Poor communication is a constant problem in companies. You can have three diligent people all working to get something done, and all operating on completely different interpretations of what that task is supposed to be. Team leads can miss internal memos about problems or updates, and staff can become frustrated by vague or contradictory messages coming from different sections of the department.
So how do you fix it? With a small team, you can get people into the same room to hash things out, but that's not always feasible, especially for larger groups. You need a process to consistently get good information out there so that people can immediately act.
A few changes may be all you need, along with some time, in order to get things running smoothly. Members from Forbes Agency Council suggest you try the following, in order to find which system, or set of systems, works best for your setup.
1. Use A Project Management System
It's easy to jump between email, internal messaging and other means of communication at work, but it also makes it harder to keep track of what’s been decided or implemented. The use of a project management system to document decisions and next steps can help alleviate this issue.
2. Improve Access
You should know how your workforce receives information, so making it available to them in an easy-to-access format is crucial. Your office employees are going to receive information in a different format — and time frame — than, say, bedside nurses or retail floor operators.
3. Use Hipchat
Using a messaging app such as Hipchat has helped my team collaborate, get on the same page and track company projects. Hipchat allows quick and easy communication for our employees, especially since we have employees who work remotely. It allows us to have one-on-one chats, public or private chat rooms meant for our sales and marketing teams, and chats for specific projects. Plus, we can use it on mobile.
4. Ban Email
This one is simple to me: Stop using email for internal communication. Email has its benefits, but internal communication is not one of them. There are better applications — like Slack — for communicating with team members, which allow for topic grouping, controlled notifications and the ability to make conversations public when needed. Best of all, there's no "reply all" option.
5. Hold A Group Call To Clarify Issues
We use various forms of product management software, email and other forms of digital communication. My rule in the company is if that digital request leads to more than three responses, everyone has to take five minutes to hop onto a call so that the owner of the request can be clear and the team accountable. It can be easy to miss, delay or answer emails with questions, which helps no one in the organization.
6. Foster Relationships
One tip for improving internal communications is to foster out-of-office relationships with employees. Developing better out-of-office relationships will help fuel the in-office communication. If you can create a personal bond between employees, then the conversation goes beyond emails between the people sitting next to you.
7. Walk Over And Talk With Someone
While there are many digital tools to facilitate communication, nothing beats a face-to-face conversation. Get up and walk over to someone's desk and have a conversation, instead of sending an email or chatting online. When that's not possible, use a phone or video conference. This not only increases efficiency and productivity, but it fosters a sense of openness, community and culture.
8. Treat Your Employees Like An Audience
Are your staff not reading your memos? Do they forget the point of your emails? Are they not changing an undesirable behavior? Start crafting content for them as you would for a client's audience. Engage them with a story. Reinforce a lesson with customer testimonials. Deliver smaller bits of information over time through different channels. Use humor, riddles, emotion and thoughtfulness.
9. Host Weekly Standups
Running two small startups, I like to host a standup meeting once a week, where each employee discusses success stories or potential pitfalls that we might have been previously unaware of. It's a great bonding exercise, promotes transparency, and it's a relatively short meeting, which means it's not disrupting workflow a bit.
10. Write Monthly Updates
As the CEO of the company, I write a monthly update that is transparent and communicates what was accomplished and what is upcoming. I ask a couple questions each month to get team feedback. Since doing this during the last year, the team has provided amazing ideas and feedback.
11. Record Video
Video continues to be a great way to communicate with internal audiences, especially when connecting with remote employees, onboarding new employees or trying to engage employees to make changes within the organization. The key is to be engaging focused and authentic with the content of the video.
12. Be Consistent
Employees want communication they can count on. If you're sending a monthly email, send a monthly email. If weekly talks are what's required, make sure they happen each week. Consistency builds trust, which is a huge part of great employee relations. Consistency in communication also builds interest and a sense of camaraderie.
13. Have A True Open Door
Many management types tout an “open-door” philosophy as part of their internal culture, but are rarely available or are uninterested when employees pass through the threshold. Managers must truly care and act upon that feeling. Caring managers encourage employees to share issues and actively pursue solutions.
14. Be Transparent
Effective communications and a strong corporate culture are based on transparency. Employees need both the good and the bad, and are more engaged when they are well informed. Transparency fosters trust between employees and leadership.
15. Repeat Yourself, As Needed
Every business can improve its internal communications. To do that, more opportunities need to be created for two-way communication, such as "state of the company" meetings, and bosses need to repeat what they've already said more often. Every boss believes that if they say something once, then the employees heard, understood and will remember it. You need to consistently say it if it really matters.
This article was retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com
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