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Here’s How Effective Communication is in

the Hands of 73% of Professionals
Sandeep Kashyap Articles, Company Culture

Have questions?

share Missing deadlines. Long messy email threads. No idea of who will be working on what.
Conflicts between team members. Poorly planned projects. Ideas not discussed enough.
Scattered and missing files. Waiting for hours to get answers. Delayed feedback. And so on.

Sounds familiar?

Is your business buried under the same fundamental problems?  Does your team have
communication issues? Is ineffective communication a major part of your business? If the
answer to all is a yes, it’s time to organize your team communication and bring everything
into one place.

In research where 400 surveyed corporations (with 100,000 plus employees in the U.S. and
U.K.) it was estimated that communication barriers cost the average organization $62.4
million per year in lost productivity.

Since a very long time, ineffective communication is being on the top concerns for a
successful business. And it is worthy to know, how to communicate? What are the effective
communication skills? And how to promote happy communication?

“Keep your team in sync! See how ProofHub helps. Sign up NOW.”

Table of Contents [show]

What is Communication?

There are many definitions of communication, like:

Google definition: “the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or

using some other medium” and “means of sending or receiving information, such as
telephone lines or computers.”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition: “the act or process of using words, sounds,
signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas,
thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.”

What is Effective Communication And Why it is

Necessary?

Image credit: https://tenor.com/view/communication-key-gif-9846760

Definition: Communication serves as the foundation of every facet of a business. Effective

communication is communication between two or more persons with the purpose of
delivering, receiving, and understanding the message successfully. It is the process of
information sharing between team members in a way that keeps in mind what you want to
say, what you actually say, and what your audience interprets.

The scientific study of communication can be divided into:

Information theory that is related to quantification, storage, and communication of

information;
Communication studies that involve human communication;
Biosemiotics is communication in and between living organisms in general.

The Seven C’s Of Effective Communication

To make sure you communicate in the most effective manner possible, you need to know
what are the 7 principles of communication. Therefore, below list of the 7Cs of
communication, also known as the 7 principles of communication, will provide you with a
useful checklist to ensure good communication in the workplace.  

1. Concrete

When your message that you want to convey is concrete – not liable to have fallen, your
audience (team or clients) will have have a clear picture of what you’re trying to tell them. It
will only be concrete when it has suitable data that backs it up. Your argument should be
supported by factual material that includes data and figures, leaving no space for the
audience to imagine the things.

2. Coherent

The whole point behind your message will be useless when you are not coherent. You need
to have a good understanding of what goes where and what comes when. Coherent
communication is logical. It is a well-planned, logical and sequential manner of
communication. There should be a good connection with the main topic and the flow
should be consistent.

3. Clarity

The purpose of your message should be clear so that the reader doesn’t head up scratching
his/her head to understand what you mean. Be clear of what format do you want to say it
in. Be clear about your goal or purpose. Your readers shouldn’t have to make assumptions
regarding what you’re trying to say. For example, the sentences should be short, prefer the
active voice and state it in separate bulleted points.

4. Commitment

Commitment is a major part of workplace communication skills. It simply measures one’s

dedication and the degree to which one communicates surety in the argument. It convinces
the prospects kindly. A well-committed message will leave a greater impact and increase
your morale.

5. Consistency

The choice of words matters when you are communicating at work. Your words shouldn’t
leave your team confused. You need to communicate your message in the least possible
words, have the consistency of tone, voice, and content so that you can save time. There is
no room for repetition. Try to use short sentences and short words.

6. Completeness

Never leave your sentences incomplete. Each message must have a logical conclusion.
People shouldn’t be left wondering if there is more to come. Make sure you communicate
completely that includes the need to be informed and take action.

7. Courteous

Let’s keep it positive. Your argument should make the other person respectful. Try your best
that in your communication you’re honest, respectful, open and polite. Say it with proper
care and it will be perfectly effective and important. Offensive words can put off people.

“Communication isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Start using

ProofHub.”

Importance of Effective Team Communication in the

Workplace

Gallup’s report on the “State of the American Workforce” reveals only 13 percent of the
nearly 31 million employees surveyed said their leaders’ practice and cultivate effective
workplace communication.

When it comes to communication in the workplace, good communication is an integral

element. Do you know the power of good communication in the workplace?

Take you a long way to building effective teams

Let everyone have a voice to communicate freely
Openly communicate ideas without the fear of outrage
Good communication increases employee engagement
Fosters a more productive and talented workforce
Work satisfaction for always
Eliminate misunderstandings, ambiguities, and questions
Builds a safe place for people to think creatively

What are the 4 Types of Communication?

1. Verbal communication: conversations, interviews, calls

Intrapersonal – conversations with ourselves

Interpersonal – one-on-one conversation
Small group – press conferences, board meetings, and team meeting
Public – presentation, public speeches

2. Non-verbal communication: voice tone, facial expressions, postures

3. Written communication: letters, memos, reports
4. Visual communication: photographs, videos, films

Improving Communication:  Tips for Effective

Workplace or Team Communication

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13223944

Effective communication includes not just the 7 Cs of communication but also overcoming
other barriers to communication. Common barriers to effective communication may occur
at any stage in the communication process leading to confusion and misunderstanding.
Here are some effective team communication techniques for you to overcome the barriers
and have effective communication:

14 Tips for effective team communication

1. Give Your Whole Attention

Have you ever been in communication where someone was busy looking at their
smartphone while talking or listening to you? That’s called being absent-minded. It’s a sign
of poor communication. Therefore, be mindful of how you’re communicating. Offering a full
focus by maintaining eye contact during conversations and meetings will contribute greatly
to effective communication. Nod your head affirmatively while in a conversation to convey
your focus visually.

2. Get a Team Communication App

Lack of communication can be a major buzzkill for numerous workplace failures.  Team
communication apps are getting quite popular today to make life easier and collaborate
well. It is actually quite time-consuming for teams, clients, and managers to keep track of
long email threads. This is where team collaboration app makes all the difference – helps
users to work together on different activities and projects and breaks all barriers to effective
communication.

Every project needs an effective communication stream to reflect the progress of the
project. The modern workplace is on its way to digital transformation. So, you need to
invest on key systems and applications for productivity and communication. According to
the needs of your project, communication tools can be an effective way for the whole
team to meet up. With task management software, you can make communication
streamlined between your team members. They can exchange messages about the tasks
and all relevant information can be shared in the same place. It prevents long email threads
that has long been one of the communication approach. With an understanding, the
technology is evolving to support you always.

Pro tip: Not using team communication software like ProofHub will probably cause
communication errors between teams. Users have seen a tremendous difference in how
they work since they started using ProofHub.

3. Inform and Inspire

More than just passing on the information, be careful of explaining and clarifying your
thoughts and ideas to have an effective one. Passing the information is just half the
equation. Plan ahead what you want the audience to remember from the conversation. Do
you want them to take any kind of action? The most effective communication will make
your people take action.

4. Practice Active Listening

Employees who listen well tend to work better. Listening is twice as important as talking
and one big important part of effective communication skills in business. Listening should
not be taken for granted. Do not just sit back, barely awake, letting the speakers words
wash over you. The more you listen well, the better you receive the information.

Do you know how to listen well? Here’s how?

Make eye contact with the speaker

Respond appropriately
No interruptions, please
Examine your body language

5. Choose the Best Method of communication

To communicate well means to understand and be understood. Knowing the right methods
of communications is as important as having effective communication skills.

Visual communication via charts, maps, images, and graphs.

Verbal communication through face to face, by phone and other media.

Non-verbal communication through body language, eye contact, gestures.

Written communication through letters, e-mails, books, magazines, and the internet.

6. Don’t Beat Around the Bush

Keeping in mind the importance of communication at the workplace, the next big thing is
clear, concise communication. Whether you’re into a verbal communication or non-verbal
communication, do not get into a long speech to get your point across. You do want to
respect everyone’s time, so be brief, to the point, and balance brevity with a human touch.

7. Personal Skills

Interpersonal communication skills will do good to both your professional and personal life.
You will need it every day in your life. It includes skills related to emotional intelligence or
being able to understand your own and others’ emotions. For example, high self-esteem
and confidence can help you have more positivity about yourself and what you can do,
including communication. And positivity leads to effectivity.

8. Confident, Persuasive, and Patient

There is a difference between being able to communicate and to communicate effectively.

Along with the above tips, having just a little of patience, confidence and persuasiveness
can help you communicate your information more effectively. Confidence means to take
care of what your body language is.  Your own sense of self-worth will make you feel
effective, rather than helpless.

Smile
Keep your arms uncrossed
Maintain an erect posture
Maintain eye contact
Keep your devices away

9. Use time wisely

Utilizing coffee breaks can keep team building spirit strong and giving everyone an
opportunity to get to know each other better. Team bonding is a better way to improve
communication channels. Coffee breaks is an ideal opportunity for informal meetings and
discussions. It encourages healthy communications amongst colleagues and also promotes
the exchange of ideas. Let your team members have coffee breaks at same time to create
an ideal environment for team members to relax and discuss issues. And this art of
conversation will often encourage the team to discuss work as well. Thus coffee will not only
act as an energy booster through the day but also promote productivity with relaxed
conversations.

10. Conduct team building activities

Team building activities have a great impact on productivity and overall teamwork of your
team. It can help your people to communicate better, and also help them to build good
relationships with one another. Create structure opportunities for your employees to
collaborate through activities like team lunch, ice breaker games in meetings, group
meetings, fitness sessions, puzzle solving games or any outdoor activity. You can schedule
these activities at the end of the month or weekly to get your team together in the room.

11. Show appreciation

Tell your employees, coworkers and colleagues about how much you care and respect them.
Showing appreciation is an effective way to deal with low employee morale and to make
your team members feel like they matter. This a method to promote communication in
team. Given a token of appreciation to your team members by congratulating them for
great ideas, thanking a team member for finish a task and express gratitude even for small
acts.

12. Encourage two-way feedback

In order to have smooth work environment, it is important to have two way communication.
In workplace, feedback is important to generate results, where the main objectives is to
strengthen progress towards company goals. A common mistake that leaders make when
offering feedback is turning into one way dialogue (feedback). They give no opportunity to
employees to present their own comments and concerns. Encouraging two-way feedback is
a sign of good communication in workplace that will give your team a chance to self-
evaluate. Give detailed feedback to increase team communication and to coach your team
members. You can keep a written record of feedback via your task management system
which can help increase the overall communication and productivity.

13. Having One-on-One Interactions

Successful teams are made of team members who are purposeful in their interactions. One
on one interactions is important with every individual you hire to make sure employee
engagement doesn’t fall short in your workplace. During these interactions, set your
expectations and needs. Tell them about what your project demands, what are the norms of
your company for employees and give them adequate preparation time to maximize their
potential. When having one-on-one interactions, make sure you know when to listen to
what your employees have to say. The leaders need to put their best foot forward for their
new hirings to get to the bottom of things.

14. Effective Communication Skills

Growing better communication habits for the future means practicing effective
communication skills and being a powerful communicator. But what are the examples of
effective communication?  Well, here are 3 communication skills you should work on:

1. Be aware of your body

Your body tells a story about you.

Crossed or folded arms – Defensiveness

Hands held behind the body – Confidence
Mending clothes, accessories,  watch– Nervousness
Clenched fists – Anger or anxiety
Squeezing hands – Self-soothing

2. Active listening – That means being completely present of what the speaker is trying to
impart.
3. Delivering with confidence – You need to develop a strong delivery by being patient,
kind to yourself, and slowing down.
4. Keep it Positive

Last but not least, try to stay positive. No matter whatever state of mind you are in, being
positive will save you from getting into a bad conversation.

“Communicate without chaos. Sign up NOW on ProofHub.”

What Are the Benefits of Effective Communication in

the Workplace?
There are numerous benefits of effective communication. You’d surprised how effective
communication brings a big change in the workplace. Let’s learn how it will benefit you.

“Communicate at one place to get more work done! Switch to

ProofHub.”

Remember it starts with you to create new effective habits to improve communication in
the workplace. You can not definitely ignore how you communicate. Grow to be a good
communicator to have strong conversations.

If you found this post interesting, you can follow us on Twitter @ProofHub.

Sandeep Kashyap
Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder and CEO of ProofHub — a leading project
management and collaboration software. He’s one person always on a lookout for
innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and
organizations. You’ll find him saying, "Let’s go!" instead of "Go!" many times a day.
That’s what makes him write about leadership in a way people are inspired to dream
more, learn more, do more, and become more.

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