Workplace communication; how effective?
To mention the least, the organisation, especially a limited liability company, would have to communicate effectively with its share-holders on how the business is being run according to their will and if there are other institutions like the trade unions and associations, the company must find a way to continually dialogue with them and seek ways to operate in the industry to maintain the pace of survival and profit making.
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Thus, there is a sure way to ensure an effective way of communication both internally and externally in the organisation. But this is far more of managers’ job for which they are called upon to take charge.
In doing this, managers must adopt the most appropriate methods or channels of passing on information in the organisation or outside of it. There should be more than one channel of communication at one time or the other.
However, if there are, the right one must be selected based on the prevailing circumstances anytime information is to be passed on or communication is to take place.
Thus, either written or in oral, the communication passed on if written, could be in the form of letters, memos and or circulars or reports.
If it is oral, it could be through the assembling of the staff in the work place in what we call meetings, forum or a staff durbar for the information to be disseminated. Another way could be through mechanical or electronic means and this is by the fax, telephone (mechanical) and email (electronic).
Again, managers in ensuring an effective way of communication must ensure that the language used in communicating would be understood by the intended receivers.
A manager cannot in anyway communicate with his workforce in French when he knows very well that his subordinate fairly understand English.
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They cannot comprehend what he might say. In so doing, if the feedback to what he had outlaid is not forth coming, communication to its end would not be completed.
Finally, managers must ensure that obstruction and or interferences which may serve as barriers to smooth and effective way of communication are eliminated or reduced.
If there are frequent breakdowns in machines, especially fax, computers and printers, telephones and poor internet services in the firm’s area of service, managers must ensure that these are fixed to ensure smooth flow of information to intended receivers.
If there is much noise at where an organisation find itself, steps must be taken to re-locate ,since such an environment can affect the very concentration of staff in their work and also affect their face-to face interactions on a daily basis.
If some managers or supervisors are also found to be ’’sitting on information’’ long before they release them to their perceived receivers, such actions we know hinder feedbacks which could result in positive outputs.
Efforts must be made at all cost to let such culprits change their habits since such acts have long lasting consequences on the smooth operations of the organisation.
To conclude, it is important for managers to know that, clearly, an efficient flow of information in an organisation is as important as the efficient and continuous flow of information out of it and must therefore adopt the right principles to ensure an environment of a regular free flow of information since its importance cannot be over emphasised.