There are numerous ways to communicate in business. There’s face-to-face communication, email, SMS, teleconferencing, video conferencing, open meetings, phone calls; the list is endless. However, traditional communication remains essential for ensuring your company’s success and maintaining a happy workforce.
Effective communication in the workplace is imperative when it comes to achieving your goals. This can help to create a good working relationship between you and your employees. This situation, in turn, can boost morale and improve efficiency – which, of course, can equate to greater profit.
Email has great importance in modern business communication; each day, millions of emails are sent to and from companies, including customers and suppliers, as well as between staff within a company, such as employees, managers and coworkers. The immediacy of emails is important, as they can be sent and received instantaneously, regardless of the recipient’s location.
This immediacy is one reason why using email for both internal and external communication remains important – it allows for real-time status updates. Plus, this ceaseless stream of relevant information makes both employees and executives more productive, owing to quick responses to any possible issues.
Moreover, email messages remain in inboxes unless deliberately deleted. This means that records are automatically kept – and, with webmail services offering a search function, tracking down a specific message has never been easier. This virtual paper trail trumps printed and filed documents all day long. Email is also one of the cheapest ways a business can communicate, both external and within.
With free email providers such as Outlook and Gmail available, even small businesses can get involved, though alternative means of communication can remain cost-effective even for them. Planet Numbers, for example, can help them to cut the cost of making international phone calls.
Meetings
You could be pleasantly surprised by how easily you can convey your mission statement and passion to team members through open meetings. This is because not only will they get to hear what you’re saying, they will also be able to see and feel it. This is why open meetings remain one of the best approaches to communicate effectively within a business.
At 73%, almost a quarter of employees who claim they work at a purpose-driven company are engaged, and there is no better way to engage an employee than via an open meeting; it’s the best way to make an employee understand what they are doing and why, while also presenting both parties with an opportunity to resolve any possible issues.
One-on-one
The importance of one-on-one meetings should not be underestimated when it comes to communication and business. Experts have proven that many people understand better when you take them to one side and talk to them on a one-on-one basis. When doing so, be sure to maintain eye contact with them, as this will help the message to sink in.
Similarly, avoid overcomplicating matters – not everyone understands complex vocabulary, so keep it simple and use words that are easily understood. This prevents confusion and means that you will not have to explain yourself. When delivering such sessions, be sure to create a receptive situation and avoid any feelings of tension, as this can also create confusion.
