Effective Workplace Communication
Workplace communication is the social collectiveness in which workers develop ritualized patterns of sharing information through interaction in an attempt to coordinate the activities of the organization, or achieve personal and group goals. During the course of interaction, effective communication demands that the information that is conveyed must be understood by the parties involved. Good communication is often defined with clarity of understanding instead a simple agreement. The communication may lead to agreement or disagreement, and as such, a conflict within employees that has been going on for a long a long time does not necessarily imply lack of effective communication (Ludden & Ludden, 2007).
It is evident that effective communication is essential for effective functioning of every part of any organization. Communication facilitates organizational success through linking marketing, finance, production, personnel and maintenance departments although these departments may receive direct communication from corporate goals and objectives. The importance of direct communication, which is effective, may not be overemphasized for one reason especially for the managers. This is due to the fact that managers are involved in communication in at least everything that they do. In fact, communication is needed in order to increase efficiency, improve quality, satisfy customers and create innovative products (McIntosh et al, 2008).
The importance of effective communication to the organization success is so significant that not only managers but also employees should be effective communicators. Helping employees to improve in their communication skills is part of the roles of any manager. When all members of a team, a department or an organization are able to communication with each other effectively, and even interact well with people outside their group, they have a higher likelihood of performing well (Ludden & Ludden, 2007). The success of the organization will, therefore, depend on effective communication from both the management and workers.
Most people have a presumption that we are living at the start of the new millennium, and in a golden age of communication. Technologically, it can be agreed that this is a golden age of communication. As a matter of fact, the current age grows golden each and every day because each coming day brings new and faster machines and their software. The truth is that the age has not changed to golden in terms of how people should communicate with each other. The message that is being delivered has not changed to golden message (McIntosh et al, 2008). For successful communication, people must focus on all precepts of communication which include medium, the messenger and the message. Sometimes, people who have greatest technological skills fail to communicate successfully. It may be assumed that this people fail due to their own technology. In some instances, the short electronic mails have come to replace the well thought-out letters. In this golden age, there are more avenues through which people can reach out to one another but there is no apparent replacement to face-to-face communication (Picardi, 2001).
It is not just the medium of communication that is important. A medium like the one that uses computers does not exist in isolation; it is used by people. Ultimately, messages are created by people and not the machines. Both corporate and organizational workplaces are changing rapidly due to change in technology. It is therefore, upon the organizational managers and supervisors to see that positive changes are incorporated within the organization. The new technology may not work when in the hands old communicators (Picardi, 2001).
Failure of effective communication is more than an annoying inconvenience. It is very costly for organizations because it prevents positive change, it disadvantages employers competitively, it reduces productivity, and it even diminishes employee morale. Study has shown that poor communication, especially when it comes from the management causes frayed tempers within employees and lowers their morale (McIntosh et al, 2008). Actually, it makes people live with doubt, fear and confusion at the workplace.
Effective communication is very essentially in planning and controlling of the resources of the organization, which is aimed at accomplishing the objectives of the organization. Business messages are very important which makes effective communication a very important business tool and an essential tool to employees. There are a number of essential keys to building effective communication; completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity, courteous and correctness (McIntosh et al, 2008).
Completeness is when a business message comprises all the information that the receiver needs in order to understand and give a response to the message. A complete message answers six basic questions: what, who, when, why, where and how (Ludden & Ludden, 2007). For example when a manager is asking a worker to prepare a report, he or she must state what report is required, when the report should be completed, where and to whom the worker must deliver the report and how the worker must create the report. This components will make communication complete between the manager and his employee (Ludden & Ludden, 2007).
Conciseness is another element of communication that can make communication effective. Business messages that are concise are both time and cost effective given the fact that the messages convey only relevant information in a concise manner that is without the repetition of ideas. Concise messages are those that do not have details that are not necessary (McIntosh et al, 2008). These details may include words or phrases that may confuse the receiver. The message or communication should also be considerate. For the message to be considerate, it means that the message should be able to meet the needs of a specific listener. This implies that the receiver should have necessary tools to execute what the message requires from him or her.
Concreteness is a communication which ensures that the communicator uses definite or specific information such as figures and facts to convey the required ideas. Messages can also be more concrete if the communicator uses more explicit words (McIntosh et al, 2008). Clarity is another element which can enable the listener to understand the message with little effort. In order for the speaker to speak more clearly, he or she should use familiar words and precise language Wrench, 2013). Clarity requires that speakers should avoid some technical terms unless they are sure that the receiver is sure that the listener is familiar with such terms. The speaker should also avoid awkwardly arranged words and some lengthy sentences.
Effective communication within the organization should be courteous in that it should be respectful of the communicator and the listener. This implies that the communication should avoid questionable humor. Besides, the communication should be correct. Being correct is when the information is properly punctuated, good grammar and spelling, and use of accurate facts and figures. All workplace communication falls under two categories: verbal and nonverbal communication (Picardi, 2001).
Verbal communication is inclusive of all messages that use words whether oral or written. This kind of communication can either be formal or informal. Formal communication is that which occurs in management information and other directives about the policies and procedures. The transmission of such policies can be through written document channels or orally at conferences and other meetings. Informal communication is primarily an oral transmission of information usually across the table during lunch time, at the gym or in the car pool. Written and oral communications are the components of verbal communication (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2005).
Oral communication is one of the most important functions in business organizations. With oral communication, a problem or a situation can be solved almost instantly. Without good oral communication, the business of an organization will slow down (Ludden & Ludden, 2007). Everything from handling customer inquiries, questioning fellow employees to making business presentations and evaluating performance would become completely difficult without oral communication. Oral communication requires both good speakers and good listeners especially when it is done over the phone (Cheesebro et al, 2005).
Written communication is another component of verbal communication. Written communication is more permanent and difficult unlike verbal communication. The writer in this kind of communication must function in isolation and it can be reviewed from time to time Wrench, 2013). The most frequently used forms of oral communication may include: direct mails, bulletin board notices, letters, electronic mails, memos, reports and letters.
Nonverbal communication is very important in social and business situations. This is a kind of a message that is usually sent without a speech or written words. These messages are often sent unconsciously or involuntarily by body language, physical appearance or sensory signals. About 93 percent of the messages are communicated through nonverbal cues (Wrench, 2013). The first impression that is often made in businesses is through physical appearance. Personal hygiene, clothing, posture and grooming all combine to give an immediate nonverbal statement. All these elements can combine to make communication effective in an organization which in turn can enable the business to achieve its set objectives.
References
Cheesebro T., O'Connor L., & Rios F. (2005). Oral workplace communication: job talk. Prentice Hall.
Ludden, M., & Ludden, M. (2007). Effective workplace communication: Skills for success in life and on the job. Indianapolis, Ind: JIST Works.
McIntosh, P., Luecke, R., Davis, J. H., & American Management Association. (2008). Interpersonal communication skills in the workplace. New York: American Management Association.
Picardi, R. (2001). Skills of workplace communication: A Handbook for T&D specialists and their organizations. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Wrench, J. (2013). Workplace communication for the 21st century: Tools and strategies that impact the bottom line. ABC-CLIO.
