Com­mu­nic­a­tion in the workplace: What should you pay attention to?

Com­mu­nic­a­tion in pro­fes­sion­al life is important, nobody would disagree with that. However, many people focus their efforts on main­tain­ing good com­mu­nic­a­tion with customers only, for­get­ting to focus on workplace re­la­tion­ships. While focusing on customers is important, it is of little use if things are not going well in the actual company. That’s why good workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion is so crucial: It’s only when col­leagues interact with each other in the right way and speak openly to one another, that the whole company can move forward. But how can you ensure proper com­mu­nic­a­tion in the workplace?

Com­mu­nic­a­tion in the workplace affects various aspects of work life. On the one hand, you have to consider who is talking to whom: Does com­mu­nic­a­tion at work take place at the same level, i.e. between col­leagues of the same rank or is there a hier­arch­ic­al gradient? On the other hand, it must be viewed in the context of the entire company, as well as in relation to each in­di­vidu­al.

If com­mu­nic­a­tion between col­leagues or between bosses and their employees is poor, problems can arise quickly. However, if you take the time to have dis­cus­sions and com­mu­nic­ate openly with each other, mis­un­der­stand­ings and the resulting conflicts shouldn’t arise in the first place. At the same time, if one person expresses them­selves unclearly, this can lead to mis­in­ter­pret­a­tion and could result in conflict. In these situ­ations, improved workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion can help. Com­mu­nic­a­tion training can help people un­der­stand each other better.

However, conflicts don’t always crop up because of concrete problems. Emotions are often behind problems in the workplace. Pro­cessing and verb­al­ising negative emotions before they grow into real conflicts is part of a positive workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion strategy. If an employee has the feeling that others – par­tic­u­larly superiors – are listening to them and making an effort to un­der­stand them, it may help contain and resolve an issue. 

Con­ver­sa­tions strengthen in­ter­per­son­al ties. A good bond within the team can therefore be a mo­tiv­at­ing factor for employees. If an employee perceives their team as important to their work, rather than seeing them­selves as a lone fighter, the will­ing­ness to develop as a team also increases. This applies to a small team as well as an entire company. If everyone com­mu­nic­ates openly with each other, there are no in­ter­per­son­al barriers and everyone is headed in the same direction. In this kind of at­mo­sphere, everyone is willing to give more.

If superiors take the time to deal with each in­di­vidu­al employee, they can get a better un­der­stand­ing of in­di­vidu­al strengths and weak­nesses. In this way, tasks can be better dis­trib­uted, further training can be used in a targeted manner, and talents can be promoted. Teams can also be put together in a more effective way if the employees know each other well through proper workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion. Different in­di­vidu­als with different abilities can therefore work together in a coherent way. These ad­just­ments can improve the pro­ductiv­ity of the entire company.

Another factor in the context of pro­ductiv­ity is cre­ativ­ity: Con­ver­sa­tions fuel new ideas, en­cour­aging cre­ativ­ity and an open and positive at­mo­sphere. With fresh ideas, tasks can be completed better and faster. This does not only apply within a team, but also to the exchange of ideas between different de­part­ments up to the man­age­ment levels, which can move a company forward. New faces can often bring fresh, in­nov­at­ive ideas to the table.

While the points mentioned above are mainly ad­vant­age­ous from the company’s per­spect­ive, every employee can also benefit from improved com­mu­nic­a­tion skills. If you com­mu­nic­ate well in your job and know how to express yourself correctly, this can be a great career boost. This is es­pe­cially true if you want to take up a lead­er­ship position, as employers pay close attention to com­mu­nic­a­tion skills, because with a hier­arch­ic­al structure, un­pleas­ant topics sometimes have to be brought up.

Those who generally avoid these situ­ations or do not react con­struct­ively during dis­cus­sions do not show lead­er­ship qualities. If, on the other hand, you demon­strate good com­mu­nic­a­tion skills in the workplace, you will be more likely to get noticed for a promotion.

What does good workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion look like? A lot has to do with openness towards one another, but also with ex­press­ing yourself correctly. Some less obvious factors also play a role.

Open in­ter­ac­tion is the be-all and end-all of a positive com­mu­nic­a­tion culture. Conflicts can only be resolved quickly if employees and superiors are honest with one another. Far too often, however, curiosity, gossip, or even bullying occur in the workplace. People talk about col­leagues behind their backs or de­lib­er­ately withhold in­form­a­tion in order to gain an advantage over them. This does not result in a pro­duct­ive working en­vir­on­ment. Instead, you should get issues out of the way as quickly as possible, by con­front­ing them head on in a friendly manner.

Openness also plays an important role in dis­cus­sion culture: Con­struct­ive dis­cus­sions can only develop if you recognise the other’s opinion as a possible solution. If you stub­bornly stick to your own point of view, projects will in­ev­it­ably come to a stand­still. If, on the other hand, all sides approach each other’s ideas openly, they can fuel each other and strengthen both cre­ativ­ity and pro­ductiv­ity.

Poor com­mu­nic­a­tion at work does not always have to do with un­will­ing­ness or bad in­ten­tions, but often with inability. If the necessary clarity is lacking in con­ver­sa­tions, this can quickly lead to mis­un­der­stand­ings or to mis­in­ter­preted in­form­a­tion being spread. It is therefore important to pay attention to clear wording. Whether it’s in an email, during a meeting, or a con­ver­sa­tion at the coffee machine: Hiding your intent behind empty words is always coun­ter­pro­duct­ive. Com­plic­ated topics related to work need par­tic­u­larly detailed ex­plan­a­tions so that the person receiving the in­form­a­tion doesn’t get confused. Above all, this means that you have to take your time. Re­pe­ti­tions and inquiries can also help make complex facts clearer.

Concerns must be expressed by both employees and employers, either in written or spoken form. An in­con­sid­er­ate tone can quickly be mis­in­ter­preted and give the wrong im­pres­sion that you disagree with your col­leagues. Clear language helps to avoid conflicts.

Friend­li­ness, courtesy, and mutual respect are a must – whether among peers or between superiors and sub­or­din­ates: You should always meet at eye level. There is nothing that creates a bad at­mo­sphere quicker than a lack of respect. Many people in man­age­ment positions tend to adopt an ag­gress­ive lead­er­ship style to underpin their authority but al­tern­at­ive strategies are more suc­cess­ful: When managers treat their employees with respect, they are much happier at work and more willing to go above and beyond their required duties. Nev­er­the­less, respect goes both ways, all employees should also strive to treat their bosses and col­leagues with respect.

Com­mu­nic­a­tion in the workplace is not a one-way street: If you say something you should also be able to listen. The ability to listen to others is just as important as a clear way of ex­press­ing yourself. This is similar to openness, but listening goes even further. Leave time for each person to make their con­tri­bu­tion, use empathy, and really listen and respond to what has been said. This is different to just sitting there quietly while someone else is talking. Un­der­stand­ing is the decisive factor – both in pro­fes­sion­al and emotional con­ver­sa­tions. Even if you don’t un­der­stand straight­away, saying something sup­port­ing such as ‘Your opinion is in­ter­est­ing to me’ also sends out positive signals.

Nobody is perfect. Everyone knows that, but only a few care to admit it. Admitting mistakes provides a good basis for workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion. Those who apologise honestly have a disarming effect: The open admission of an error lets others sym­path­ise with you. Many often assume that this is a sign of weakness, but it’s quite the opposite. Those who admit their mistakes and deal with the con­sequences show strength. Sweeping mistakes under the carpet in the hope that they will never be found is a real sign of weakness.

Once you have realised why good com­mu­nic­a­tion is important in the workplace and what dis­tin­guishes it, it’s easier to establish a con­struct­ive dis­cus­sion culture in your own company. Various tech­niques have proven their worth in the past.

In many companies, meetings are perceived as a nuisance because they cost time and are of little use: While one person speaks, the others sit around more or less bored. However, it does not have to be this way. Open meetings, in which everyone can par­ti­cip­ate, establish a dis­cus­sion culture fuelled by in­ter­est­ing con­tri­bu­tions. Everyone should be actively invited to par­ti­cip­ate in dis­cus­sions, ask questions, and present their own ideas.

Not everyone can spon­tan­eously convey complex matters. This is why emails and other documents are suitable for sorting thoughts neatly and for­mu­lat­ing them clearly. This avoids mis­un­der­stand­ings. However, emails should always be the basis for further dis­cus­sions. Questions can be asked and answered much better face-to-face. Focusing on purely written com­mu­nic­a­tion becomes a one-way street, making con­struct­ive dis­cus­sions im­possible.

Some employees feel un­com­fort­able talking in large groups. In order to give these people the chance to get involved, regular one-on-one talks help. This does not always have to be between a manager and an employee; pro­duct­ive dis­cus­sions can also be held between two ordinary col­leagues. The con­ver­sa­tion in a small group not only helps some people talk more openly, but also supports listening. If you are dis­trac­ted more quickly in large groups, you may pay more attention to your coun­ter­part in a one-on-one con­ver­sa­tion. Un­cer­tain­ties can also be elim­in­ated directly, because the listener can ask questions without worrying about talking in front of others.

Various tools can help to ensure that in­form­a­tion is trans­mit­ted com­pletely and correctly. The first is the language itself. Simple for­mu­la­tions make it easier for the listener to grasp what is being said. If you use soph­ist­ic­ated phrases and obscure imagery or metaphors, you might show off your eloquence, but might not get your in­form­a­tion across clearly – and that should be much more important in workplace com­mu­nic­a­tion.

However, other things can help convey the facts more easily: Visual media, for example, has the ability to attract attention and simplify matters. With a diagram or a graphic, you can support your verbal ex­plan­a­tions. At the same time, body language plays a role in effective com­mu­nic­a­tion that should not be un­der­es­tim­ated. Above all, positive signals like smiles and eye-contact ensure a good at­mo­sphere and greater will­ing­ness to pay attention. An ap­pro­pri­ate gesture, which supports the verbal con­tri­bu­tion, provides ad­di­tion­al clarity.

It might sound trivial, but it can really help. If you com­mu­nic­ate in a friendly manner, the person you are speaking to will be more willing to par­ti­cip­ate con­struct­ively. In addition to a cheerful facial ex­pres­sion, little jokes also help to create a good mood. At the same time, you should radiate self-con­fid­ence. This applies first and foremost to in­di­vidu­als in leading positions. Self-con­fid­ence also has positive effects among your col­leagues: If you doubt yourself, the other employees will also be sus­pi­cious of what you say.

You can learn to com­mu­nic­ate well – either through years of pro­fes­sion­al ex­per­i­ence or in the form of training, workshops, or reading. Step-by-step, you will learn how to improve your com­mu­nic­a­tion in the workplace, from body language to the structure of a lecture. For special positions (like freel­an­cers or ex­ec­ut­ives) there are many tailor-made courses that deal with specific chal­lenges. In addition, it is less effective to let every employee work on com­mu­nic­a­tion for them­selves, but instead more useful to bring the entire team together in a group workshop.

Please note the legal dis­claim­er relating to this article.