subject: 4 Ways To Fix The Communication Gap At Work [print this page] When companies do needs assessments among employees, one thing that always comes up is breakdown in communication. Here are four actions steps to rid your department of this frustration.
1. Find out what the problem really is. Three people might complain about communication and, without your realizing it, each could mean something different. Perhaps one means he doesn't understand the procedures manual; another wants to hear more from management about how the system works; yet another never receives feedback from his supervisor on his performanceand there could be many more. You can't take effective action until you know where the gap is.
Action step: Ask your own people if they feel a lack of communication, and if so, what they specifically mean.
2. Your communication system could be well designed, but still leave a gap. That's because the problem is not the system, but the communication skills of the people using the system. For example, maybe you have a communication chain for reporting safety problems. But if even one person along the line misunderstands the message he receives, or doesn't make his own message clear to the next person the whole thing falls apart and safety is compromised.
Action step: Review your actual communication chain activity to find potential weak spots.
3. It's a myth that communication comes naturally to everyone. There are many skills involved in workplace communication: speaking, listening, voice tone, understanding, writing, reading, persuasion. The way these skills are used is different in different workplaces ---but they are essential in every circumstance, because a team or work unit that doesn't communicate doesn't produce. You need to train your people, on an ongoing basis, so that communication skills become second nature to them, which will not only raise morale, but also productivity. Everybody wins.
Action step: Institute communication training programs based on specific needs.
4. When you ask people to change the way they do things, or to learn new skills, you have a much better chance of success if you help them understand WHY the change or new skills are necessary. Particularly, if they can see the value to themselves, they will take a much more positive view of the training.
Action step: Illustrate first the WHY, then train on the HOW.
These steps can be crucial to your business or department's success, because while there is a communication gap, people and organizations can never reach their full potential.
