What Is Effective Communication? Tips for improving communication

Table of contents

What is Effective Communication?

The Benefits of Effective Communication in the Workplace

How to Improve Your Communication Skills?

How to Improve Online Communication in the Workplace

Tools for Embodying Effective Communication in the Workplace

What is Effective Communication?

Effective communication underpins the success of interactions that people have in both personal and professional settings. It involves the clear and concise exchange of information, ideas, and feelings in a way that leaves all participants feeling as though the experience was successful.

Effective communication encompasses elements such as:

• Active listening - when all participants are truly paying attention to one another, not only hearing the words but understanding their message. This can include making eye contact, nodding or providing feedback to show respect and build a connection with the speaker.
• Clarity and conciseness - this includes avoiding jargon, overly complex language or including spelling and grammatical errors in written work. A better way to communicate is by using simple and straightforward words, and ensuring that you get to the point of any communications quickly. This is important for ensuring your message is understood and there is no misinterpretation.
• Non-verbal communication  - body language, facial expressions and the tone of voice used can either reinforce or contradict what you are actually saying to another person. Using a warm tone of voice and maintaining an open posture, for example, make you seem more approachable and trustworthy to others. It is estimated that up to 90% of communication is non-verbal, so this is something to be particularly mindful of.
• Showing empathy - trying to see things from the perspective of another person and acknowledging their feelings is a powerful aspect of effective communication. Doing this will help to create a sense of mutual respect and understanding between the parties to the conversation, and also helps to create meaningful interactions.
• Incorporating feedback - whether you’re giving or receiving feedback, it serves an important purpose in helping to clarify any misunderstandings and helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page. It’s important to be constructive when providing feedback, and avoid attacking personal attributes of another person. Likewise, when receiving feedback it is important to keep an open mind and acknowledge another person’s perspective isn’t a direct attack on you as a person.
• Understanding the intended audience - tailor any messages to suit the people you are communicating with. This includes understanding their needs, their backgrounds, their level of understanding of the subject matter and any other factors and attributes that could influence how they perceive your communications.
• Being polite and professional  - always show respect and courtesy in your communications and understand that what is appropriate in a professional setting will be different to what is acceptable in other less formal aspects of life.
• Ensuring timely delivery of information - make sure that any information you send takes into account time sensitivities. Don’t wait for days or weeks, for example, to address a crisis. Make sure people have ample access to documents and briefing papers ahead of a meeting so that they can read it and be prepared.
• Communicating regularly- getting into the habit of regular communications helps to improve collaboration and information sharing and helps to build a positive workplace culture.
• Using good visual elements where appropriate - understand that good communication isn’t just about writing or talking. Some people respond better to visual communication elements such as photos, videos, animations or graphics. This can also help with information retention.

The Benefits of Effective Communication in the Workplace

Poor communication doesn’t just hinder the flow of information within a company. Research has found that companies that lack effective communication can be significantly worse off financially than those who have good communication in place. The total estimated price tag associated with employee misunderstanding is $37 billion annually. The cumulative cost per worker per year due to productivity losses that have resulted from communication barriers is more than $26,000.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, poor workplace communication undermines the performance of a company in the form of a 44% increase in the failure to complete a project, a 25% increase in missed performance goals and an 18% increase in lost sales.

Meanwhile, another report by Mitel has found that almost 15% of employees’ time is eaten up by inefficient workplace communications.

As humans, we respond favorably to good communication in all aspects of our life: it helps us to feel more secure, less anxious and less isolated. It stands to reason that in the workplace, we benefit from effective communication.

Strong and effective communication helps to build a more cohesive, motivated, respectful, innovative team. When you have effective communication in place at work, you can boost collaboration, reduce misunderstandings and enhance productivity - ultimately driving your organization forward.

The following benefits can be derived from effective communication in the workplace:

1. It demonstrates understanding among team members

When you have effective communication in the workplace, it demonstrates understanding among team members as it ensures everyone is clearly conveying and comprehending ideas, instructions and feedback. It helps to foster an environment where open dialogue is prioritized and individual members of the team feel both heard and valued so they can work together towards common goals with greater harmony.

2. It reduces conflict

When people are able to express their thoughts and concerns openly and listen actively, it helps to minimize the sorts of misunderstandings and misinterpretations that can lead to conflict and disagreements. When you have effective communication in the workplace, you create an environment where issues can be addressed before they escalate and here clear expectations, responsibilities and other requirements are outlined in a way that reduces any frustration or confusion among staff.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the failure to clarify task and role expectations is one of the most common ways poor communication leads to increased conflict. When people don’t know exactly what is expected of them and assume that other people are carrying out certain tasks, it can lead to a combination of blame, finger pointing and ultimately missed deadlines. This alone contributes 22% to the overall conflict within an organization.

3. It leads to improved employee engagement

When employees feel they are heard and understood, they’re more likely to be more motivated and committed to their work and to the goals of the company. This helps to improve employee engagement, as individual staff members feel more included, and have a better understanding of how their role aligns to the organization’s strategic outcomes.

There are only positive gains to be had for an organization with high levels of employee engagement: this includes boosted productivity, increased profits, less absenteeism/presenteeism, lower staff turnover and the ability to attract and retain the top talent in your industry.

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4. It helps with problem solving

Effective communication ensures that all relevant information is shared clearly and promptly among team members, and helps to encourage an open dialogue and exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives. This contributes to an environment where teams can identify issues early and discuss potential obstacles so they can work together to develop effective strategies to address them. Clear communication also fosters a culture of trust and transparency which enables team members to work together efficiently and feel confident about tackling challenges.

5. It helps teams to build trust

Working in an environment where team members can’t trust one another can be mentally draining and cause anxiety. Ultimately this can contribute to a toxic workplace culture where there are low levels of engagement and morale and you run the risk of losing your most valuable employees.

According to Forbes Advisor’s State of Workplace Communication in 2024 report, more than 40% of workers feel that poor communication is reducing their trust in both leadership of their organizations as well as in their team.

Effective communication fosters transparency, reliability and mutual respect among teams - ultimately helping to build trust. Open and honest communication creates an environment where everyone feels understood and valued, expectations are set, and people are able to deliver on promises.

How to Improve Your Communication Skills?

Making an effort to improve your communication skills is important for both personal and professional growth. When you master effective communication, you are able to convey ideas clearly, collaborate better with others, build strong relationships, resolve conflicts efficiently and create a better overall positive impression wherever you go. You’re also likely to have improved confidence, and be more persuasive and influential in the workplace.

These are the key ways you can improve communication skills:

1. Consider the audience you’re communicating with

Considering the audience you are communicating with will help you to improve communication skills as you actively tailor your messages to suit the needs, interests and level of understanding of the people you are communicating with. In doing so you will reflect on the appropriate language, tone and style that’s required to resonate with your audience, and be mindful of any cultural or contextual differences that could come into play and affect relatability or comprehension.

In the workplace you will have different audiences. For example you may communicate with all staff as one homogenous group, communicate with individual work teams, the management team and even staff who work in particular locations.

2. 2. Be prepared ahead of time

Don’t just “wing it”. Being poorly prepared to communicate with others can be a disaster. Ensure you have time to plan, research and organize your thoughts before you engage in a conversation, meeting or presentation. This ensures you are able to communicate both accurately and credibly. It also ensures you can communicate more clearly and concisely - as you will be less prone to stumble as you collect your thoughts as you go. It also helps you to stay focused and adaptable, and to reduce the risk of misunderstandings, as well as appearing more polished and professional.

3. Make the effort to practice active listening

Practicing active listening demonstrates you have a genuine interest in and understanding of the conversations you’re participating in. This skill involves giving your full attention to the speaker, acknowledging what they are saying and observing their non-verbal cues. You’re then able to reflect on what they’ve said and ask clarifying questions that encourage deeper engagement. When you practice active listening you foster trust and respect, and build stronger relationships.

4. Ensure messages are as clear as possible

Using simple and precise language that is easy to understand and structuring messages logically are good communication skills to develop.

Take time to understand the principles of communicating in plain language, and actively practice this. It isn’t a skill that can necessarily be learned overnight. There are many courses available that can help you hone these particular skills.

By continually refining these skills so that you are communicating clearly, you will enhance your ability to convey messages so they are easily understood, and are not misinterpreted.

5. Be mindful of the tone you use

Being aware of the tone you use is important for effective communication as it significantly influences the way your message is received by the recipients. When you use a respectful and positive tone, it helps to foster openness and collaboration and encourages constructive dialogue. On the other hand, a harsh or dismissive tone is more likely to create barriers and lead to conflict and misunderstandings. Having the awareness to tailor your tone to the situation and audience is a skill that will help you to build rapport and trust.

6. Build a positive workplace culture

The ability to build a workplace culture through effective communication is realized by articulating shared values, goals, and expectations clearly. Transparent communication encourages trust and collaboration among team members and promotes a sense of belonging and commitment

7. Work to improve your emotional intelligence

Improving your emotional intelligence enhances your ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as those of others. When you develop your emotional intelligence you are able to better empathize with different perspectives and adapt your communication styles to suit different situations and handle conflict more constructively. Building this skill set will help you to foster better relationships and build trust while navigating interpersonal dynamics with sensitivity.

8. Create a workplace communication strategy

A workplace communication strategy provides clear guidelines and practices to follow for effective communication. This includes defining the channels to use for sending different types of messages, establishing protocols, and providing mechanisms for feedback. By adhering to a structured communication strategy, teams can streamline their workflows, enhance collaboration and strengthen relationships.

Your workplace communication strategy serves as a blueprint you can follow to deliver communications to the right people, at the right time every time.

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9. Use the right tools and channels to deliver information

Selecting the right platforms and methods that align with the message content and audience preferences is an essential skill for effective communication in the workplace. Choosing the appropriate channel will ensure your messages are received clearly and promptly and minimizes miscommunication. By leveraging technology effectively you can also improve efficiency, maintain connectivity and enhance the overall effectiveness of your communications in diverse and dynamic work environments. For example, implementing an internal communications platform such as DeskAlerts can help you to streamline your internal communications while delivering information efficiently using innovative channels.

10. Have clear protocols and expectations around meetings

Meetings can be an extremely effective way of communicating if they are done right. However, meetings are often dreaded by employees because they are poorly run and take up too much of their time.

Establish non-negotiable protocols for work meetings to ensure they are run efficiently in a way that prioritizes clear communication. This includes circulating clear agendas before a meeting, having someone chair the meeting and ensuring that the agenda is adhered to. You should also ensure that only people who need to be at the meeting are invited.

The meeting chair should begin the meeting by letting people know that they will have an opportunity to speak if they wish to, and not allow any one person to monopolize the meeting. Conclude each meeting when it is scheduled to end and send around minutes and action items afterwards.

How to Improve Online Communication in the Workplace

The changing face of the modern workplace means it’s more important than ever before to concentrate on ensuring that online communications are effective. With the rise of remote work, or teams collaborating across different geographic locations thanks to advances in technology and more flexible work being offered, a lot of interactions that were once in-person or on the telephone are now taking place via video calls or instant messages and other online platforms.

Just because people are using these modern communication tools doesn’t mean they’re always doing so effectively. These are some things to keep in mind that may need enhancements or improvements to ensure online communications in the workplace are effective:

1. Ensure you have the right communications platforms in place

There are a lot of different internal communication software systems, but they aren’t always necessarily conducive to helping team members communicate in a clear and consistent manner online. Ensure that any platform you’re going to implement is fit-for-purpose and meets the specific needs of your organization. It should prioritize the user experience, and enable team members to work together seamlessly, intuitively and in a way that strengthens and enhances existing workflows.

2. Train employees in online communication etiquette

While many people quickly take to online communication platforms because they are used to using similar systems in other aspects of their lives (such as social media), there are some people who struggle with online communications because it isn’t something they are familiar with. When you move your team to platforms like Teams or Slack, they can find themselves in unfamiliar territory when they start to receive instant messages or are added to a group chat.

Offer a mandatory training course on proper online communication etiquette, and outline the standards that your company expects of its employees when communicating in the digital space. Include this training as part of your onboarding processes as well.

3. Sticking to time limits

Online meetings present different challenges compared to traditional face-to-face meetings, as they can provide distractions from different settings in the software that’s used. It’s important to prioritize keeping your online meetings concise and focused on the key objectives. Lengthy question and answer sessions can derail productivity and blow out meeting times.

4. Pay attention when someone else is presenting

When someone else is presenting, try to give them your full attention. However, when you are the one presenting, don’t always assume that everyone has your undivided attention. When people are working from home they may have multiple demands for their attention so you may need to structure your content accordingly.

5. Always recap the important details

Online communication can make it harder to be certain that other people have received and understood the information you’ve given them. You might not even be certain that they understand any action items that you’vre requested from them during a meeting. A good habit to get into is to send a recap of the key points - you can either do this via chat/messages in a meeting at the end where you recap the key points, or send a follow up email outlining what was discussed and promised.

6. Ensure you respond where appropriate

The Forbes Advisor’s State of Workplace Communication Report found that digital communication tools are increasing stress in the workplace - with 46% of people saying they commonly experience it when they feel the message they’ve sent is being ignored.

Another good habit to adopt when it comes to online communication is ensuring you respond to each communication with an acknowledgment - even if it is just an informal “thumbs up” or “like” reaction. This ensures that the person who has sent you the message can be certain that you have seen and understand the information they’ve sent you.

7. Don’t overuse online communication

Any type of workplace communication that is overused runs the risk of contributing to employee burnout and stress. We’ve already seen this happen with the phenomenon of “email overload” and now other digital communications are increasingly following suit.

According to Forbes Advisor’s State of Workplace Communication in 2024 report, almost 60% of people feel that digital communications are increasing their feelings of burnout. Almost 70% of remote workers said that digital communication caused them to experience burnout, while hybrid and on-site workers were less likely to feel burnt out by digital communication at 50% and 49% respectively.

The same report also found that digital communication tools are causing an increase in workplace stress for 46% of workers.

8. Schedule communications for during work hours

When managers send out emails to their employees outside of working hours, they could be contributing to stress and burnout from online communication. Some workers may feel that they are pressured to respond straight away, even if the manager didn’t expect them to respond until the next business day.

Being mindful of this can help to promote harmony in the workplace, and ease unnecessary stress and anxiety.

In many jurisdictions around the world, you won’t even have a choice about this: governments are recognising that workers have a right to disconnect from their workplaces outside of their normal working hours and legally have the right to refuse to answer calls or check emails after this time. This is to prevent unpaid overtime and to assist them to achieve work-life balance. For employers there are a range of consequences, which can include major fines and sanctions.

Of course there are times where communicating outside of core business hours is unavoidable, but this should be reserved only for the most serious of situations - and where it is permitted by the law.

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Tools for Embodying Effective Communication in the Workplace

When you’re looking for an efficient way to deliver effective communication in the workplace, look no further than DeskAlerts. This software system offers a powerful solution to enhance workplace communication by delivering real-time alerts directly to your employees’ desktops. The tool ensures that any critical messages, updates and emergency notifications are instantly visible on corporate devices, bypassing email and intranet sites and ensuring that they get the immediate attention of employees.

DeskAlerts has a range of features that help to drive effective communication, including:

1. Desktop Alerts

These are real-time notifications that appear on employees' screens in the form of a pop-up box, ensuring important messages or updates are immediately visible. These boxes can contain text, hyperlinks, images or embedded videos.

2. Scrolling Tickers

A scrolling ticker displays continuous updates or announcements in a band across screens - similar to the news ticker you see on television news broadcasts. The ticker ensures visibility of critical information across the workplace, promoting awareness and engagement.

3. Corporate Screensavers

A corporate screensaver appears on computer screens when they are idle or someone has logged out. They can be used to display company news, updates or communications and internal marketing campaigns in a visually appealing way, fostering a sense of unity among employees.

4. Corporate Wallpaper

A corporate wallpaper is the background on a computer, where the icons and shortcuts to programs and apps sit. It can feature branding elements, mission statements and core values and serve as a constant visual reinforcement of your organization’s culture and goals.

5. SMS Notifications

SMS notifications can be used to deliver urgent or time-sensitive messages directly to your employees’ mobile phones ensuring that the information will be received regardless of their physical location at the time.

6. Email Notifications

Email notifications alert employees about new messages or updates directly to their inbox, which facilitates asynchronous communication and ensures important information is promptly accessed and acted upon.

7. Surveys

DeskAlerts surveys can be sent in real-time to quickly gather feedback from employees on a range of topics, fostering engagement and open communication, and providing management with valuable insights that they can action to drive organizational improvements.

8. Quizzes

A quiz can be sent to test employees’ knowledge on a range of topics such as policies, procedures or corporate initiatives in an engaging format, promoting knowledge retention and reinforcing key messages. It can be used as part of corporate training initiatives, for onboarding, or to determine gaps where learning and development initiatives may be needed.

9. RSVP Software

DeskAlerts can be used as RSVP software to manage event invitations and responses, streamlining communication and ensuring better attendance at corporate events.

10. Digital Signage

Digital signage displays involve showing dynamic content such as announcements, news, updates, campaigns and interesting facts in a way that’s visually appealing and is designed to enhance visibility. Basically, any digital screen in your organization from desktop monitors to TV screens in common areas can be used for digital signage.

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Effective communication in the workplace isn’t just a necessity, it’s a strategic advantage in the modern business landscape. Get in touch with our experts today to find out how DeskAlerts tools can be used to improve your workplace communications and help you achieve your organizational goals.