms strategy:

1. Define your goals and objectives.
2. Analyse your audience.
3. Choose your channels.
4. Develop your content.
5. Measure your success.

Use the Right Channels

The second step is to use the right channels. There are a variety of channels that can be used for internal communications, including email, intranet, instant messaging, and face-to-face meetings. To ensure you’re using the right channels, you can:

• Conduct a survey of your employees.
• Analyse your communications data.
• Talk to your employees about their preferences.

Establish a Two-Way Street

The third step to improving communication in your organisation is to make time for two-way communication. This means giving employees the opportunity to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback with you on a regular basis.

One way to do this is to hold regular team meetings. Another way is to create an employee forum where employees can post their ideas and feedback anonymously. To ensure two-way communication is effective, you should:

• Encourage employees to share their ideas via dedicated channels and forums.
• Make time to listen to employee feedback & concerns.
• Follow up on employee suggestions.

Encourage Open Communication

The fourth step is to encourage open communication. This means creating an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions.

To encourage this in the workplace, you can:

• Create an open-door policy.
• Encourage employees to speak up in meetings.
• Make time to talk to employees one-to-one.
• Be approachable and receptive to employee feedback.

Provide Training

The fifth step is to provide training. This means giving employees the tools and resources they need to communicate effectively. Some options for employee communication training include:

• Communication workshops.
• E-learning courses.
• Professional development opportunities.

Set Aside Time for Strategic Planning

Another key step is to set aside time for strategic planning. This means taking the time to review your goals and objectives on a regular basis and making sure that your communications plan is aligned with these. To ensure your plan is on track, you should:

• Regularly review your goals and objectives.
• Monitor your progress against these goals.
• Make adjustments to your plan as needed.

By following these steps, you can develop an effective internal communications strategy that will help you improve communication in your organisation.

Measure Progress

The final step is to measure progress. This means setting up a system to track the effectiveness of your communication channels and strategies. Some metrics you can use to measure the effectiveness of your communication include:

• Employee satisfaction surveys.
• Performance tracking.
• Communication analytics.

By tracking these metrics, you can identify areas where improvement needs to be made and make changes to your strategy accordingly.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the importance of communication in the workplace, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every organisation is different and will need to tailor its approach based on its specific needs.

However, by following the steps outlined in this article, you can develop an effective internal communications strategy that will help you improve communication in your organisation and drive results.