Communication in business is at the core of a successful company. Strong communication can help a company to operate effectively and efficiently, moving one step closer to achieving any goals set.
However, poor communication can be costly to a business. From the loss of time to its impact on the customer experience, poor communication causes issues that companies work tirelessly and have measures to help avoid. As companies work to rectify the problems caused by poor communication, they likely miss opportunities that could benefit businesses.
There are plenty of ways to improve communication skills to help maximise opportunities in business. Keep reading to find out more.
Learn New Ways Of Communicating
Being able to communicate clearly and effectively is a powerful skill to possess. Although most business leaders possess this skill, it can always be improved. They can learn new ways to approach a topic or how to communicate with others from different backgrounds.
Another way is to utilise information and data to make more informed decisions. With this information, they can use it to communicate with others to help make improvements to the company. Taking a course on a topic such as public policy analysis could be beneficial. Business leaders could take a public policy analysis course to help them improve ways of communicating. The lessons taught and advice shared could be helpful when opportunities for the business arise.
The Importance Of Listening
Listening skills are a valuable communication tool. Listening to verbal and non-verbal communication can help business leaders to maximise opportunities that come their way. Understandably, finding ways to improve their ability to list is a must. Practising active listening will help business leaders to improve this skill. Business leaders can improve their listening skills by listening when someone is speaking, allowing them the opportunity to talk without interruptions, and carefully reading information and important documents.
Observing a person’s body language is a non-verbal way of communicating. Noticing the body language of an employee, client, or stakeholder can help business leaders improve how they communicate with others. They can ask open-ended questions and share prompts to help encourage others to share thoughts and opinions. These strong listening skills will not go unnoticed. Employees, clients, and stakeholders will appreciate that what they share is being heard and understood. This could lead to opportunities arising that business leaders can maximise.
Being Clear And Concise
How a business leader communicates with others is crucial. If communicating with stakeholders and clients, the way they interact could have an impact on the company. Clients want to be understood by the company they are investing in the services or products of. They want to receive updates and know exactly where they are in the process. If they ask for updates on progress, the answer should be clear and concise.
The same applies to stakeholders. If they ask for updates on the company and its progress, responses from business leaders should be clear and concise. Struggling to communicate could set a company back. They could miss out on opportunities as clients and stakeholders could lose trust in the business. Employees will also appreciate clear and concise feedback and updates regarding the company. It can help them to feel as though they are trusted enough with this information.
Mindful Of Tone
Being clear and concise is crucial when communicating. However, being mindful of tone is equally as important. A business leader’s tone when communicating can alter how information is absorbed. Non-verbal communication cues, such as how a person stands, can also emphasise a message. If the tone is negative and a business leader’s stance seems closed off, it can come across as challenging to those they are communicating with. Clients and stakeholders could hold back from moving forward with a business opportunity due to the tone of a business leader.
When writing emails, business leaders should also be mindful of their tone. Misinterpretation of messages is common. People have fallen out due to misinterpreting a message sent. In business, this is understandably something business leaders want to avoid. As such, carefully checking any important emails or messages before sending them is necessary. It can help to reduce the risk of anything being misinterpreted, which could have consequences for the business.
The Bottom Line
Business leaders can choose to implement one or two of these measures to help with improving communication skills. If there is an improvement, these skills could help them and their team maximise available opportunities. To see if it has been successful, monitoring the progress between when these changes were implemented to now could indicate any improvements made. Any improvements made to how business leaders communicate can benefit the company. It could help strengthen bonds across the team and move the company forward.