January 2, 2015
How to communicate effectively to employees?
This is one of the most common questions among human resource managers and employers who intend to improve productivity at their workplace by learning how to communicate effectively. It goes without saying that communication is crucial to success of any business. Here are some communication secrets that you can use to grow your business to its full potential.
Pause for a moment before responding - Most people tend to rush when responding to questions. This in most cases leads to uninformed answers that are based on less logic and more feelings. To avoid such scenarios, it is recommendable to take a break to internalize about the question asked before answering. This will give you a chance to think straight and understand the audience expectations as well as formulate thoughts of facts that you really want to pass.
Maintain high levels of honest and trustworthiness - Any successful speaker can attest to the fact that communication is less complicated when one is honest and trustworthy. This will go a long way in establishing a cordial working relationship with the audience as they will be able to trust you easily. More importantly, it will help paint a positive image and build your credibility in a world that seems to be filled with dishonest people whose main objective is to devour money from unsuspecting clients and investors nowadays.
Take your time - This is closely linked to the first secret on this list. When you rush and try to get through communication fast, there are high chances that some things will go wrong. For example, you might forget to mention an important statistic when trying to discussing success of a marketing strategy that you introduced in your company. Taking a little extra time will make a huge difference in the long run.
Be consistent when conveying new ideas - One always has a set image when coming up with an idea that can be used to improve service delivery in your business. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to convey the images to other people. One of the guaranteed ways of ensuring that ideas are heard and understood by all is by striving to work closely with the person you’re speaking them. This means that you need to take time to understand audience before walking into the boardroom or conference.
Concentrate - This basically refers to staying at the moment. Studies shows that when you pay full attention to the audience you are communicating with, there is a high chance of achieving better results. Hence, it is recommendable to avoid any distractions when talking.
Be open-minded and patient - Communication is two ways, that is, it is impossible to communicate with other people without first understanding their needs. Based on this fact, its recommendable to be open minded in your interactions and patient. Embrace new ideas and ways of sharing that might come up during the discussions.
Finally, have a follow up program to get feedbacks from the audience in regard to the topics or issues discussed. Use their responses to hone your communication skills.