What does it mean to be a good communicator? Does communication in business life differ from private life? What to do if internal communication in the company is weak? Since birth, it has been instilled in us that good communication means the ability to chat. The first contact with communication is going to be from our parents about what to do and what not to do, which is why it often happens that when we reach adulthood, we do not even know exactly what kind of communicator we are as a person. To paint a clearer picture of the charms of good communication, we chatted on the topic with Smartful trainers Ly Kivikas, Reelika Jeferjev, and Helen Pärli.
Good communication skills are not really just about speaking but include several skills, such as assertiveness, listening, understanding body language, etc. Good communication means that you will be able to actively listen to your interlocutor, and also understand. A good communicator is open and aware of why communication is necessary for him or her and what one’s goal is to communicate.
Each one of us has their own style of communication, just as we all have our own character. While in the case of one person, good communication is expressed in a proactive conversation, concreteness can make waves in the case of another. The charm of communication lies in how to make the most effective use of your strong skills and weaknesses, whether to hide or train to be stronger. Just as we try to accept others should also try to value all the character traits of people, whether you are an extrovert or an introvert. Some quieter people, for example, are sometimes considered very good communicators, precisely because they are very good listeners.
The highest pilotage of good communication is the ability to recognize the communication style of the interlocutor, as well as to adjust one’s own communication according to one’s needs. What we say and how, all is very important to observe, because words have power. Inside each person lies the potential to become a good communicator. The ability is given to everyone so that we can convey and receive our needs and thoughts. Behind good communication are simple and used techniques that can be combined as needed. For some, it just comes easier than for others, due to personality type.
More than 90% of problems in companies usually start from communication. There is overcommunication, not everyone is listened to, or mental violence occurs in the work culture. One of the factors contributing to communication is largely the structure of the company, which is becoming more and more people-centered nowadays. Employees are valued and an environment is created where they dare to express their thoughts. Sometimes, for example, it may be that a person thinks they are a very good communicator, but their ideas are not listened to, which is why at some point they no longer want and bother to communicate. Such cases, in turn, immediately affect the further interaction of the entire company.
When talking about solving communication problems, it is always worth starting by setting clear goals and mapping the situation. Good communication in an organization depends a lot on what is agreed upon at all (for example, whether you are more formal or not when communicating). It is often believed, for example, by employees that there must always be an answer to a question, but in reality, the point of communication is to find a common solution.
The most important thing in solving conflict situations is to understand that not a single person is stingy in character. It is worth not taking it personally and noticing that if someone is abrupt, then, apparently, they are simply living themselves out on you. In such situations, it is always worth asking yourself: what does this person need? Sometimes it is enough just to simply listen and, if necessary, reflect on the conversation. The relationship with ourselves is also important here because when we are at odds with ourselves, everything that comes from the outside is perceived by the brain as a threat.
Ideally, communication in the company should be talked about at least a couple of times a year, because this is lifelong learning, as well as a topic that is constantly changing. Firing someone is not always the solution. For example, it may happen that an employee is a very good specialist, but not so great with people. Having coaches who would help a conflicting specialist in such a situation broaden their mindset would create an opportunity to change a nimble situation to a pure win-win one.
When focusing on solving communication problems, it is always recommended to take communication training for everyone at once, i.e. both the management and the team. Smaller communication pieces of training can also be done, for example, as part of summer days, to see what people’s communication styles are. Such light games can sometimes easily show what needs to be resolved. It is always worth telling employees about the truths of life such as pride, arrogance, competition, etc. It is necessary to discuss jointly how to approach these concepts, and whether certain situations could be viewed differently. For example, how to be happy for a person who gets along with the boss more than you do without growing envy out of it?
If you’ve gotten to this point now and you’re thinking that’s fine, but how do I tell my boss or colleague that their communication style might be better, then in such situations it is always worth approaching the problem from a distance. For example, to suggest communication training as a team training or to emphasize that the topic is necessary for any field. You don’t always have to take the blame or point out that the problem is related to one particular person (although if this is your communication style, then no one forbids approaching the problem directly).
Smartful offers communication training in cooperation with different certified training partners, which is structured as a development program to give participants time to practice and consolidate what they have learned in life situations between different topics. In addition, it is also possible to focus on only one specific topic, such as dealing with difficult customers and achieving success. You can find a larger selection of internal trainings offered by Smartful here.
