Communication has changed drastically over the past decade alone, with technological advancements changing how we interact with others every year.
We have become increasingly proficient at communicating virtually, giving us the ability to keep an entire network on the same page without ever calling an in-person meeting.
On the flip side, there is a steep learning curve transforming your expectations around communication and human interaction. A discussion with someone through a virtual chat function will play out entirely differently if it is in person and vice versa.
While the ways we get in touch with one another may change, the importance of thorough and concise communication is as crucial as ever.
Whether you are talking to a board room full of people or sending out an email to your entire staff, understanding how to get your point across is of the utmost importance.
How Do Miscommunications Happen?
Communication is vital in all walks of life, and it is essential in the world of business. Companies stand to lose millions of dollars and face lower workplace morale when they fail to maintain healthy and accessible communication channels.
With so much on the line for businesses, how exactly do these miscommunications come about?
Vague Management
In many industries, it is massively beneficial to empower employees to make decisions about their role and how to go about meeting their professional outcomes. Management must be clear about what a person’s role within a company is when they are hiring.
People need context and guidance that they can build on when they are working for someone because when a person’s duties are vague, it can be easy to misunderstand various aspects of the job.
If it isn’t clear which person within a network of employees is supposed to get each specific task done, it can lead to confusion and a loss in productivity. This kind of issue is common when companies grow since the influx of the required workforce also requires a complete overhaul of the company’s workflow. As businesses increase in size, the responsibilities of your team members mustn’t become blurred as a result.
Rushed Communication
Sending an email is incredibly easy, making it doubly important that you are careful when writing them. Many companies fall into the trap of sending a slew of emails or other messages throughout the day instead of calling meetings to discuss issues efficiently and concisely.
It is much more difficult for an employer to follow a string of communication than understanding one conversation. This leads to information overload, and the ensuing need for clarification emails and discussions can clog a pipeline.
Lack of Boundaries
As incredible as our technological leaps in communication have been, they come with obstacles that everyone has to vault. A big one is that people have access to you 24/7 through your mobile device, making it more difficult to enforce the line between your home life and your work life.
As your business grows, so does your network, and it becomes more important that you filter out unwanted communications and dedicate your time to the people who need it. When the boundaries of the clock aren’t respected, people can lose morale and are more likely to misinterpret things.
If a person is asked to be alert and productive for eight hours in a day, then it is within those eight hours that all business communications should occur.
People are much more likely to understand a message told to them face-to-face, over the phone, or on a work memo than in a text sent three hours after their shift ended.
How Do You Improve Communication?
The issues above aren’t inevitable for every business, and they can be primarily prevented and combatted. Utilizing the latest tools and providing team members with a framework that encourages self-directed growth while providing guidance can make all the difference.
These improvements work at every level of a business, and implementing them from the top down can maximize the benefits of your communication initiatives. Here are a few methods of improving communication within your company.
Human Resources Support
Every employee should have available access to human resources at all stages of employment, starting from recruitment and onboarding. It is challenging to discuss vague management without evaluating the strength of a human resources department.
Human resources employees are in the unique position of being in contact with all levels of a company, even outside stakeholders, meaning that they have a massive amount of influence on how others perceive the business.
Suppose your human resources department is on a unified front when it comes to the goals of each position in the company. In that case, you can cut down on the confusion from unclear employee roles and responsibilities.
Putting HR in a position where every employee feels that they can access them and ask questions will cultivate a healthy and open work environment where every team member feels they can safely get the support they need.
Avoid Information Overload
You want to make sure that team members are spending their time working towards their goals instead of having to respond to emails all day. Making the most out of in-person meetings or virtual calls that are thorough and provide all the information needed can reduce the fatigue that comes from barraging employees with emails. It also increases team member interaction and helps to cultivate a culture of cooperation.
Prioritizing direct communication over multiple online messages can make sure you are getting your message across as efficiently as possible.
Use Third-Party Apps To Maximize Your Own Efficiency
When your business grows, so does your network, and it becomes increasingly important that you filter out unwanted communication.
You can become the victim of information overload just as easily as you can perpetuate it, with dozens or even hundreds of messages to look at every day. It is worth encouraging yourself and your team members to look into third-party apps that can help you keep unnecessary communication out of your visibility.
Firewall is an app from the creators of Burner that allows you to block 100 percent of unwanted calls. This lets you focus on your work and avoid communication from unwanted parties, something that every member of your team can benefit from.
Conclusion
Managing a growing business is tough and keeping your communication crisp and informational as it grows is even more challenging. Utilizing the resources at your disposal and engaging all team members can go a long way toward improving communication within your business.
If you want to cut down on unwanted correspondence, use Firewall to block any unwanted callers.
Firewall lets you whitelist anyone you want to have access to your phone and blocks out everyone else, allowing your team members to stay focused on the people they trust. Utilize resources like these when you want to give your team every opportunity to maximize their efficiency and streamline communication.
Get started with Firewall today.
Sources:
The True Cost Of Poor Communication | Forbes
“Poor Communication” Is Often a Symptom of a Different Problem | Harvard Business Review
The Cost of Poor Communications | SHRM
10 Digital Miscommunications — and How to Avoid Them | Harvard Business Review