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The Importance Of Real Communication!

Written by: David Alison, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

 

Have You Struggled to Communicate Easily? Have You Ever Felt Misunderstood? Have You Felt Like People Are Not Really Listening To You?


As you probably already know, it’s difficult to live a peaceful existence when we can't communicate in ways that are easily understood by the important people in our lives. Whether this relates to business or personal relationships, being misunderstood can have serious negative impact on your work or home life.

The art of real communication is simple enough, but most of us have been taught to communicate in ways that block effective communication from taking place.

It's time to get over these struggles by learning how to communicate very efficiently and clearly in ways that will be easily understood by everyone. If you’re ready, let's go ahead and get started on some new skills that will forever change how you communicate with others.


So, What Does Real Communication Mean When It Comes To Business And Leadership?


Most top executives will tell you that they communicate their vision, strategy, and direction very well. And yet what I've observed in practice is that there are often massive disconnects between the stated company goals and intentions, and how people work inside the company. The two simply do not match up, because for various reasons (e.g., a lack of alignment, or competing goals) people's behavior does not fit with the stated objectives.


So, what’s going on here? The problem lies in the fact that real communication is about way more than just exchanging information and thoughts - it's about inspiring, empowering, and engaging others to support your vision as well as you possibly can.


How Does Implementing Real Communication With Your Team Affect Your Business?


Good communication is at the heart of any successful business – and it's especially important for distributed teams. Without good communication, remote workers end up spinning their wheels or even wasting time on low-value activities that can easily be avoided.


If employees aren't talking to each other, they probably aren't sharing what they know with each other or their manager. Performance suffers from a loss of information flow, and work gets duplicated or lost entirely.


With good communication, on the other hand, employees can share everything they know with each other, so no one ends up wasting time redoing someone else's work – and doing more valuable things with their own time. Communication is your business's immune system, and it’s especially important in distributed teams.


What Are The Key Components Of Good Communication, For REAL Communication for Your Team?


Supporting people is the key component of good communication. Without support, people feel stressed and unsupported. The first step to solving that is to identify the “pain points” that cause team members stress, which can then be eliminated or reduced by offering more support.


To do this you need basic empathy skills – the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes, the ability to listen. That's where one-to-one conversations are important – just talking to your team members, listening to their concerns, and supporting them in solving problems makes a big difference.


Those one-to-one conversations are not simply opportunities for managers to ask “How is everything going?”; rather, they should be designed to find out about team members' experiences and challenges. They're a time for YOU, the manager to show a genuine interest in your people, and for you to listen to their concerns. You can then offer solutions and support where appropriate.


How Does Real Communication Affect You And Your Team?


When communication is of good quality, it makes you feel more relaxed and able to focus on your work. You can then produce better results and increase your motivation. If you communicate effectively, your team will understand each other better and become bolder in their actions. This can bring great benefits to the company as a whole – an increased level of trust between employees, better results, and greater motivation.


What Ways Can You Implement Real Communication And Improve Your Business Success?


In today's market, being able to communicate effectively is the ultimate shortcut to business success. In an increasingly competitive world, it's important to have a solid understanding of how to communicate with clients and customers as well as within your own organization.

Implement these four proven ways of improving business communication:


1. Know What 'Communication' Means And How It Works


Different fields of study give different definitions to communication, with no clear consensus. As a result, the meaning of 'communication' in business is often skewed by people's personal beliefs and values. To avoid any confusion, it is important to be aware of your own biases towards communication and establish what kind of communication you want to use in your business.


The most common styles of business communication are:

  • Authoritative Communication style where the speaker enforces their opinion on others with little consideration for other perspectives, which may come across as aggressive or superior. This type of communication is common in managers who are used to being obeyed without question.

  • Coaching Communication style tends to be more empathetic and patient, enabling the speaker to guide the listener towards a more suitable conclusion. This is typically used by managers who are focused on improving their employees' performance.

  • ·Affiliative Communication style aims to create strong interpersonal bonds through conversations that are supportive, understanding, and sympathetic. This type of communication is common in sales staff who aim to forge good relationships with clients.

  • Democratic Communication style aims for a democratic dialogue between participants, where everyone's views are treated equally, and all opinions are valued. This type of communication is common in meetings held by managers who want to encourage suggestions from their employees.

2. Be Aware Of The Body Language That Demonstrates Good Communication


Body language is an important element of communication that is often ignored or misinterpreted. This includes not just the movement of our bodies, but also how we dress and even our facial expressions. There are many examples showing that body language has a significant impact on business communication. It is important to be aware of how your body language can affect the way you communicate and manage this for effective business results.


3. Create Rapport And Trust With Other People


People do business with people they like, so establishing rapport and trust quickly must be a priority when working with your clients. Identifying with the people you are communicating with is an important part of developing this rapport and trust. Doing it in a genuine way that respects your own integrity-based values will help you to develop strong lasting relationships that will have a profound impact on your overall success.


4. The Importance Of Listening In Business Communication


Listening effectively can be difficult to master, however being a good listener can help you to connect with others and improve your rapport. Listening also helps you to identify the information that is most important for effective business communication.


Communication is the most important contributing factor to your business success, but it’s not always easy. We all know that email and text messages are common forms of communication these days, so you might be wondering why I said, “real communication.” Real communication means being honest with our thoughts and feelings without hiding behind keyboards or screens (think “keyboard warriors”). There are many cases where people have changed their mind about taking a job after they accepted an offer via email rather than phone call.


If you or your team are struggling with communication, I may have the solution for you. Send me a DM or email and we will engage in REAL communication, explore what needs to happen for you to get clarity on how best to communicate in both life and business... and create transformation.


Light & Blessings on your Day 😊


Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!


 

David Alison, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

David Alison is a Master of Transformation & Change. After leaving school at 15 with no significant qualifications and being told by his first Manager that he would never make it in Management, David made it his mission to learn and embrace the skills required to deal with anything that life could throw at him. He went onto achieve a Masters degree in his specialist area of Supply Chain Management & Logistics at the renowned Cranfield University Business School in the UK. In 2015 he was appointed a board-level position in a Fortune 500 company based in Europe with international responsibility of 5 functional areas. This did not bring David the fulfillment he was expecting and he made the brave decision to make a complete career change and become a Transformational coach. After becoming a Certified ICF ACTP Level Coach in 2017, he then applied for and secured a contract to provide coaching services to one of the world's largest Personal Development companies. During his 3 year tenure as a Master Coach & Business Trainer, he completed in excess of 4000 client sessions in his Coaching & Therapy Business. David is currently working to develop a Non Profit organization providing Coaching, Therapy & Counselling services to Homeless people in Scotland, to help them take steps towards rehabilitation.

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