Here is a Guest Post about effective employee communication from Star Medical.
As a manager, a lot of your time will be spent communicating: employees, partners, suppliers, the list is endless.
Therefore, it is vitally important that you know how to effectively communicate with these people to produce a successful outcome, so we decided to focus on employee communication for this one.
Speaking, listening, presenting ideas, and sharing information inside and outside of your company will all be things that you do daily as a manager; the better you are at communicating with your employees, the better the performance of the business will be.
So what are the best ways of ensuring your employees understand your objectives?
1. Give Them A Thumbs Up
First and foremost, it should go without saying that speaking positively to your employees, even if it is about something negative, is number one when it comes to making sure you are understood.
If an employee isn’t performing, it is necessary that you both find a way to agree how they can improve. Likewise, if the business missed a target that month, you agree to pull out all the stops to hit next month’s.
Taking the high road and remaining positive when tackling any kind of issue will allow your employees to refocus on tasks at hand all while putting them in the right frame of mind to complete their duties well.
2. Tailor To Suit
Acknowledging that your employees’ skill sets and talents will differ is important when it comes to communicating with them, whether this is describing a new task you are assigning them, or updating them on a development within the business.
Knowing your staff and how they like to be spoken to as individuals is crucial. Instead of announcing something in a blanket style and then being surprised when everyone reacts differently, take the time to communicate with each person in the way that will make them the most comfortable. For example, don’t spring information on people whom you know don’t respond well to spontaneity, and be sure to give everyone all the information they need to progress.
If you have a larger company where communicating to everyone individually is not feasible, offering them the opportunity to discuss things further with you after a general announcement is a fair alternative.
3. Share The Knowledge
Inspire confidence in your employees by demonstrating that you 100% understand what you are communicating to them. Keep to the facts and certainly do not tell them things purely to support your argument if you are not sure that they are correct.
Keep in mind, everybody responds positively to knowledge, and even if they do not agree with the action, they will at least respect the evidence that helped you arrive at your conclusion.
Equally, if you do not know the answer to a question you may be asked, be honest about it.
4. Explain Your Decisions
Leading on from the above, giving reasons for why you have made a decision shows your employees that you respect them.
Rather than a ‘don’t ask, just do it’ culture, letting everyone know your thoughts minimizes the possibility that someone may misunderstand what is happening, or incorrectly perceive the reasons for the decision.
Communicating effectively with your employees boosts morale, maximises efficiency, and ultimately contributes to a better working environment for all.
Star has been voted most preferred recruitment agency and most preferred CSO, 2016 by Pf’s Company Perception, Motivation and Satisfaction survey. To find out more about our pharma jobs and services, visit Star Medical.