Strong communication skills are key to reaching success. Starting with active listening and moving to clear messages, this approach helps maintain the respect needed to influence your business partners and colleagues. It can inspire, boost creativity, and encourage competition to get the best results. The most successful individuals use a proactive communication style, enabling them to collaborate effectively with others in their network and negotiate for shared goals.
Active listening allows multiple perspectives to be understood and creates a well-rounded view of the goals as well as the steps necessary to achieve them. Do not simply wait to speak. It’s important to filter out the noise, read between the lines, and decipher what is truly important. Having an inquisitive nature and being willing to learn ensures that everyone is moving in the proper direction together.
To further ensure business partners and peers are on the same page, the conversation must continue in a thorough and efficient manner. This means being clear and concise while being assertive and confidently addressing all aspects of the discussion. The old adage “say what you mean and mean what you say” rings true. When a potential roadblock is identified, courteously confront issues directly. By solving problems quickly, it is possible to produce immediate results with lasting positive outcomes.
Especially for internal communication, honesty and realism can be key influencers. By maintaining a detailed, realistic understanding of the current situation, expectations of what needs to be completed, trust and confidence will be reinforced. Expressing the “why” and “how” (including measurable performance indicators) can help to motivate business partners and peers by illustrating success within reach.
It is critical to ask “why” and “how” when obtaining information in addition to facilitating it. Questions are the backbone of effective communication because they offer clarity. Take ownership of your work and limitations – know when to ask for additional resources. There is no better way to get information from peers than to ask them for assistance.
While interacting with many people within a business setting, interpreting individual personality traits and approaching those people differently ensures effective communication on a 1-to-1 level. For example, it is often necessary to actively open lines of communication with people who don’t speak up on their own. Some people respond better in an individual setting as opposed to a group. In any case, being respectful of everyone’s time, energy, knowledge, and authority facilitates collaboration.
Even when faced with challenging situations, remaining level-headed and positive upholds a high morale. Constructive criticism must embrace strengths to set others on a path to success. There are likely many ways to accomplish overarching goals and even more opinions about what is best. An effective team shares their knowledge and empowers each other to learn and understand new approaches. A mutually beneficial result can be reached while staying true to strategic initiatives of each business partner and peer. Often, leveraging the team’s existing strengths presents an opportunity to advocate for change and excel in a new realm.
From the subject matter to the audience receiving the information, a thorough understanding is necessary to communicate effectively. Strong interdepartmental collaboration and information delivery can help obtain success in all business aspects.