Communication - Within your business

Business owners we work with often cite ‘staff problems’ as an issue they are facing. In our experience, almost every one of them is struggling with a gap in communication. Getting this right in your business can save you a lot of time, money and stress.  

There are four key elements to communication within your business.

1. You actually need to communicate differently to different people.

The way you like to be communicated to may not be the way that one of your key staff members likes to be communicated with. As a leader, you have an obligation to meet their requirements. Do not be arrogant and assume that they have to adapt to your style, in most cases this will not happen. 

There are a lot of behavioural profiling tools available to help you understand different communication styles. We use DiSC, but it doesn’t matter which one you prefer. Do yourself a favour - learn what your communication style is, and take the time to understand the other styles. Then you will be able to adapt your communication style to suit the person you are communicating with. The results of effective communication will speak for themselves.

2. Communicate the difficult issues when they occur and in person.

So often we see leaders preferring to send emails or texts rather than talking to the person. This almost always ends badly. It’s absolutely OK to confirm a conversation that you have had with an email, but the first communication should always be verbal. 

Do not wait two or five weeks to discuss a difficult issue, confront and deal with it at the time. Our clients are always surprised at the result of taking this action. ‘Oh, that went better than I thought’, is a common response once they have had the necessary conversation.

3. Be consistent and frequent with your communication.

Do not change your message, or have one message for one staff member and a different rule for another. Do not only reprimand or discipline, make a point of congratulating or praising good behaviour.  

4. Listen and allow staff to have their say.

It is critical that you listen to your staff if you want them to feel valued, respected, appreciated and able to give input. Aim to talk less than the person you are communicating with. You do not have to agree with everything that they say, but you do need to listen and actually hear their words.

Working on these four elements will improve communication in your business. Organisations with great communication are, more often than not, high performing companies. Getting this right will help your staff reach their full potential and greatly increase the value of your business.