9 Best Communication Practices in the Workplace

In as much as the content of your message is important, so is the way you communicate it. Because of this fact, your company culture (which consists of your practices, goals and values) is an integral part of your internal communication strategies during times of change. Your company culture should be effectively relayed to your employees so that they can, in turn, understand and act on it. This then goes back to the fact that the delivery of the message is as important as the message itself.

What is workplace communication?

Workplace communication refers to the way that information is shared and ideas are exchanged within the workplace. This includes information sent from management to employees, information employees share with managers, and information that is shared between colleagues, work teams and departments.

Workplace communication can be written, spoken or even visual and can take many different forms and be sent using different channels and tools.

Benefits of effective communication in the workplace

Effective workplace communication helps drive organizational success. This includes:

• A united, cohesive team working together to achieve organizational goals
• Less mistakes
• Improved morale
• Increased productivity
• Increased profits
• Enhanced interpersonal relationships
• A positive working environment.

Communication best practices in the workplace

Knowing what we know about the importance of content and delivery, here are some of the best practices for workplace communication that you can implement:

Knowing what we know about the importance of content and delivery, here are some of the best communications practices you can implement in today’s workplace:

1. Create a plan and strategize.

Before doing anything else to overhaul your communication practices in the workplace, you need a plan. Ask yourself questions such as “Where does the company’s internal communications stand right now? What works and what needs to be improved?” and “How soon do I want to reach my communication goals?” Use the answers you attain from these questions to create your internal communication strategies. Remember that what makes a strategy effective is that it keeps you on track towards your goal, and it gives you the efficiency you need to achieve the said objective.

2. Utilize the right communication tools.

In order for your internal communication strategies to be effective, you have to make sure that you tap into the right avenues. Make sure that you utilize communication software and systems that employees will willingly use, participate in and even enjoy using. Best practices for communication in the workplace includes using tools such as cloud technology, group chats, email and others are tools that you may find useful in your organization.

3. Create a dynamic and fun working environment.

Gone are the days that work should only be about earning a living. Nowadays, employees seek work that not only gives them opportunities to earn, but to also live out their passions. A 2013 survey done by PGi actually found that 88 percent of millennials prefer to work in organizations that promote a “fun and social work environment.” Work that is fun and dynamic not only boosts productivity and creativity, but also encourages employee engagement.

4. Offer channels wherein feedback and ideas can be shared.

Open and honest feedback is a crucial component to add to your internal communication strategies Not only is it vital to improving what needs to be improved, it allows the workforce and the organization to reach new heights. Keep in mind that a good thought or idea has no value unless it is expressed or shared. Whether it be a staff meeting, a chat group or even a company open forum, make sure to give your employees the opportunity to express themselves and be heard.

5. Avoid information overload.

While information is vital to the operations of a business, do your utmost to avoid information overload. Information overload leads to important messages being disregarded or ignored.

6. Encourage collaboration.

Encourage your employees to work together – especially staff members who work in different departments, especially since collaboration is unlikely. Adding collaboration between different departments as part to your internal communications strategies allows employees to learn from each other, and also deter them from feeling isolated. Collaborations can be done through special meetings or even Q&A sessions.

7. Information shouldn’t be the ultimate objective – inspiration should be.

While relaying information to employees is, of course, crucial to a company’s work processes, it shouldn’t be the only goal in mind. Internal communications should also go above information and delve into motivation and inspiration. Through motivation and inspiration, employees feel the urge to act and behave a certain way for the betterment of the team and the whole company.

8. Ensure your communication is easy to understand

For effective communication, it’s best to ensure that any information sent to employees is clear and concise and easy to understand. Whether written or spoken, you should use plain language, avoiding jargon, and articulate your point with brevity. When you use complex language, your message can be lost quickly.

9. Make sure employees get the right information at the right time – every time

One of the most critical employee communication best practices is timeliness. You should always aim to inform your employees about important news before you share it with the outside world. It’s also important to keep employees in the loop about things like project milestones and other developments so that they know what is happening and can take the appropriate steps to act at the appropriate time.

How DeskAlerts can help with effective communication practices in the workplace

DeskAlerts is an internal communications software solution that can help you to overcome barriers to communication in the workplace and improve the way information is sent and received.

Many large organizations around the world use the system to communicate with their employees using innovative tools and communications channels.

DeskAlerts has features that enable internal communication best practices such as pop-up notifications, scrolling desktop tickers, corporate wallpapers and screensavers, mobile notifications, digital signage displays, surveys, polls and quizzes and more that are designed to capture the attention of your employees so that your message gets through.

The system helps to solve common internal communication issues, including:

• Being able to create and schedule content in advance as part of your communications strategy
• The ability to use different channels to send the same message, helping to reach everyone
• The ability to send engaging, creative content that will get attention such as video or animations and graphics.
• A mechanism to instantly gather feedback from employees, in real time, via the surveys, polls and quizzes module.
• Overcome email overload issues by bypassing email altogether and sending pop-up notifications that can’t be skipped or ignored.

Reach everyone, no matter if they are in the office or at home - you can send in different timezones, in different languages and to any corporate device – DeskAlerts is available for Windows and OSX computers and for Android and Apple phones and tablets.

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Evaluating the way that you communicate with employees is so important to building a successful team environment. Get in touch with our team of experts today to find out how DeskAlerts can help you to embed internal communications best practices within your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best practices of communication at workplace?

The best practices of communication in the workplace are:

1. Ensuring clarity no matter what format your communication takes
2. Seek to solve conflicts or problems – not create them
3. Ensure there are mechanisms for two-way communication.

What are the 7 good workplace communication skills?

The seven communication best practices in the workplace are:

• Being respectful in the way you communicate
• Actively listening to others
• Being aware of and projecting positive body language
• Asking questions
• Ensuring you adhere to email etiquette
• Being open minded to other peoples’ ideas and preferences
• Willingly giving feedback.

What are the 4 ways of workplace communication?

There are four main kinds of workplace communication. These are:

• Verbal
• Body
• Phone
• Written.