We communicate for a variety of reasons—to inform or persuade, find common ground, make connections, request help, express interest, and build relationships, to name a few. Communication is equally important at work as it is in our personal lives. With all instances of communication, we need to be mindful of our approach, communication channels, and timing to name a few and this is no different when it comes to corporate communication—strategy is key.
What Good Communication Is Not
To determine what we need for better communication, we also need to understand what makes for inefficient and ineffective communication. In the context of this writing, communication refers to interactions and discussions for the purpose of business. This isn’t water cooler talk, which has its own critical place at the office for building interpersonal relationships, but communicating business-related information connected to a purpose connected to the organization.
Inefficient communication is characterized by the following:
- Continued confusion between the sender and receiver of the information
- Inappropriate communication times or channels
- Poorly defined objectives or expectations
- Ignoring feedback or failing to address concerns
- Over-reliance on jargon or technical language
- Lack of follow-up or accountability
- Inconsistent messaging across different platforms or mediums
- Communication barriers such as language differences or cultural misunderstandings
- Failure to establish rapport or trust between communicators
Every meeting, email, or message needs to inform, persuade, entertain, or otherwise lead the receiver to a desired action whereas miscommunication can lead people to engage in the wrong actions or alternative understandings which can result in negative workplace outcomes. Business communications should therefore be purposeful and strategic, not time-consuming and routine. Considering the importance of communication and its impact on every interaction, a strategic corporate communications strategy is more than red tape.
How important is it?
In our recent global study surrounding teamwork, Dale Carnegie found that 44% of team leaders cited clear, effective communication as instrumental in improving team productivity—second only to enhanced problem-solving.
In addition to this, 82% of team members, having exceeded their goals over the past year, identified clear communication as a factor. If we want to create high-performing teams, then we need to get serious about corporate communications and consider the business communication cycle.
The Business Communication Cycle
Proper business communication is a skill that can be learned and is enhanced through continuous practice. But there needs to be a purposeful system in place throughout a business to encourage and support efficient communication and to maximize its impact.
In communication, there is a sender and receiver as well as various intermediate steps that occur along the way which impact the ultimate level of effectiveness. As such, communicating between a sender and receiver involves more than simply a speaker and recipient interaction. Communication is a cycle of a sender conveying information, someone receiving information, and then verifying that information through feedback and discussion and an effective communication loop; these areas that are discussed further below and supported by Figure “Effective Communication Loop” above.
Sender
First, the sender has an idea. This may be an idea or other information that needs to be relayed and shared for any number of reasons. When ready, the sender chooses a communication channel (email, phone, face-to-face, online meeting, etc.) they believe best fits the context of the situation and informed by the types of corporate communication methods available, taking into consideration the urgency and complexity of the idea/information and how that other person is most likely to receive the idea well. Finally, the message is ready to transmit clearly and skillfully, keeping in mind the appropriate timing for transmission.
Receiver
The receiver in this process then receives the information via whatever channel it was transmitted and begins to decode (interpret the message). This is where many communication attempts are considered done or complete and parties go their separate ways with little thought to how aligned they are in the message interpretation and understanding. In other words, to be effective we need to consider the disparate meanings parties may be walking away with. Referring to the communication loop diagram, without the common missing link of feedback and discussion, disparate understandings will occur, and our communication efforts will not be as effective as they could be as the sender and receiver are continuous switching positions in the communication loop without regard for how the other understood the messaging before responding.
Completing the Loop: A Critical Step
The often missing and crucial piece in the business communication cycle is the hearer (receiver) providing feedback to the sender of the information that focuses on clarity of understanding before continuing. This crucial act focuses not on the reply to the information, but on establishing clarity to ensure a collective understanding of what has just been shared before constructing a response. In this way, there is common ground and establishing clarity will contribute to more effective communication and use of resources. You can do this by asking questions such as “Can you clarify…” or, “What do you mean by…” and end these with a specific statement or area on which you need further explanation. Even if you don’t think you need clarification, follow up with statements like “If I understand you correctly…” and rephrase the sender’s message back to them in your own words.
This key piece ensures everyone understands the message as intended and clarifies any gaps as everyone works toward a common understanding—this is what turns ideas into useful and usable information. Once satisfied that a common understanding is present, the loop starts again as the original recipient and sender switch roles for the response, and the cycle continues. It’s critical for corporations to establish and encourage the use of a communication that incorporates a feedback and discussion portion focused solely on clarity as part of its communication. Establishing it as part of an organizational communication plan and being attentive to this step in a proactive manner will eventually help establish it as a norm and part of your communication culture as well as provide a level of confidence created from knowing individuals are on the same page.
Effective Communication Strategy and Support
To overcome ineffective communication, we have to understand that meaning is often subjective. In contrast, effective communication requires both the sender and receiver to assign the same symbolic meaning to the information as part of the process. Without alignment, communication meant to provide information around a purpose will only serve to create frustrations and missed targets. Developing a communication strategy is not so much a list of rules as it is a part of your culture and way of working that helps participants find clarity and meaning related to the intent.
Developing a communication strategy doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without a concentrated and strategic effort that is enhanced by guidance and support. Professional development opportunities such as the Dale Carnegie Course teach participants interpersonal and communication skills that can help foster rich communication practices within organizations and provide the valuable tools necessary so that you and your teams can operate with clarity and confidence. For opportunities to learn more, browse available resources, or find your local Dale Carnegie partner, visit dalecarnegie.com.