Becoming an effective communicator at the workplace

Becoming an effective communicator at the workplace

In all our walks of life, we are constantly speaking to people about what we do.

We spend more time at our workstations and therefore a need to become an effective communicator at the workplace.

This is important especially in areas where we communicate to clients, potential clients, beneficiaries, investors financiers, staff and partners

Just delivering a message is not enough; it must meet the purpose of the sender. We need to be effective and feel like we are getting the results we need from our interactions.

We will start by first trying to define what effective communication is. Effective communication is a process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and information such that the purpose or intention is fulfilled in the best possible manner.

In simple words, it is nothing but the presentation of views by the sender in a way best understood by the receiver.

Most of the times though, we fail in our communication and part of the problem is targeting; the other part is structuring your message to make the most sense.

We understand that everyone has their own style of communication, but very few people have mastered effective communication. Breakdowns in communication occur all the time

Either way, getting your communication right will dramatically change your results moving forward.

About a week ago, we had a great workshop take place at our location on effective communication hosted by Amos Mwongera Mutiga Director, Redbrick Africa Ltd.

One of the key things that he insisted on was that in our communication at the workplace we need to focus on being snippers, take the time to gather and analyze insights so that our communication hits the mark.

He also talked about the use of research, data, analytics, and insights to make our communication more precise and effective. So here are more takeaways from the workshop

Audience

Get to understand your audience. This can be achieved by answering and doing your research around your clients by finding the answers to the following:

Who: Carry out your research around your clients/customer’s age, Demographics, and gender.

What: Understand your clients’ Interests, Purchases, Patterns, and Behavior

When: Get to understand your customers’ Frequency, Regularity, Timings and Seasons

Where: Location, Residence, Behavior

Why: Motivations, Drivers, Passions

Do your homework in detail. Get into the sticks and make no assumptions. Once you meet your clients be clear about what you do and do not know. Also, figure out the new trends and general behaviors that are appealing to your clients.

Message

The message which the sender wants to convey must be simple, easy to understand and systematically framed to retain its meaningfulness.

After understanding your audience, the next thing is putting together a captivating message. Through your messaging, you need to grab attention immediately. Have a captivating opening and ensure your information flows.

Take people on a journey, outline where you are going first before you begin, use headings as a guideline and appeal to people’s emotions – qualitative vs quantitative.

Here again, do your homework and get immersed in the issue. Do not forget to put together an attractive call to action. This can be around you are stating what exactly you want and can be defined by what you have always imagined success to look like.

The information communicated must not be vague or false in any sense; it must be free from errors and grammatical mistakes. Also, keep in mind that communication is the base for decision making. If the information is incomplete, it may lead to wrong decisions.

It must be short and concise to facilitate straightforward interpretation and take the desired steps. The sender must be sure from his end that whatever he is conveying is right by his knowledge. Even the receiver must have trust in the sender and can rely on the message sent.

Presentation

Ever wondered why nowadays its cliché to think that nowadays deals are sealed at the golf course? Well, it is assumed that today all the salespeople have enrolled in golf clubs because for the longest time Golf has been perceived as the ‘rich man’s sport’

Anyway, that aside, so while seeking to pitch your idea, service or product to a potential investor or client…well, here are the three things to consider, setting timing and the tone you use in your presentation

Insights matter find out about who you are meeting in advance. People gravitate to people they connect with. Timing is everything – Not every occasion is appropriate. Setting matters this is in terms of where you deliver the message helps with acceptance.

At the end of the day, each person brings to work a unique set of skills, knowledge, and beliefs. Each person behaves in a way that they feel is successful. However, effective interpersonal communication is critical to establishing a motivational work environment that maximizes productivity.

Want to attend our next event or workshop? Here is our events calendar.