20 Ways to Communicate Effectively in the Workplace

Ways to Communicate
Effectively in the Workplace
1. Open Meeting
It is easier to communicate your passion
and how you feel to your team via open
meetings. In this kind of forum, they will not
only hear what you are saying, they will also
see and feel it. This approach still remains
one of the best approaches to communicate
effectively with a team.
2. Emails
In official settings, communication via email
remains potent. It will enable you to pass
messages to members of your team without
pulling them out of their work stations.
3. One on One
Experts have been able to prove that some
people understand better when you take
them aside and talk to them on a one-on-
one basis. Ensure that you maintain eye
contact with them to enable the message to
sink in.
4. Use Presentations
Some people grasp messages easily when
pictures and sounds are involved. Using
presentations like Microsoft Power Point to
communicate with your team will give them
the opportunity to refer back to it if they
aren’t clear about certain things.
5. Communication via Training
Your training should be tailored towards
communicating certain information to your
team members. Most employees take
training serious, especially when it’s part of
their appraisal.
6. Display Confidence and
Seriousness
Ensure that you display confidence and
seriousness to ensure that you will not be
taken for granted. When your team members
notice any uncertainty and lack of
seriousness when you’re communicating
with them, they are likely to treat the
information with disdain or disregard.
7. Use Simple Words
The truth is that everybody cannot be on
same page when it comes to vocabulary.
Therefore, to be effective in your
communications with your team members,
use words that can be easily understood.
When ambiguous words are used, you can
be misunderstood and/or waste precious
time having to explain yourself.
8. Use Visuals
Place visuals at strategic positions around
the work stations of your team. They should
not just hear the message, they should also
see it. This gives room for better
comprehension.
9. Listen to Your Team Members
Communication is intended to be a two way
street. Don’t just talk because you are the
leader without listening to anyone else.
Encourage them to open up so you can be
well guided when communicating in the
future with them. You have two ears and one
mouth –so you must listen more than you
speak.
10. Use Body Language
Your body language will pass your message
faster and better. Master the art of using
body language when communicating with
your team. Stand/sit up straight, use smiles,
handshakes and eye contact.
11. Act Out Your Message
Someone once said, “Tell me what you want
me to do and I might forget it, but do it in
front of me and I will never forget it.” Acting
out your message is a very potent way of
communicating with your team. Let them
see you do what you want them to do, and
watch their excuses disappear.
12. Use The Appropriate Tone of
Voice
One word can mean a different thing when
said in a different tone of voice. Make sure
you use the appropriate tone of voice to
communicate your message to your team so
that you won’t be misunderstood and
discourage or demotivate members or cause
them to shut down completely out of fear.
13. Avoid Unnecessary Repetition
If you want your team members to take you
serious, never sound like a broken record
and don’t beat a dead horse. Tell your team
members what you want them to know or do
and ask them if they are clear about it. If
they are not, only then do you repeat what
you have said.
14. Create a Receptive Atmosphere
To effectively communicate with your team,
you must create a receptive atmosphere.
Avoid a tense environment at all costs
because when you communicate in an
overly intense manner, the message you are
trying to share might not be well understood
or retained.
15. Be Humorous
Using friendly jokes when communicating
with your team members will help pass your
message along in a more relaxed way. This
method of communication has been proven
to be a highly effective way of dousing
tension. When the atmosphere is unfriendly
and intense, being humorous does the trick.
If you must use jokes, please don’t overdo
it. Remember, you are not a stand-up
comedian.
16. Be Articulate
Communication is indeed a skill that must be
learned by all, especially if you want to lead
any group of people. Being articulate  when
you communicate to your team members
makes it easier for them to understand your
message.
17. Avoid Mumbling
Your team members should be able to hear
you clearly. When communicating with them,
try as much as possible to speak clearly and
not mumble words. When you mumble
words or speak too quickly, you may
assume that they are clear on the subject.
But the truth is, they might not be. It also
shows a lack of confidence on your part.
18. Encourage Feedback
Don’t just talk and walk away. Give room for
feedback so that you can measure the
effectiveness of your style of
communication. It will also afford you the
privilege of knowing if your message was
well understood.
19. Gesticulate
Use your hands to demonstrate your
message. Make hand motions and signals to
establish the seriousness of your subject
matter when communicating with your team
members. This shows that you understand
what you are trying to relay to them. Just
don’t let your body movement become too
exaggerated and intense.
20. Be Appreciative
After every communication session, via
whatever means you have decided, always
remember to thank your listeners for their
time. It will cost you nothing and it’s a
simple courtesy.
Remember that the point of working as a
team is to share ideas and boost
productivity. When communication is
hampered, it can sidetrack the entire effort.
You must work hard at these communication
tactics and create ground rules to keep
everyone up to date, which helps avoid
confusion and ensure the completion of the
project with ease.

Images from Google images
Smallbiztrends.com
Posted by Maduka Tony