5 Effective Ways to Communicate Better with Your Employees

While there are a lot of factors that contribute to employee satisfaction, good communication practices in the workplace often ranks high on the list. Organizations that have good communication practices are observed to have more productive employees and better profitability because of high retention rates and better employee satisfaction.

 

Undoubtedly, the benefits good workplace communication provides are numerous. That’s the reason many organizations encourage managers to hone their communication skills so they can lead by example.

 

If you are a manager looking for effective ways to communicate better with people in your organization, below are good starting points:

 

1.    Keep it personal

 

Nowadays, tweets, e-mails, and texts have been used increasingly in office communications. While undoubtedly fast and efficient, using them has one major downside—they are impersonal.

 

That being said, if managers want to enhance workplace communication significantly, they need to make sure they interact with their employees on a personal level. In other words, they need to interact face-to-face. When managers exert time and effort to interact with their employees on a more personal level, it helps them feel valued, appreciated, and heard.

 

2. Share corporate objectives openly

 

Managers who share corporate goals and objectives openly will not only help employees see the bigger picture, they can also help the company move forward with more ease.

 

Knowing the work they are doing can make a difference also helps employees feel like they matter and that they are helping the company achieve its collective goals and objectives.

 

3. Get rid of barriers

 

Typically, there’s this invisible wall that exists between management and employees. Managers should be willing to break down said wall especially if it already gets in the way of good communication.

 

One way to break the barrier would be for managers to step out of their offices every now and then and interact with their employees. Employees need to see their managers as approachable—someone they can comfortably approach whenever they have ideas, concerns, and feedbacks.

 

4. Take action

 

When you ask for employee suggestions and feedbacks but don’t take action, it’s synonymous to telling them their suggestions, feedbacks, and ideas don’t really matter. Indirectly, you are shutting down communication even if you are not aware of it.

 

At all times, don’t make employees feel like what they have to say does not matter. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of alienating them and dramatically driving productivity, morale, and job satisfaction down. Alternatively, when employees see that their suggestions and ideas are acted upon, they’ll be encouraged to contribute more and perform better.

 

5. Encourage employees to give honest feedback

 

Employees love working in an environment where their opinions, feedback, and ideas are valued. If they are encouraged to give feedback (including negative ones if there are any) without it being taken against them would be a powerful communication tool for managers.

 

That’s the reason employee surveys are very effective. They allow employees to give their feedbacks anonymously. However, soliciting suggestions, ideas, and comments face-to-face is always a better option so you can dig deeper when the need calls for it.
Good communication will require time, effort, and patience. It is also important to keep in mind that you won’t become a good communicator overnight. However, as long as you are willing to put in the work, the benefits you will receive will make all the hard work you put in worthwhile.

source http://businessachiever.net/2018/02/28/5-effective-ways-to-communicate-better-with-your-employees/

Keeping the Love Alive: How to Communicate with Your Partner Better

No matter how long you have been together, your relationship can still suffer if you don’t know how to communicate properly. In other words, if you don’t exert effort to improve your communication skills, your partner can end up firing back insults, retreating from the situation, or even emotionally detaching themselves from you.

 

Make no mistake about it. Communicating properly with your significant other can be challenging. However, while difficult, it can be done. Be on the same page with your partner by keeping in mind the following tips:

 

Remember that your partner cannot read your mind. Unless your significant other has the ability to read minds, you can’t assume they will know exactly what you are trying to convey. Even if there are instances where you feel like you are very obvious about how you think or feel, your partner can still be totally clueless unless you verbalize it clearly.

 

Rather than becoming upset about your partner’s inability to understand your message, work instead on ensuring you are able to articulate your thoughts in the clearest way possible.

 

Discuss issues and concerns in person. When dealing with relationship issues, consider it ideal to discuss things in person rather than over the phone or through text. Sure, texting is less uncomfortable but it’s easy to get misunderstood when the other party can’t hear the tone of your voice or see your facial expressions.

 

Speak your truth. What good is your relationship if you are constantly walking on eggshells and unable to say how you truly feel? If you want your relationship to prosper, you need to be straightforward and honest.

 

Understandably, there are things that are difficult to deliver and hard for the other person to hear but honesty is crucial if you want a loving and healthy relationship. Whether it’s telling your significant other you are not ready to take the next step yet or opening about the things you want in the relationship, honesty is always the best policy.

 

Practice active listening. There’s hearing and then there’s active listening. The latter is deemed more ideal since it can help you understand the other party instead of just merely hearing what they are saying.

 

Active listening requires giving the other person your undivided attention, establishing and maintaining eye contact, and asking questions to ensure you are both on the same page.  So, yes, checking messages on your phone while your boyfriend is talking is NOT active listening.

 

Use the sandwich method. When you have to deliver something that can be difficult for the other person to hear, using the sandwich method can be your best recourse. Basically, the sandwich method involves delivering the difficult information in between two positive statements.

 

The sandwich method can look something like this: “Listen, babe. You make me so happy and I love you so much but I’m really having a hard time with you constantly away. I always love spending quality time with you.”

 

Use “I” statements. When you are having a misunderstanding with your significant other, using “I” statements would be ideal. In other words, rather than using “you,” appear less offensive by using statements starting with “I” instead.

 

For instance, rather than saying, “You never help with the house chores,” say “I feel upset when you don’t help with the chores.” It is not only more polite, it is also less accusatory.

 

Be mindful of your body language. When you communicate with your partner, keep your body language in check. Remember that communication is not limited to the things you say alone. It also involves your actions.

 

For instance, even if you say you are willing to meet halfway or that you understand where your partner is coming from, they will surely doubt you when you cross your arms or roll your eyes. Bottom line, always make sure your body language matches what you say.

 

 

source http://businessachiever.net/2018/02/04/keeping-the-love-alive-how-to-communicate-with-your-partner-better/