How to Improve Business Communication
The guide for the modern business owners November 6, 2017When starting your own business it can be pretty hard. Without the luxury of a big budget, you have to experiment and come up with solutions to problems differently than other companies. While this is crucial to the success of a company, one other thing can show if a company is on the straight path, or if it’s doomed from the beginning.
The term business communication is one that comes up from the start. It doesn’t matter if you have a company with 100+ employees, or a start-up with just a handful of people good communication between the employees of the company, the owners and other companies are mandatory in today’s business world. While most companies don’t realise it, good communication makes the company one that can react to problems faster than ones that have bad and complicated business communications.
Introduction to business communication
The term business communication stands for all the information that is shared within a company and between businesses in general that has the intent to advance the commercialisation of the company.
Simpler said any information that will improve the team and will advance the worth of the company is considered business communication. In that context fall topics like brand management, interpersonal development, marketing, advertising and almost anything connected with the brand.
Also, all methods of communication are included. Being mouth-to-mouth, presentations, online or in written form.
However, how well developed it is, the better the performance of your company’s team is. That’s why it’s important to have good business communication.
How to improve business communication skills
It can be hard to improve the communication skills in your company. It certainly takes time getting used to. That’s also why if you have communication issues, you have to work them out as soon as possible.
A study from the Holmes Report showed that companies with well-developed communications tend to perform 47% better!
Begin encouraging communications
Sometimes great things start with small steps. Introducing a new approach to sharing information within your company can make a huge difference in the way people communicate. Nowadays there are numerous programs that are meant for this exact reason.
For example, Communifire does an excellent job providing an employee management tool that also has the ability for a branded blog that could be read only by workers in the company.
Another great way to start encouraging people to start communicating is to introduce a private chatting software and connect all your employees with it. Most likely, staff members read a lot of news related to the niche your business operates in. Incorporating software that provides companies to share what they have learned is one method to begin encouraging inner business communications. A big plus is that there are numerous free chatting apps. That’s a way to promote communications between teams, and between employees.
Constantly keep your company’s vision and mission at the forefront
If you open whatever article about improving your company’s performance you’ll definitely read something about millennials. Displaying what your company stands for, and doing so in an obvious matter is crucial for the success of every team and employee.
While the workforce starts to contain more and more millennials, you will have to adjust things a bit. Most employers think that money is the ultimate motivator, however, that seems to be changing rapidly. Here’s what Simon Sinek, one of the most influential marketers has to say about giving employees a mission and making an impact (which is tied directly to keeping your company’s values in the spotlight).
Encourage in-person communication
It’s crucial to emphasize in-person communication, no matter if it’s between employees or management and employees. Dealing with problems is much more effective face to face, rather than exchanging emails. It’s also more beneficial to the team as a whole.
Improve your meetings
Every business has meetings where they discuss plans, important news etc. But just a handful of companies conduct meetings the right way. Most of the times a meeting is upwards of an hour and 60% is rambling about things that don’t have anything to do with the business.
Instead, go into a meeting with a clear topic in mind and make sure you make clear what you want to discuss from the beginning of the event, not 30 minutes in.
Introduce “Team” structures
Big and complicated hierarchies are a mess to deal with. Instead, introduce team structures. That way you give your employees the opportunity to talk with their direct supervisors without the hassle of the traditional company. This saves time and possible confusion that can happen in big companies.
It’s kind of hard to switch from traditional hierarchy to a team one, but for the long run, it will help the organisation.
Adopt the “Open Door” policy
The biggest mistake CEO’s and company owners make is that they separate themselves from the team in offices. Instead, embrace the open door policy in your company. Often times employees feel uncomfortable walking up to the boss, or the owners of the company.
By leaving the doors of the offices open to your workers you make the atmosphere more relaxed and subconsciously give the feel of equity in the company.
What ways do you incorporate into your company to make it better and have a more enjoyable office space as a whole? Share them with us in the comments!
I guess the “open door policy” is one of the best things to start with. No company in 2019 should have a CEO on top who’s hiding in the closet. Communication and Collaboration is key, at least imho.
Wonderful Words, “Instead, go into a meeting with a clear topic in mind and make sure you make clear what you want to discuss from the beginning of the event, not 30 minutes in.”
Being an inspirational business, corporate language learning has given me a lot of education and skills set.