WHY EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE A FOCUS IN YOUR BUSINESS

Advances in communication technologies and the rise of globalisation have made the task of communication even more vital. With the use of virtual platforms, workers can increasingly work from different locations across the globe.

Communication is essential for collaborating and engaging with different people to form agreed collective purpose and establish meaningful relationships with each team member. Engaging and motivating each member of the group is critical if every team member is to apply their full commitment to optimise outcomes. This holds as true for teams in a small business setting as it does for stakeholder relations in a multinational organisation.

The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016 reported that millennials linked job satisfaction with open and free-flowing communication, high levels of cross-team collaboration, a culture of mutual support and tolerance, the active encouragement of ideas among all employees and a strong commitment to equality and inclusiveness. Communication is an essential ingredient in all of this.

Why should communication be a focus in your business?

Collaboration

Communication is essential in building a successful collaborative team because it ensures each person has the relevant information and a positive working relationship. People who are effective communicators engage with others and build trust. To work with others, professionals need to be able to communicate, engage at a cognitive level and build trust across a variety of contexts and different media.

Productivity

Effective communication increases collaboration between team members and can lead to greater efficiency and performance in teams. Through communicating and working together, teams can produce something new or do something differently. When team members give clear direction to their staff and peers, this ensures the efficient allocation of tasks, enabling the completion of a project in a timely manner. Communication is also a critical component in successfully responding to change, enhancing innovation and promoting continuous improvement within the organisation.

Customer Experience

Globalisation and digital disruption mean that quality customer service has become critical for business success. Businesses have to know their customers and communicate with them on an almost personal level. Ebiquity’s Global Customer Service survey highlights the importance of customer service:

74 per cent of surveyed customers said they have spent more with a company because of a history of positive customer service.

Effective communication skills are crucial for high-quality customer service.

Empathy

Use of our intelligences, particularly emotional, social and cultural intelligences, is what makes humans so special. We can increase machine-to-machine communication, but machines can neither empathise with the customer nor detect the feelings of another human through verbal and non-verbal cues, so they cannot modify their communication accordingly.

Professionals who effectively communicate with their staff and peers foster positive relationships that benefit the organisation. Communication is essential to inform, motivate and effect change inside and outside your organisation. To engage with employees and collaborate with your team and stakeholders, communication is vital.