Improving Communication at the Workplace - Essay Sample

Introduction

Attentive listening to the speaker- for efficient communication at the workplace, it is necessary for the listeners, i.e., the team members to remain alert during any addressing activity. This is because, engaging in other activities such as sideline communication amid an ongoing meeting, the inattentive members are likely to be passed by crucial and essential information which may hinder the effectiveness of the communication process taking place. Members should, therefore, try to remain attentive during any ongoing communication activity to ensure that any critical information does not pass them.

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Clarity when making remarks- for the individuals charged with the task of addressing the rest of the team, they should ensure that they observe transparency during the communication process. This is because any information that is not passed clearly may be understood ambiguously thereby affecting the overall communication at the workplace. It is, therefore, necessary for the team members at the workplace to observe that they remain clear in any communication activities they undertake.

Considering colleagues' opinions- sometimes, communication may be ineffective where somebody may feel as if they are being looked down upon or their input is not recognized or treated with the regard that they believe they deserve. For such workers, their communication may be ineffective in that, and they may tend not to give their opinion or input regarding a particular case thereby costing the team input that could have been otherwise resourceful.

Drawing conclusions amicably- it is necessary to ensure that whenever any colleague at the workplace presents their views or opinion regarding a particular subject, it is essential to clearly outline the process followed in the making of a final decision. This will enable all the team members to feel involved and also help to avoid segregation issues.

Improving Face to Face Communication

Maintaining eye contact with the speaker- it is necessary to ensure that during a meeting or in face to face communication that eye contact is observed. This helps to ensure that the listener and the speaker are both actively involved in the process and no distractions are coming in between in the process of the conversation. Eye contact also helps to make the communication process more effective in the sense that, the direct connection between the individuals taking part in the dialogue aids in clarity and conciseness seeking clarification of unclear response- whenever there is an ambiguous response, it is necessary for the team members, i.e. the active listeners to request for further explanation. In most cases where there is inefficient communication, most people tend to make assumptions which may lead to miscommunication thereby leading to misinformation among the team members and eventually affecting the overall performance in the team. This is because assumptions made may deviate from the actual response given leading to communication at cross purpose.

Direct and concise speaking- it is also necessary to ensure that as the speaker, there is the maintenance of direct and concise speaking. It is advisable to avoid any unnecessary information as this could lead to some of the colleagues zoning off or being distracted from the main topic of discussion at hand.

Audibility and other communication cues- some speakers may not have the best oratory skills, but this should not be a barrier to effective communication at the workplace. Any individual can address a team clearly and concisely by observing specific basic communication skills. These may include; audibility, clarity in pronunciation and using the correct choice of words. Provided a speaker observes the above guidelines while speaking in front of an audience, it will be possible for them to pass the intended message across with minimum hindrances.

Enhancing Active Listening

Avoid distractive devices- in the attempt to improve active listening, and there are various guidelines that the listener could employ to ensure that their listening session is informative and exciting as well. One major requirement for active listening is avoiding any distractive devices that could take away the listeners attention from the ongoing meeting. Some tools that could distract an individual include; mobile phones, paper clips, toys such as carvings present in the office, current activities outside the office space among other tools. To ensure that one remains active throughout the listening session and gain the most of what is discussed, it is necessary to keep away from any material that could take away their attention.

Members, i.e. audience engagement - another tool that speakers could apply to ensure that their listeners remain active is the audience involvement in the ongoing presentation or meeting. This could be achieved by asking the listeners direct questions related to the current topic, asking for their opinion regarding the discussion among other engaging activities. This helps to ensure that the audience feels like they are part of the meeting and will, therefore, remain active throughout the session. In communication activities where the team members are not involved, there is the tendency to zone off and drift away from the conversation.

Seeking further clarification- by finding a further explanation, the listener can stay updated with the proceedings of the communication activity taking place thereby enabling them to remain keen and attentive all through. This way, the listener can be actively involved in the conversation given that they are well informed about the ongoing discussion.

Improving personal listening skills (Beamer & Varner, 2001)- it may sound weird, but some individuals usually suffer from concentration disorders. Such individuals may only remain attentive for a while after which they zone off in the ongoing discussion and stop paying attention. Such a disease is referred to as hyperactivity. To deal with this, one could take personal measures such as avoiding beverages such as coffee which may increase activity before a meeting. It is also advisable to seek a physician's guidance in cases where the condition affects one's team performance.

Eradicating Inconsistent Communication

Holding regular meetings (Ray, 1993)- inconsistent connection at the workplace is often the leading cause for inefficient relaying of information at the workplace. It is a common occurrence for briefing meetings to get held on the first day of the week after which the next meeting may be held before the week's closure, in between the week, there is no communication amongst the work colleagues. This primarily affects the execution of activities given that, in some instances, a client may require some information from the team, but given that there is no scheduled meeting in the course of this time, the response may have to be delayed until the team reconvenes the next time. This could be eradicated by ensuring that there is the holding of regular meetings either through video conferencing or any other means that may be convenient for the workers.

Constantly updating team members- the workers also need to be continuously updated on any changes or updates regarding any particular project that the team may be working on. By ensuring that the team is up to date, there is effective communication thus leading to a smooth and efficient flow of activities.

Full information communication- it is necessary that there is a full delivery of information at the workplace. This helps in the timely response of the workers to any required deadlines or submissions if the information is provided timely and adequately.

Effect of Poor Communication

Conflict amongst the team members- whenever there is constant poor communication at the workplace, conflict is inevitable. This is because poor communication leads to misunderstandings between the clients thereby leading to dispute arising. To curb these unnecessary misunderstandings, the workers should try to embrace, the above communication skills which would be essential in alleviating any unnecessary conflict at the workplace.

Poor team performance- this is an outright effect of poor communication at the workplace. Where the relay of information is unreliable, team members will fail to observe the required performance guidelines thereby leading to poor quality work delivery. It is necessary for team members to understand that communication is the most integral part of any group activity and therefore ensure that concerted efforts are made towards achieving this for better performance.

Team members to build and develop communication skills (Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010)- it is said that a chain is as strong as its weakest link. This statement is true and emphasizes the significance of teamwork. Team members should make concerted efforts in trying to determine where the communication defects lie in their group and make joint efforts toward solving these underlying problems. By acknowledging the fact that there are communication barriers in the team, it becomes possible for the team to come up with measures that could help to facilitate efficient communication.

Communication is a tool of vital importance in human society given that it is the basic building block that regulates most of our interactions. Where there is effective communication, the performance is similarly remarkable, and the interpersonal relationships between the members involved are also strengthened. Employees should, therefore, make an effort to see to it that a culture of efficient communication is developed at the workplace for a healthy and fruitful working relationship.