We’re almost always in communication with our coworkers nowadays. Saying “hello” to a coworker, getting virtual coffee with a remote team member, or sharing a gif of a cat in pajamas with your team may not need much thought, and that’s fine.
Even when you’re communicating at work, there’s a distinction to be made between these types of messages and workplace communication.
Workplace communication refers to the type of communication you have with your coworkers about their jobs. Knowing when and how to communicate successfully at work can help you avoid miscommunication, boost team happiness, improve collaboration, and encourage trust.
Teams that know how to successfully communicate about work are better prepared to deal with challenging situations. Building strong communication habits, on the other hand, takes time and effort, which is where we come in.
Here are 12 tips to help you improve your workplace communication abilities:
Workplace communication refers to any sort of work-related communication. Communication concerning individual tasks, delivering project status updates, and providing feedback to managers or staff are all examples of this.
Knowing how to communicate effectively in the workplace is essential for effective teamwork since if you can’t speak properly, you risk miscommunication, uncertainty, or even hurting someone’s feelings unintentionally.
In the workplace, communication can take place in person, in writing, over a video conferencing platform, or in a group gathering. It can also happen asynchronously or in real time, as when discussing work via email, recorded video, or a platform like a project management application. The following are some examples of workplace communication:
Team meetings.
1:1 feedback sessions.
Receiving information.
Communicating about project status or progress.
Collaboration on cross-functional tasks.
Nonverbal communication.
The elements of effective communication
How can you start to get better at workplace communication now that you know what types of communication can be included? There are a few essential tenets of effective communication that may be applied to any sort of communication.
Good communication, in particular:
aims for clear communication. Whether you’re sending a Slack chat, writing an email, or responding on the go, attempt to explain your message clearly.
It seeks to resolve issues rather than create them. You’re communicating to solve an issue or to encourage successful collaboration on a project or task. Good workplace communication can bring up roadblocks or provide feedback—but make sure the goal is to go to a better place than where you are today.
It works both ways. Even if one person is simply interacting nonverbally, every instance of communication in the workplace is an exchange of information.