7 Great Ways To Improve Communication With Your Employees

As a manager, making sure your employees are on the same page as you is absolutely critical to business success. It can be easy to get lost in the day-to-day minutiae of work and forget your employees rely on you to set the standards for communication, so if you feel your employees aren’t always right there with you, here are some ways you can use to get them (and yourself) back on track.

1. Think Before You Speak

When a crisis looms on the horizon, it’s easy and understandable to want to react emotionally rather than rationally. But these times are the exact times you need to take a step back, review the situation from a dispassionate perspective and think carefully about what you want to say before you speak.

Your employees won’t necessarily remember exactly what you say in these times, but they will remember how you made them feel, so it’s important to not just react off the cuff, but in a measured, thoughtful and helpful way.

“Planning is everything when it comes to speaking in crisis situations. Take the heat off by considering beforehand exactly what you’re going to say and even have some scripts prepared for possible issues. You’ll be calmer and be able to calm your employees better.” – Jason Stromberg, HR Manager, Elite Assignment Help

2. Critique In Private

One of the most difficult things you may have to do as a manager is provide negative feedback or criticism to your employees. This should always be done in private and on a one-on-one basis. Your message should not focus on the employee’s personality or traits but should instead focus on what the employee can do to improve.

End the meeting on as high a note as possible and reassure them that you’ve got their back and you’re sure they can follow the instructions you’ve given. They will take the message to heart far more effectively if they’re not put on the defensive by how you’ve delivered it. A little sympathy when delivering difficult messages goes a long way.

3. Praise In Public

On the other hand, when one of your employees has done something praiseworthy, make your recognition of it as public as you can. You want to make them feel appreciated and inspire other employees to do likewise.

4. Communicate Weekly

Don’t let a week go by without sending your employees an email keeping them informed of important things going on in your business. This email should be personally engaging and should feel like it’s truly coming from you as an individual. If you need a hand with writing up a personal email to your staff, Revieweal is a good site to go to.

There are also many useful business writing resources available online. If you’re new to the art of writing thoughtful and heartfelt emails to inspire and motivate your staff, write up a first draft, then revise it until it says what you want it to say. With practice, this will become easier.

5. Meet Regularly

Getting in the habit of meeting with your employees regularly will be fantastic for employee morale. It could be a staff meeting once a month or so, with a written agenda that’s developed in collaboration with your staff and distributed prior to the meeting. This provides a way for your employees to raise any potential issues for discussion within a group setting and can provide a forum for you to “clear the air” in case there are any problematic issues causing problems for you and your employees.

6. Open The Door

It’s absolutely crucial to not just maintain an open-door policy but to ensure that your employees know they can come to you about anything at any time. Remind employees of your open-door policy frequently, and if that doesn’t bring them to you, reach out to them, even if it’s just saying good morning when you come in. People will be far more likely to approach you if they feel you will welcome them.

7. Write It Down

Most people will benefit from getting information twice in different formats, and some people are visually-oriented and will remember written communication far better than a verbal one. In addition, staff members who weren’t there for your meeting will get the information this way, rather than having to rely on others to pass on the message.

“Different people learn in different ways, so it’s best to provide any information you want people to remember in at least two of three ways: verbally, visually, or with action.” – Jamie Lee, Communication Manager, Top Canadian Writers

In conclusion, taking the time to communicate with your employees is critical to your business success and crucial to your employees remaining happy to work for you. Keep it calm, do it regularly, let your personality shine through, try different things and you’ll find your employees will have smiles on their faces when they come through the door each morning.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Summers, a social media manager for the last seven years, has worked with many companies both large and small, including leading custom writing service UK Top Writers. In her free time, Rachel advises small businesses and start-ups on social media strategies. You can find more articles on her website.