GOOD COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR BUSINESS
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about something that every successful business needs: good communication.
I’ve done at least a hundred exit interviews for various companies. In each case, business was good, but dozens of people were resigning anyway. It’s very expensive when talent disappears, so management wanted me to find out why. I asked each person to list their top three reasons for leaving. They said a lot of different things, like low salary, no career path, boring work, and lots more besides. I heard at least twenty different reasons.
But every single one of them said: “My manager can’t communicate.”
The sad fact is that business communication is terrible almost everywhere. Think about where you work now, or have worked in the past. How do people communicate? Leaders set the example for communication style across the company. So when managers can’t communicate, their colleagues can’t, either. Then people don’t cooperate, they don’t trust each other and they can’t get things done. They often feel that management does not act in their interest.
Even worse, when a business can’t communicate with its customers, it will fail. If customers don’t understand how its products and services will help them, they won’t buy anything.
If you’re a manager and have problems with communication in your organisation, it’s probably not your fault. A lot of people grow up surrounded by others who can’t communicate well, so they learn bad habits, and don’t know any better.
Surprisingly, some organisations can be reasonably successful without good communication. So, many people say it’s not important. But that won’t last, because problems are inevitable. For example, a customer complains about a product. Team members avoid important meetings because of tight production schedules. A bad economy forces downsizing. When they’re faced with an unfamiliar or difficult situation, many people just don’t know what to do.
But these problems can be minimized through a policy of good communication.
With good communication, your people are more able to cooperate. For example, two people working on the same task probably have different ideas on how to do it. When everyone has a common understanding of what their individual roles are, and what methods have been agreed on, teamwork comes naturally.
With good communication, your people trust each other. For example, people competing for company resources don’t share information unless they are forced to. Instead, a clear policy, applied openly and honestly to everybody, will build solid trust.
With good communication, your operation is more efficient. For example, a dozen confused emails attempting to clarify key information will probably cause delays, mistakes, and missed deadlines. One clear email gets the job done.
With good communication, you get useful insights. For example, if you ignore your people, you have the illusion that everything is fine as it is. Take their comments seriously and you might learn innovative ways to improve efficiency and find new customers.
With good communication, your customers are happy. For example, rudeness can destroy a customer relationship in an instant. But a clear understanding of cultural norms can save it. Most people realise that everyone makes mistakes, and addressing customer feedback directly can bring even more loyalty to your brand.
That’s just a few examples of what good communication can do for you.
The fact is, good communication is so rare, it will make you and your organisation stand out from others. Everyone will remember you. Both employees and customers will be loyal to you, and it’s much more effective than another round of costly marketing.
So how do you build good communication into your organisation?
First, you need to make a firm commitment. Understand that communication is not a “soft skill” but essential to the survival of your business.
Second, get someone with good communication skills to help you write email, web pages, press releases, and show you what effective communication looks like.
Third, learn better communication skills. Read books, go to training, and practice – a lot. You only get better by doing it.
Once you’ve made that commitment, and you invest time and energy into improving the communication in your business, changes come quickly.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a meeting, giving a presentation or having a conversation. You could be writing a report, an email, or even a sticky note. Every time you communicate well, you’re building success into your company.
Thank you.