Well-established communication between both employees among themselves, and the employer and the employees, represents one of the basic keys to the success of numerous companies worldwide. Unfortunately, common communication problems are happening during the working hours, and the only way to come out as a winner out of this unpleasant situation is to learn how to fix them. Acting in a timely matter enables you not only to reconcile the warring parties, but it also helps you secure the quality atmosphere in the office and safeguard the productivity of the company.
Communication is a crucial element of the whole human society, so underestimating its importance may lead to more serious issues resulting in different negative outcomes. To communicate stands for finding means to be understood, whether you send or receive outer input. Consequently, understanding the true nature of misunderstandings proves to be a good starting point for fixing potential problems. Therefore, we shall try to appoint to most common communication problems happening in the workplace and try to explain how to fix them, whether they occur via video or direct messaging, email, or in person. So, read through the following suggestions and try to use some of the strategies to improve communication and raise the vibe of your workplace!
Cultural Differences
There have been more than 3800 cultures in the world to this very day! The combination and the uniqueness of those cultures have brought us to the point where we are now, standing tall as close to global society as ever before. That allows us to work with individuals from various cultures in the same room developing ideas together, shoulder to shoulder. Unfortunately, we are not all familiar with particular customs and traditions of different cultures our colleagues might be a part of, so the level of understanding might be below the highest point.
In order to make amends for that and raise the communication level at your workplace, use different techniques and methods, such as hosting cultural differences gatherings, where you can learn both one from another, and about each other. Therefore, you will not only enrich your knowledge about the variety of the world’s heritage but also raise the level of understanding. Apart from gatherings, you might organize time building activities where you would combine employees of different backgrounds enabling them to fight for the same cause even outside of the workplace.
The Attitude
Having an attitude can be a desirable feature as an employee if the ego makes the employee fight for the right cause. Otherwise, it can cause serious troubles in the workplace. Namely, if you notice that certain individuals fail to accept the facts when you lead a discussion in a meeting or within a group of colleagues, but continue to talk without reasoning, powered by their ego, do make sure you react as soon as possible and try to fix the issue. Surely, what you should do is talk to the potential “egomaniac” and point him out that such behavior will not be tolerated. Do this in private, and do not come with an attitude, because this is not an issue where you can fight fire with fire, but it requires a more delicate, empathetic approach.
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Lack of Motivation
Do bear in mind that the employees need to be motivated in order to give the best of themselves. If you notice the lack of motivation at your workplace, try to dedicate some of your time to make them more eager to do the job. This does not mean that you will have to entertain your employees and make a fool out of yourself, moreover, it indicates that they will both feel and perform better if they notice that someone of the superiors cares about how they feel. Ask them about how they feel, how good was their day, and similar questions that could rise their mood. A man is a sociable being, but should sometimes be reminded about that. Be that reminder for your people when they need it the most!
Passive Listening
In short words, passive listeners are the persons who participate in a conversation not by both listening and speaking, but by pretending or not listening at all and bombarding with their ideas. The results of this type of conversation can be everything else but a productive solution, so the amends are more than necessary if you are facing this type of trouble at your workplace.
What you should do is state the importance of being included in every part of the discussion, and condemn the passive listening out loud! As the most effective approach, serve as a role model and show the employees how things should be done to improve overall productivity and atmosphere.
Written Communication
When using written communication, what you should worry about apart from the message you want to share is the readability, and the appropriate use of language. For something to be read, firstly, it needs to be written correctly and secondly, you need to be clear about the information you share. Poorly written texts often confuse the employees and require more time and thought to be devoted to clarification. Simply check everything you send several times or ask the nearest colleague to read it for you, in order to fix anything that needs fixing.
Hopefully, you will know what to do the next time you notice even the tiniest problem in communication at your workplace. Raising the level of understanding between your employees delivers benefits both to their private lives and to the company, since the more pleasant the environment where they work is, the more proficient they will get. On the other hand, quality communication enables you to get into more delicate relationships with the employees, therefore, it comes as no wonder that most successful global enterprises nourish a home-like atmosphere in their offices.
