Good communication is foundational to any smoothly run business. Whether it’s communicating with employees, vendors or customers, poor communication can create all kinds of problems.
Unfortunately, effective communication skills do not come naturally to most people. Described as part science and part art, great communication requires a lot of practice. There are several ways to work on your communication skills – workshops, classes and studying techniques can all be helpful. But for a jump start, learn to recognize and avoid these common communication mistakes.
Reacting instead of responding: Whether it’s a habitually late employee or a customer making last-minute changes, frustrating events are part of running a business. But if in the midst of your frustration you find yourself yelling at the employee or sending an angry email to the customer without thinking it through, you are probably reacting based on emotions instead of responding rationally. Reacting emotionally can ruin your reputation and hinders effective two-way communication about the issue. If you deal with this problem, make a point of not responding to stressful situations immediately. Take time to settle your emotions and gather all the facts so you can respond properly.
Doing all the talking: One-way communication can cause so many problems because it prevents feedback and gives you no way to know if what you are trying to communicate is actually being understood. Instead, consciously create time to listen to the other person by pausing during conversations and developing a repertoire of open ended questions such as:
• How do you feel about this?
• What do you think is the biggest obstacle to this idea?
• What else do you think we should consider?
• Is there anything you would like me to clarify?
• What would you suggest?
Interrupting others: Interrupting someone that is talking is not only one of the most disrespectful things you can do, it also cuts off communication. This is true in both the short-term and long-term as a person that you interrupt habitually may eventually get tired of even trying to talk. Even if you think you know what they are going to say or are in a hurry, be patient and listen.
Giving power of attorney: As a manager, it’s easy to listen to that one employee who seems to represent and speak for everyone else. However, doing this cuts off communication with the majority of your employees. Don’t let any one employee speak for everyone, or even just a small group. Instead, ask for everyone to meet so that you can truly hear what everyone thinks and they can hear you.
Avoiding hard conversations: Most people dislike having difficult conversations and many avoid them for as long as possible. But that never makes the problem go away and can even allow it to grow even larger. The best way to handle a hard conversation is preparation. Sit down and create a plan for what needs to be communicated, how you want to say it and what you want the other person to know or do as a result of the conversation. You can even ask someone to help you practice beforehand to help you be more confident in what and how you communicate the issues.
Using the wrong type of communication: With all the convenient ways we have today of communicating, you would think that clear communication would be easier than ever. Unfortunately, having so many options can end up impeding communication when the wrong medium is used. For example, telling 50 employees that they will soon be replaced by automation should not be communicated by email. They would likely be left feeling kicked to the curb and like you are someone who cannot be trusted. As a general rule, the bigger the impact, the more personal the delivery should be. If you aren’t sure of the best channel, ask yourself how you would like to receive that type of communication.
