Whether you are a successful CEO or a student right at the beginning of your career, nothing works properly without effective communication.Whether you are a successful CEO or a student right at the beginning of your career, nothing works properly without effective communication. Communication takes place in many situations in everyday office life. Employees who communicate effectively with colleagues, managers and customers are always a valuable asset for a company and are excellent partners for customers.

“Communication works for those who work at it.”

(John Powell)

And that is the pure truth: those who master the art of communication, bring their career progress to the next level.

What are your benefits from the effective workplace communication?

1. higher career opportunities
2. higher career opportunities
3. less stress in everyday working life
4. more pleasant working atmosphere
5. more motivation and fun at work
6. conflict avoidance
7. higher productivity and better results
8. customer loyalty

How can you communicate successfully?

1. Identify a common goal

Every company has a common purpose, which motivates employees to get up early in the morning every day and do their jobs with passion. By clearly defining this purpose you are immediately increasing the productivity of the employees, as this is a reminder of why they are employed in this company and what role do they play in the mutual success.

In the end, there is nothing more important for the team than to realize that everyone is on the same page.

2. Keep the corporate culture in focus

Communication should definitely be an essential part of your corporate culture. This encourages employees to connect, ask open questions and build trust within the team.

It must be clear for your team that:

• everyone deserves respect
• everyone can freely express their opinion
• co-workers care for each other

3. Encourage teamwork.                              

“Team spirit doesn't just exist. It has to be built.”

 T.Marold

Some people feel comfortable while working together, others prefer to do their tasks individually. However, two (or preferably more.) minds think better than one.

How can you get the team to work together effectively?

First of all, by letting the colleagues decide themselves which tasks are better accomplished together: for example through brainstorming sessions. 

Try out various team-building activities, this is definitely going to increase the "we" feeling in the working team.

Personal and team trainings can also be helpful, like for example our company seminars, team development with the tms®, leading teams, leading in projects or agile leadership.

4. Solve conflicts diplomatically

If you have the feeling that someone has misunderstood something, talk to them about it as soon as possible and remain as empathic and calm as you can. As they say: it's not what you say, but how you say it. This way, any loss of productivity and irritation in the team can be reduced a small misunderstanding is prevented from turning into a big crisis.

Of course we would prefer conflicts not to occur at all, but they are not always avoidable. So if a conflict does happen anyway, then: 

• react with an open mind when dealing with conflicts
• refrain from any personal offences
• ask questions and listen carefully
• try to understand what kind of challenges the person is currently facing
• suggest to find together a solution acceptable to all parties

5. Give feedback

As Dale Carnegie, a true professional in the field of communication, said: "Begin with praise and honest appreciation. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly. Make the fault easy to correct.“

Feedback is essential for good team communication.

People need constructive feedback to understand whether they are meeting expectations or whether there is something that needs to be done to improve their performance.

What do we mean by constructive feedback?

You should especially:

• base your feedback on observations and facts (and under no circumstances on judgements)
• use examples
• allow the members of your team to respond to your feedback
• if possible, turn your feedback into a stimulating conversation so that you can find a solution together - instead of just giving advice;
• first imagine how you would feel if you received the same feedback. Hurt? Embarrassed? Angry? Then you should improve your expressions. 

And never forget: positive feedback is at least as important, if not more so. Everyone, not only at work but also in your everyday life, wants to feel valued. When you give specific, positive feedback, your colleagues feel more connected to the team and know that you notice and acknowledge their efforts.

How do I use feedback correctly?

As a rule of thumb, positive feedback should be considered to outweigh constructive feedback by a ratio of at least three positive comments to one negative comment.

Feedback is an opportunity for growth. Since the role of communication is so important in the workplace, problems in this area immediately contribute to more dissatisfaction among employees. This is well illustrated by a recent Netigate study.

Communication is our constant companion and can influence our professional life effectively and sustainably. CQ offers you the opportunity to improve your soft skills and expand your professional and private profiles. We offer various company seminars to make your communication on the job successful and to improve communication with customers, as well as trainings for the right handling of conflicts at work.