Communication is something that can help organizations take a step closer to the achievement of their goals, and it can also keep organizations from achieving what needs to be achieved. This is why many organizations these days develop programs to help improve communication in the workplace. In this way, every person who is part of the organization is able to understand and appreciate the idea of effective communication.
Being unable to communicate effectively means getting farther from the achievement of goals and objectives; and this is why organizations make it a point to help employees learn more about techniques and strategies that can improve communication in the workplace. Let us face it, how will employees come to understand the direction that needs to be taken if the management is not able to communicate this effectively to them? And how will the management know about the different challenges faced by employees if there was poor communication?
On average, about 70% of our time is spent communicating, whether it is verbal, nonverbal or through listening, reading or writing.
In basic terms, communication is the transmitting of an idea or an opinion from one person or group to another person or group; an exchange of ideas.
Effective communication is required to ensure the message is delivered, received, interpreted and acted upon in the way it was intended. Whoever you are office junior, CEO or stay at home dad, effective communication is key to achieving both your personal and professional goals.
There are two main elements to Effective Communication, assertive speaking and active listening.
Assertive speaking – To project yourself (verbally and non verbally) in a direct, confident and relaxed way, in order to be able to deliver your message, image or idea in the way that you meant it to be heard, whilst at the same time encouraging the audience to do the same.
Active listening – Utilizing empathy and respect to listen to both the content (verbal) and the emotional (non-verbal) elements of the message, idea or image being delivered in order to hear the message as it was meant to be heard.
Effective communication requires more than just words, it needs positive, direct and confident body language, facial expressions, pace, and tone of your voice to all add weight to what you want to say.
Professor Mehrabian of the University of California looked at how face to face communication is received by any listener.
The research discovered:
Impact of communication
Facial expressions / gestures / body language55%
Tone of voice38%
Content / words7%
Importance Of Communication In Organization
Organizational communication lays the keystone to every organization for upbringing and grooming the environment of that particular organization. It could be categorized in three different categories as follows.
Upward communication: It is the communication that occurs in an organization from peer to the managerial level and has formal tone included in it. It can be the feedback of the employee towards the manager about some specific report or task.
Downward communication: The communication that takes place from the upper echelon that is from manager towards its employees and can be in the shape of some orders and instructions that are required to be followed.
Dydic Communication: More friendly and informal communication that occurs between the peers of same organization. It takes place as exchanging ideas amongst each other being the subordinate of that organization.
Effective communication is not always easy, yet the alternative of poor communication is much harder in the long run. Follow these simple guidelines, and enjoy the benefits of effective communication.