Effective Communication Strategies
Effective communication skills are the secret key to your professional success. They can help you foster productive work relationships, resolve conflicts, enhance your collaborative efforts, and communicate your ideas with impact.
Below, you'll find some tips and strategies for tackling various communication problems in your work life.
Communication Strategies for Improving Work Relationships
Whether you're everyone's buddy or the cubicle pariah, everyone can benefit from an effort to improve their working relationships. Whether you're talking to managers, colleagues, or employees below you, the fundamental principles of communication apply.
That means:
- Empathizing with people and considering their perspective
- Focusing on interests instead of relative positions in the workplace
- Asking questions before offering solutions
- Using active listening techniques to remain engaged and confirm your understanding
- Paying attention to body language as well as textual content
Communication Strategies for Resolving Conflict
The way you handle conflict in the workplace can sink your career or buoy it.
When you encounter a clash with a colleague, remember to:
- Stay calm and professional. Watch your language, and don't let yourself become too aggressive. Avoid threatening, lecturing, or bulldozing the other party.
- Give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Assume the best of them until they give you real reasons to believe their intentions are negative.
- Really listen to the other person with an open mind. Your goal should be to understand their perspective so you can meet in the middle. Don't just try to "win."
- Don't interrupt unless you need clarification. When the other person is finished speaking, paraphrase your understanding of their point to make sure you understand.
- Keep your focus on concrete behaviors (if the conflict is personal) or on ideas (if the conflict is professional). Don't let yourself attack the other person's character or attributes, even if they do so first.
Communication Strategies for Conveying Ideas
There's nothing more frustrating than having a great idea that no one will listen to. The right approach to sharing your idea can make a huge difference in how it's received.
- Adjust your level of technical jargon to your audience. Anytime you can convey your meaning with plain language, you should do so.
- Focus on the main points rather than getting into the minutiae (at first). Give your listener the 30,000-foot view of your idea, then the birds-eye view, and then, if it's appropriate and they show interest, you can get down into the weeds.
- Before you bring your idea to an audience, consider their goals and interests. Tailor your pitch toward the problems from your audience's perspective and what this idea does for them. You should explain ideas differently to an executive than you would a specialist.
- Don't get defensive when your idea is challenged. If someone makes a good point, acknowledge it and ask if they have any ideas on how it can be addressed.
Improve Your Communication with Online Courses
Communication skills are a crucial part of your success in the workplace, and if you want to improve your capabilities, it'll take more than a blog or two.
We've been a trusted online training provider for over 20 years, and we have courses that can help you hone your communication and listening skills, whether you want to communicate better to your direct reports, connect more rapidly with your clients, or work more effectively with your colleagues. Enroll today!