We all realize how important communication is in business. Our government, in my opinion, does a terrible job of communicating with us. This is only one example of inferior communication. How do you communicate with your employees? Do you have team meetings? Are you limited to saying hello in the morning and good bye at night?
COVID has brought so much uncertainty in our lives. Employees have to be worried about their families, jobs and their own health. Large companies have managers and team leaders. As small business owners, we may only have a handful of employees but you must realize how important communication is no matter what the size of your operation. When businesses fail to communicate effectively, the results are detrimental to the company. Research by US company Gartner shows that 70% of a company’s mistakes are due to poor communication. “Building effective teams will go a long way to improve morale and employee satisfaction,” states Michael Page. “It also gives everyone a voice. Well established lines of communication should afford everyone, no matter their level, the ability to freely communicate with their peers, colleagues and superiors.”
At www.efectio.com you can find a list comprised of interesting facts about communication that can be useful for you:
• We process visual images faster than words (and also remember better)
• We think much faster than we can hear – we can listen to 100-125 words per minute, while our brains can think up to 3000 words per minute.
• EMPLOYEES SPEND AN AVERAGE OF 2 HOURS A DAY WORRYING AND GOSSIPING.
• People’s emotions can be expressed in at least 21 different facial expressions- they play an important role in communication with others (If you are in a bad mood, the employees will be able to tell )
• Employees who believe that managers are really listening to them are almost 5 times more likely to be enthusiastic and 21 times more likely to feel LOYAL to their company.
Having team meetings is invaluable for any business. Why have team meetings? To provide information, to give room for feedback and ideas, to strengthen a team and to enhance team collaboration. Your employees are a team but many times one employee does not realize what the other employee does. Some of your customer service representatives don’t really understand what it takes to clean the garments! Team meetings help the employees steer clear of the “that’s not my job mindset.” Employees do different tasks. The whole products is what keeps customers coming back.
Start with a weekly “check in.” Bring your team together for 15 minutes each week. Establish a routine and stick with it. Give each employee a minute to mention a big win from the previous week. The big win could be as simple as your dry cleaner explaining how he got that impossible stain out. As the business owner, give information on how the company is doing and share any changes that are being made. I think you will see a big difference in the response to these meetings.
Remember! All communication is based on your mood. If you are in a bad mood, the communication will likely fail. Have a positive mindset. Remember to make eye contact when speaking or listening. Make sure your speaking speed is not too fast. If you speak slowly, you will appear more relaxed. Listen and show empathy.
Happy Holidays to all! Best wishes for a GREAT New Year! Start setting your goals for 2022. It is not too early.
