A good system of internal communication is the main precondition for building a profitable company.
Successful entrepreneurship is based on teamwork and interpersonal relationships, but so many organizations still fail to address this issue adequately.
According to the report, almost 90% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.
At the same time, less than half of professionals believe their organizations discuss issues truthfully and effectively.
Poor organizational communication is obviously a big issue for modern companies, but what is the cause of this problem?
Well, it turns out there is no one answer that explains the situation, but rather a whole set of reasons hiding behind underperformance.
In this post, we will show you the seven biggest team communication mistakes that no one has ever told you.
1. Fail to Prepare for Meetings
A well-prepared employee can hardly make a big blunder in professional communication.
If you are about to attend a meeting, company event, or presentation, your job is to collect and analyze the necessary materials. This includes company reports, presentations, emails, and background data.
First of all, this is how a worker shows respect toward his colleagues because they will notice that you are prepared for the meeting.
More importantly, it allows you to stay engaged and participate in the discussion without asking stupid questions and displaying ignorance.
When all members of the team behave responsibly, they end up having a much better conversation and drastically speed up the decision-making process.
2. Forget Colleagues’ Names
This really is an amateur mistake, but it happens way too frequently in most organizations.
It is particularly common in large organizations with hundreds of employees, but that’s not an excuse for forgetting the name of the colleague you’re meeting.
If you have a meeting soon and need to discuss important topics with other members of the team, make sure to remember the name of each participant.
Addressing people by their names makes the communication more polite and personal. Besides that, it proves that you really know your colleagues and appreciate their contribution to the company.
3. Interrupting Colleagues
Do you enjoy being interrupted while speaking? We bet the answer is ‘No’, so just imagine how other people feel when you interrupt them.
It’s a very rude communication practice that no serious professional should exercise in business conversations.
If you don’t like a colleague’s ideas, wait for him/her to end the presentation and then pose questions or give your remarks.
Mark Jones, a psychologist at AustralianWritings, says this makes you look more serious and also shows respect in relation to your colleagues:
“A conversation without interruptions sets the cornerstone for a civilized and data-driven discussion, which usually leads to better conclusions and professional outcomes.”
4. React Too Emotionally
This mistake is not always disastrous performance-wise, but more often than not it’s much better to avoid emotional reactions.
When you get angry or oppose other people’s opinions too intensely, it shows that you allow emotions to rule your professional behavior instead of making decisions based on data and rational inputs.
Quick and emotional reactions can jeopardize your reputation if they repeat frequently. Therefore, you should try to respond instead of reacting.
This means thinking clearly before answering, tailoring your response so as to match the purpose of the discussion. Keep yourself under control and stay calm.
5. Communicate Vaguely
Business communication must be as clear and straightforward as possible. This is the only way to make sure that everybody understands each other and achieve the highest level of precision and coordination among employees.
If you don’t embrace this style of communication, the results will not be shiny and bright.
Vaguely constructed messages create confusion and leave colleagues wondering what to do. In such circumstances, they will have to make decisions alone and perhaps even work against the plan.
This is why it’s important to be crystal clear during meetings and in one-on-one conversations. Communication experts at Edugeeks Club suggest using the old journalistic principle 5W+H.
This means that you have to answer the basic questions in order to make the message fully understandable: who does what, where, when, why, and how? People who follow this pattern leave no room for misinterpretations.
6. Not Editing Before Sending
Written messages make a big part of business communication, which is why you have to pay special attention to it.
One of the worst mistakes you can make is to send an email before proofreading and editing. Sometimes even the smallest error can ruin days of hard work and destroy your reputation.
But there is a very convenient way to deal with this issue – use online proofreading tools.
We always recommend people to double-check their messages on their own, but lots of platforms can do the job just as well. Some of the popular solutions in this field include:
- UK.bestessays.com: A team of professional editors scans all types of written works quickly.
- Grammarly: It’s a world-famous service that automates the proofreading process.
- Paperwritingpro.com: They can give you interesting content ideas or check papers on your behalf.
- Hemingway: This tool doesn’t only proofread documents but also suggest corrections style-wise.
- Pro Essay Writing: It’s an expert writing service with dozens of experienced editors in the field of business and finance.
7. Not Showing Empathy
The last mistake on our list is very impactful, although it’s not strictly related to your work. Namely, you should always try to learn more about your colleagues and show empathy.
It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort, but it means the world to your colleagues. How come? Well, it just makes them feel acknowledged and appreciated.
When they learn that you pay attention to their feelings, they will start behaving more honestly, become open, and more direct in communication.
Conclusion
Building a successful team of professionals is almost impossible if you don’t nurture healthy organizational communication.
You need to understand that interpersonal relationships have a huge impact on your company and do all it takes to remove communication barriers in your unit.
In this article, we discussed the seven biggest team communication mistakes that no one has ever told you.
Such blunders can really slow down your employees and ruin the productivity of the entire company, so make sure to remember and use our suggestions.A