Use These 4 Tips to Improve Workplace Communication

Communication at work is key to success. Communication allows for collaboration, problem solving, and completing work as a team.

As a manager, it’s your job to make sure to foster open communication and to improve the ways in which staff members communicate. There are a few key ways that you can improve communication in the workplace, so start with these three tips about what you can do as a manager:

• Start on the right foot. It is importance to build a strong communication foundation. Try to get to know both current and new staff and build a rapport. When someone feels connected to and trusts their manager, everyone will be able to be more effective and successful in their roles.
• Model the behavior you hope to see and share with your team: If you want staff members to be open about making suggestions, to build upon the ideas of others, and to ask questions, engage in the desired behaviors yourself. Brainstorm solutions to problems so those on the staff can contribute, engage with suggestions that staff members make and develop an open-door policy, so staff feels comfortable coming to you with all their questions.
• Reinforce and reward when team members are communicative: When staff members are particularly effective in their communications, point out their efforts and respond with specific praise. When you reward the desired behavior, you are more likely to get more of it.
• Pair team members with new people on collaborative projects: People tend to develop their communication skills by working with others they don’t necessarily know that well and who might have a different perspective or approach to looking at problems. Shake things up and pair staff members up with people outside of their normal work crew so your staff has a chance to practice communications with others they don’t know as well. As a bonus, by getting more comfortable with other members of the staff, workers may feel freer to speak up and share ideas since they have open relationships with everyone who they work with.

Build a great team.

Hamilton-Ryker can help you to find staff members to hire who are great communicators and who will help to ensure that people on your team can work together to get the job done right. Give us a call today to find out more about how our staffing service can help.