Effective Communication at Work

By Shmuly Goldman, Co-Founder & COO Intrasphere Technologies, Inc. – CHYE.info

Ask any manager for a likely cause of employee dissatisfaction and there’s a good chance you will hear “it was a failure in communication.” And he would probably be right. Keeping employees motivated, committed, engaged and happy takes many things, but good communication between management and employees is a major contributor.

Ask any businessperson if she believes that communication is important and she will say “absolutely!” But ask her to show you her communication plan and you may end up with a stammer or a blank stare.

According to research conducted by Gallup, 71% of American workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” in their work, meaning that they are emotionally disconnected from their workplace and are less likely to be productive.

If you don’t have a communication plan, you may not be communicating effectively. You may be the next “great communicator,” but there is no doubt whatsoever that you will be more effective if you have and execute a plan.

Your plan should be tailored to your business, based on the size of your company, geographic diversity, and culture of the organization. If you want to empower and engage others, make sure that your communication doesn’t just tell them what is going on but why. If they understand the goals, challenges and reasoning behind the decisions being made, they will be empowered to make better decisions—ones that are in-line with the company’s goals.

Your plan should cover the following areas:

• Audience. To whom are you communicating?
– Tailor your communication to your various audiences
– Determine if people are grouped by function or geography

• Medium. How are you communicating?
– Website/Intranet/Portal
– Email
– Newsletter
– Meeting or face-to-face, by far the most effective!

• Frequency. How often do you communicate?
– Determine how often and what medium would be ideal to communicate to your different audiences

• Roles and responsibilities
– Each person responsible for communication needs to be identified
– Editorial responsibility needs to be clear
– Management must commit to consistent communications

However you decide to proceed, make sure you proceed. Employees who operate in a vacuum will suck your company dry. Employ these steps toward effective communication and your business will reap the benefits.

Shmuly Goldman, along with two partners, built a pharmaceutical consulting company from the ground up, finally selling the thriving business in 2011. With 28 years of professional work experience under his belt, Mr. Goldman now mentors young entrepreneurs in their endeavors while pursuing new ventures of his own.

To discuss this or any other business startup matter with Mr. Goldman, please comment on this article on www.CHYE.info or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CHyoungEntrepreneurs. To join the Mentor Program through Crown Heights Young Entrepreneurs and receive mentorship from business leaders like Mr. Goldman, click here.