How Can Effective Communication Increase Productivity?

Effective communication and productivity go hand in hand. Organizations where employees speak openly and honestly with their colleagues and managers thrive because of the benefits of clear communication. When businesses fail to meet their targets, it is often due to poor communication between employees about projects, goals, milestones and deadlines. Ensure your business cultivates a culture of clear communication so that you meet your business’ goals.

One of the key benefits of productive communication in the workplace is that it increases accountability at all levels of the organization, from the front-line workers to the managers and owners. When employees are held accountable for their tasks, they have more incentive to ensure they complete their duties on time and with a high degree of precision.

For example, a simple daily check-in with employees can help keep everyone up to date on tasks and milestones. This way, everyone involved has a clear understanding of what their colleagues are working on. When employees are held accountable for their work, they are also motivated to ask for help if they need it, leading to an organizational culture that focuses on growth and knowledge.

Productive communication skills can help businesses to reduce misinformation and misunderstandings, which lead to mistakes. These issues can drastically reduce productivity in the workplace. When everyone is clear on what needs to be done, rather than making assumptions or guessing, the work they produce will be more accurate.

For example, if your employee needs to create a custom order for a customer, they will have a much better chance of exceeding the customer’s expectations if they know exactly what the order is. If another employee took the order but didn’t write down all the information, then it might lead to an incorrect order. When communicating effectively, however, the employee can make the order just like the customer asked.

Productive communication in the workplace enables employees to solve problems faster. When faced with an issue, it’s much easier to speak candidly with colleagues and managers to sort out the problem. If employees are not able to clearly and honestly communicate the issue, they may never find a solution.

If an employee is struggling to complete a project because of a technical issue, communicating with their peers may help them resolve the problem. The peer may know how to fix the technical issue, improving the productivity on the project.

Collaboration and teamwork are greatly improved through effective communication in the workplace. Regular touch points can help employees to work better together. In addition, open communication can help resolve issues between different departments or areas of the company.

If your sales department and marketing department are always butting heads, having an open line of communication and a weekly meeting between the two groups can help them to stay updated on each other’s progress. They may also help each other solve problems and come up with innovative ideas when they are able to effectively communicate.

The way your employees communicate at work is directly tied to the culture of your organization. Does your business encourage open and clear communication between employees and managers at all levels of the company? Do all employees feel they have a direct line of communication to superiors when they need it?

It’s important to encourage effective communication and facilitate it through training and workshops. Depending on your organizations and the skills of your employees, you can implement training that focuses on different aspects of communication such as written communication, public speaking and conflict resolution. Providing communication tools such as instant messaging apps or project management tools also helps employees to use their productive communication skills.