Business managers play a critical role in directing operations and keeping projects on track. To be effective in this leadership role, business managers need to have excellent communication skills. If you’ve found that you have difficulty communicating with your co-workers, you might think that you simply don’t have what it takes for a management role. However, while some people do have a natural “knack” for interpersonal communication which makes it come easier to them than it does to others, effective workplace communication is something that can be learned.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the most important aspects of workplace communication and how business managers and those who aspire to management positions can improve in this area.
The Importance of Workplace Communication
Whether it takes place in a face-to-face conversion, over the phone, via email messages, or through some other medium, good communication in the workplace is essential for ensuring productivity, efficiency, and high-quality work.
Good communication allows teams to clearly understand goals, properly divide up the responsibility for different parts of a project, and collaborate to overcome obstacles. Without effective communication, balls will inevitably get dropped, projects will fall behind schedule, clients will be dissatisfied, and workplace morale will suffer.
As leaders, business managers need to communicate clearly with subordinates about assignments and expectations and set a tone for a team culture where communication between colleagues is open and productive.
Elements of Good Communication
There are many elements to communicating well in the workplace, but business managers can make great strides in improving their communication by focusing on these three qualities:
1. Active Listening
Active listening means doing more than just paying attention to the words someone says. It’s about also paying attention to the feelings or attitudes underlying their words, and taking time to make sure that you’ve accurately understood what’s being said instead of just nodding along and assuming you got the message right. One helpful way of doing this is to paraphrase what you’ve been told, putting it into your own words, to confirm that your understanding is correct. “So what I’m hearing is that you’re concerned the situation with X might cause problems for us in achieving the next milestone on the Y project; do I have that right?”
2. Transparency
As leaders, business managers must have the trust of their subordinates. Managers can promote trust by being as transparent as possible. If employees feel that their manager has held back information they needed to complete a particular task or misled them about prospects for rewards like bonuses and promotion, it will breed resentment and trust will be broken. Don’t be afraid of discouraging your employees by being honest about challenges that lie ahead; it’s much worse for employees to feel that they’ve been deceived or set up to fail when they encounter challenges they weren’t prepared for.
3. Empathy
It is also important for business managers to demonstrate empathy and let their subordinates know that they care for their needs and concerns. A great many workplace conflicts could be resolved if people were more able to imagine themselves in the shoes of their co-workers and consider a difficult situation from points of view other than their own. While it’s your job as a manager to get the best possible performance from your team, never forget that they are human beings with individual strengths, weaknesses, and lives outside of the workplace.
Becoming a Business Manager
If you want to get the skills you need to advance in your career to rewarding management positions, Interactive College of Technology (ICT) can help. ICT offers one of the only Associate of Science in Business Management programs in the United States. This program doesn’t just cover things like marketing strategies and financial fundamentals; it will also teach you how to lead and communicate. Reach out to us today to find out more.
