COMMUNICATION BARRIERS IN THE WORKPLACE
Communication barriers in the Workplace
Effective communication involves delivering your message clearly, concisely and accurately. Excessive talking can waste time and reduce the impact of your key message. If you think you are prone to waffling, take a moment to plan and consider what you are going to say beforehand, rather than stumbling through your daily communications.
Communication barriers are obstacles in the way we share and receive information.
Communication barriers come in different forms
AND CAN BE BROKEN DOWN AS FOLLOWS:
- Remote teams lack in-person interactions
- Team members working on different timezones and schedules
- Different preferred methods of communication from various team members
- Team members being unclear as to where to look for given documents and information
- Different languages and or jargon being used in the workplace
For many companies, the above communication barriers became more prominent with the shift to remote work during the Covid pandemic. With as many as half of all workers preferring to continue working from home post-pandemic, many of these communication barriers are likely to remain.
Leading businesses are now addressing these communication barriers to ensure that their employees are better able to communicate effectively with their teams, regardless of where they are working.
Video conferencing software like Zoom has enabled team members to communicate face-to-face even when they cannot physically be in the same room.
When it comes to communication problems caused by team members relying on different communication channels, leaders can help by clearly documenting how different channels of communication should be used. Employers can also minimise confusion related to terminology and company jargon by creating a glossary of terms used in the workplace.
Strong, effective communication in the workplace is not easy. Fostering authentic working relationships takes time, effort, and transparency. Open communication between teams will help employees to feel more satisfied in the workplace, feel comfortable collaborating with others and develop new skills that can support the organisation’s goals.
Training employees in the areas of Effective communication skills and teamwork and collaboration will also benefit employees, helping them to adapt to working remotely and meeting the demands of the modern workplace. Leaders too can also benefit from brushing up on their leadership and management skills ; soft skills training programmes such as Leadership 4.0 equip leaders and future leaders with the core competencies they need to be a modern leader in the ever changing business landscape.
In 2023, employees and employers alike have numerous communication barriers to overcome in the workplace. Help your employees to build and nurture healthy relationships with each other and develop their communication skills and collaboration as they come to realise that they work for a company that not only values them but listens to, and respects them.
KPI Consultancy specialises in helping companies and individuals to develop their communication skills, ensuring that employees and leaders are able to thrive in the modern business environment.
Through training workshops and private coaching, we help our clients to overcome communication barriers, enabling them to collaborate and better navigate times of change.
