Role of Communication in Business Growth

There have been different schools of thought as far as the role of communication in businesses is concerned. While one set of people opine that communication is a vital arm of a business, others feel the function of a communicator does not really help, and certainly a complete department dedicated to communications, is not at all required. I have experienced the latter kind of organisation as well.

Businesses depend heavily on management functions like sales, planning, logistics, accounts, business development, markets, so on and so forth. All these functions require the managers to practice expert communication methods. For doing this, a managed and proper communication process flow along with details must be established.

A proper communication can assist managers complete their responsibilities associated with the job. At the planning stage of a project, it is important to communicate the pre-requisites and necessary information to the people responsible. This helps in proper understanding thus leading to right execution.

A proper communication channel is required to send messages to employees internally, and to external clients keeping them all updated about company information. When communication is delivered effectively, it increases employee satisfaction, customer retention and improves a company’s public image. Ineffective communication in a business organisation can cause confusion, misunderstandings and may result in an unpleasant working environment.

A business organisation uses different communication methods. It could be a memo to employees, an advertisement intended for the public or an e-mailer to clients. Communication also serves as a listening and feedback agent. Communication in a business organisation also educates, trains and encourages employees to improve productivity and efficiency.

Communication helps in promoting motivation in a team within an organisation. It is as simple as that! Well motivated employees tend to be more productive in any organisation. Well informed members of a team develop a higher confidence level. This results in positive attitude which encourages them to give their best to their organisation. This positivity can be inculcated by using effective communication ways like meetings, internal journals, discussions, e-mailers, etc.

Communication acts as a source of relevant information to make strategic decisions. Good communication is a vital tool for any business owner, it helps in sealing a deal. It is crucial to communicate clearly in negotiations to achieve desired goals.

Communication is also important within the business. It can help in good working relationship between the owners and employees, which in turn improves morale and efficiency. This also can help in developing inter-personal relations leading to successful teamwork.

Client is the most important factor in any business. Relevant and regular external communication can help attract new customers and retain the existing ones. A good communication plan can persuade clients to explore a company’s products. A good public relations campaign may help in building a business’ image through help of media.

A good business communication helps to facilitate business innovation. With the increasing globalisation of the world, a business can take a positive advantage out of this and can grow its audience and customer base. In this case as well if both, the employers and the employees communicate well and regularly, the advantages are even greater. Business innovation results when staff is able to, and, encouraged to share opinions and ideas. It is very important for businesses to bring their employees in confidence encouraging them for their views while undertaking any new project. It is also important to take their existing clients’ feedback before starting anything new. Both these require a positive and free communication.

It can be very well stated that for any organisation/business to be successful, it is a prerequisite to establish proper communication methods/channels across the relevant segments – internally with employees or externally with clients.

Importance of Communication Skills in Career Growth

Communication skills have not been emphasised enough in the education system, even when the impact of effective communication delivery is key in both professional and personal lives. How does being articulate help an individual climb up the corporate ladder and build a unique personality?

Sharing ideas and listening to others is one of the best behaviours one should own. ‘Communication’ refers to the sharing of ideas with an individual or a community.

It becomes skilled communication when a message gets delivered with clarity and responsibility. Communication skills play an important role in day-to-day life, including the workplace. In the workplace, this skill set is becoming more demanding by the day. Organisations try their best to identify and reward employees with good communication skills. The corporate world has made communication skill an essential skill set for the job. Whether you are a job seeker, an employee, or a leader you must own an efficient communication skill set.

In the workplace, the audience follows the communicator only when ideas get delivered with clarity. That is how the communicator ends up as a go-to person in critical and important situations of work. He/she also becomes a dependable and trustworthy person in the workflow. This is why communication is mandatory in the current corporate world.

Effective communication doesn’t always mean the delivery of ideas that others can follow. Instead, it is an art of good listening, apt body language, attitude, etc.

As said, “People may hear your words but they feel your attitude”. In the workplace, people prefer meaningful conversation rather than loose talks. Hence it is important that the idea shared is efficient. For few, communication skills come naturally and for others, they can develop through various programs.

Verbal communication is a type of communication skill. Here, the transfer of information takes place through speaking or sign language. There are various other types of communication skills that need to get developed. Non-verbal communication involves body language, gestures, and facial expressions to convey information. Written communication conveys information visually using photographs, arts, sketches, charts, and graphs.

A person with the following skills is considered to be an effective communicator:

Adaptive to the audience:

The transmitter should sense the pulse of the audience and then adapt to the appropriate tone for communication. This makes the audience understand with more clarity.

Resolve conflict:

Communication is the strongest tool to resolve conflicts. The communicator should be confident and unbiased about this. Effective communicators make great friends. The use of meaningful words will resolve conflicts that caused by miscommunication.

Decode the attitude of the receiver:

When you have good communication skills you will be able to decode the attitude of your receiver. From the non-verbal actions of your receiver, you can decipher their attitude and can redirect your delivery.

Gain co-worker’s trust:

Succeeding at work requires getting along with different types of people. Effective communication improves the trust account and builds good team coordination. This in turn inspires high performance thus enhancing the workplace culture.

Problem-solving skills:

Problem-solving skills and effective communication go hand in hand. When communication is clear it becomes easier for the audience to sort out the problems at work. This results in effective problem-solving.

Improve employee relations:

A good relationship starts with good communication. Effective communication among co-workers improves the relation between them without hurting self-esteem of anyone involved. Effective communication between managers and employees is a key requisite for a well-functioning workplace.

Gains in productivity:

Effective communication begins with mutual respect, leading to a good work culture. Here, the thoughts get transferred into meaningful words. Communication that inspires encourages others to do their best thus increasing productivity.

Developing excellent communication skills is necessary for effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to create a sense of urgency and enthusiasm in others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then sending a message does not make sense.

In every aspect of your job, you will have to communicate in one way or another. So, it is important to understand how valuable effective communication is. This should be imbibed in children during the early stages of education itself. Structuring the current education system to include this key skill will help children of today to carve a future in business, corporate or management roles effectively.

The huge impact it can have on relationships and progression within the working world are significant to growth, both as a professional and as a human. Employees who show an aptitude for verbal and written communication are also more likely to get ahead in the corporate ladder. Being able to clearly and concisely express ideas forms a powerful skill that one should own for career growth and progress.

Importance of Active Listening Skills

Here are active listening skills that come in useful:

The active listening skillset involves these 6 active listening skills:

Pay attention

One goal of active listening is to set a comfortable tone that gives the other personal opportunity to think and speak. Allow “wait time” before responding. Don’t cut the other person off, finish their sentences, or start formulating our answer before they have finished. Paying attention to our body language as well as our frame of mind is important. Be focused on the moment and operate from a place of respect.

Withhold judgment

Active listening requires an open mind. As a listener and a leader, be open to new ideas, new perspectives, and new possibilities. Even when good listeners have strong views, they suspend judgment, hold any criticisms, and avoid arguing or selling their point right away.

Reflect

Do not assume that we understand the person correctly— or that they know we have heard them. Mirror the person’s information and emotions by periodically paraphrasing key points. Reflecting is a way to indicate that our counterpart and us are on the same page.

For example, our counterpart might tell us, “Saroja is so loyal and supportive of her friends in class — they would walk through fire for her. But no matter how much I push, her friends keep missing submission deadlines.” To paraphrase the same, we could say, “So Saroja’s people skills are great, but accountability is a problem.”

If we hear, “I don’t know what else to do!” or “I’m tired of saying the same thing to the class every time,” try helping the person label his or her feelings: “Sounds like you are feeling pretty frustrated and stuck.”

Clarify

Do not be shy to ask questions about any issue that is ambiguous or unclear. If we have doubt or confusion about what the person has said, say something like, “Let me see if I’m clear. Are you talking about …?” or “Wait a minute. I didn’t follow you.”

Open-ended, clarifying, and probing questions are important tools that encourage the person to do the work of self-reflection and problem solving, rather than justifying or defending a position, or trying to guess the “right answer.”

Examples include:

“What do you think about …?”

“Tell me about …?” 

“Will you further explain/describe …?”

The emphasis is on asking rather than telling. It invites a thoughtful response and maintains a spirit of collaboration.

We might say:

“What are some of the specific things you’ve tried?”

“Have you asked the team what their main concerns are?”

“Does Saroja agree that there are performance problems?”

“How certain are you that you have the full picture of what’s going on?”

Summarise

Restating key themes as the conversation proceeds confirms and solidifies your grasp of the other person’s point of view. It also helps both parties to be clear on mutual responsibilities and follow-up. Briefly summarise what we have understood as we listened, and ask the other person to do the same.

Giving a brief restatement of core themes raised by the person might sound like: “Let me summarise to check my understanding. Saroja was made class leader and her classmates love her. But you don’t believe she holds them accountable, so mistakes are accepted and keep happening. You’ve tried everything you can think of and there’s no apparent impact. Did I get that right?”.

Restating key themes helps both parties to be clear on mutual responsibilities and follow-up.

We can continue to query, guide, and offer, but must not dictate a solution. The person will feel more confident and eager if they think through the options and own the solution.

How to Improve Your Active Listening Skills

Many people take their listening skills for granted. We often assume it is clear that we are listening and that others know they are being heard. But the reality is that we often struggle with tasks and roles that directly relate to listening. Accepting criticism well, dealing with people’s feelings, and trying to understand what others think all require strong active listening skills.

Even with the best of intentions, we may actually be unconsciously sending signals that we are not listening at all. We may need to brush up on our listening skills if any of the following questions describe us. Do we sometimes:

If we answered yes to any of these questions, we are not alone. To boost our listening skills and put our active listening skillets into practice, try these helpful tips:

Active listening is about understanding the other person
We gain a clearer understanding of the other person’s perspective
We can introduce our ideas, feelings, and suggestions
We can talk about a similar experience we had or share an idea based on previous conversations
Once the situation has been talked through in this way, both the person and we have a good picture of where things stand. From this point, the conversation can shift into problem solving.

Here Are A Few Methods Helping Teachers and Students to Develop Communication Skills
Developing communicative and collaborative skills have become a critical need for modern students. The importance of social-emotional learning is not only beneficial in education, but for the future too.

Communication skills and collaborative learning are two areas that are changing the phase of modern education. The practise of grouping a large batch of students into smaller units, where they work on projects and answer questions, has become a core philosophy in classrooms today. Whereas, the advancement in digital media, changing career prospects, and greater competition for better work opportunities have made communication skills a top priority in modern times.

As far as teachers are concerned, initiating a conversation between students can be a rather challenging task. Effective communication can foster better learning skills and aid in creating an interest in learning among students. In classrooms with a lack of communication, the students are also less motivated to engage in new learning experiences. According to a lot of studies conducted, the success of students is directly related to better communication between teachers and peer groups.

We shall look at a few tips from around the globe, the techniques which prove to be constructive for teachers to inculcate good communication skills among their students. Ultimately, great communication will raise confident students, hence benefiting the teachers too!

Be an active listener
Create an environment where the students can turn to teachers for help, not just by giving one-word answers or casual solutions. This will ensure the students a safe space where they will be free to voice out their opinions or concerns. Listening to students will boost teacher assistance and consequently, better education.

Better together
Teach students to work together as teams and take up projects in groups so as to improve healthy competitive mentalities among one another. Grouping students together will enhance their communication skills and confidence, hence allowing the teachers to help the students who have trouble cooperating with their peers.

Applaud the good performers
Teachers should give positive feedbacks when students do noteworthy actions. In most cases, teachers point out mistakes and demoralise students for bad behaviour. This can help students to learn from their mistakes, but it also has a repercussion of making them less confident to communicate further.

Move around
While teaching students, interact on-the-go! Not only does it help students to be alert, but gives them a chance to speak to teachers too. In this way, students will be able to speak their minds as tasks are given.

A bit of technology
From using audio lessons to video applications, there are numerous options to improve student communication skills. Teachers can make use of these skills for improving language subjects. This will also enhance a student’s desire to learn.

To establish a deeper learning experience, teachers should root for collaborative classrooms. Students should have the interest to ask questions and listen effectively to develop a meaningful collaboration in classrooms. Here are a few tips that teachers can follow to support students in meaningful collaboration.

Teach students to ask relevant questions. Tell students to think about the nature of the question, which can probably get the best responses. The answers may be thought-provoking, open-ended, or even daring. Explain to them about the ‘wait time’ required to answer, when they can take time to think about the outcome.
Group students who can work together, who can help each other to finish projects and assignments, keeping track of time. In this way, ideas and innovative solutions can be discussed with students who need more time to learn.
Teach students to work around real-life problems rather than creating imaginary situations. In this way, students can research different projects and form real opinions. An example is to discuss environmental issues and how students can help.
Using the jigsaw technique is another useful tactic to build collaborative skills. It improves social interactions in learning and supporting different diversities. Students assigned similar topics from diverse groups can discuss together their ideas and take back their thoughts to the primary group. This sort of discussion allows them to become experts in their tasks.
Promote open communication between students. Interpersonal communication should exist in teams. Students who provide and receive explanations gain most from collaborative learning. Hence, open communication is key.
Collaborative learning has its tangible merits, such as improved academic performance in students, embedded learning, confidence building, improved psychological health, and inclusivity.

Learning itself is social in nature. When we use different mediums to enhance our learning skills, the thirst for knowledge increases. Collaboration is a learned process, and communication if managed correctly, can allow educators to tap new ideas. With the current world demanding skills such as these, teachers have to mould their students to face future challenges.

10 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

Years ago, The Conference Board of Canada, an independent, not-for-profit applied research organization, developed the Employability Skills 2000+, which lists the critical skills that employees need to succeed in the workplace. Communication skills, tops the list of fundamental skills needed to succeed in the workplace. A decade-and-a-half later, with the rise of social media networking and texting, communication is becoming more casual, even in situations where more formal ways of communicating are required. What this means is that people from the younger generation, may not know or even understand the importance of effective communication skills in the workplace. When you take a look at the greatest leaders, one of the traits they possess, is the ability to communicate effectively, which underscores the importance of communication skills.

There are specific things to do that can improve your communication skills:

1. Listen, listen, and listen. People want to know that they are being heard. Really listen to what the other person is saying, instead of formulating your response. Ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings. At that moment, the person speaking to you should be the most important person in your life. Another important point is to have one conversation at a time. This means that if you are speaking to someone on the phone, do not respond to an email, or send a text at the same time. The other person will know that she doesn’t have your undivided attention.

2. Who you are talking to matters. It is okay to use acronyms and informal language when you are communicating with a buddy, but if you are emailing or texting your boss, “Hey,” “TTYL” or any informal language, has no place in your message. You cannot assume that the other person knows what the acronym means. Some acronyms have different meanings to different people, do you want to be misunderstood? Effective communicators target their message based on who they are speaking to, so try to keep the other person in mind, when you are trying to get your message across.

3. Body language matters. This is important for face-to-face meetings and video conferencing. Make sure that you appear accessible, so have open body language. This means that you should not cross your arms. And keep eye contact so that the other person knows that you are paying attention.

4. Check your message before you hit send. Spell and grammar checkers are lifesavers, but they are not foolproof. Double check what you have written, to make sure that your words are communicating the intended message.

5. Be brief, yet specific. For written and verbal communication, practice being brief yet specific enough, that you provide enough information for the other person to understand what you are trying to say. And if you are responding to an email, make sure that you read the entire email before crafting your response. With enough practice, you will learn not to ramble, or give way too much information.

6. Write things down. Take notes while you are talking to another person or when you are in a meeting, and do not rely on your memory. Send a follow-up email to make sure that you understand what was being said during the conversation.

7. Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone. If you find that you have a lot to say, instead of sending an email, call the person instead. Email is great, but sometimes it is easier to communicate what you have to say verbally.

8. Think before you speak. Always pause before you speak, not saying the first thing that comes to mind. Take a moment and pay close attention to what you say and how you say it. This one habit will allow you to avoid embarrassments.

9. Treat everyone equally. Do not talk down to anyone, treating everyone with respect. Treat others as your equal.

10. Maintain a positive attitude and smile. Even when you are speaking on the phone, smile because your positive attitude will shine through and the other person will know it. When you smile often and exude a positive attitude, people will respond positively to you.

Communicating effectively is a teachable skill, therefore following a few of the tips outlined above, will enable you to hone up on your communication skills.