How can you improve communication within your team?

Develop your ability to communicate with team members

Collaboration is the basis of successful teamwork. If communication between colleagues breaks down, it can lead to a drop in productivity and an erosion of team cohesion.

In order to develop open and honest communication at work with your colleagues, you need to be able to express your ideas well. You don't always have to agree with other team members. However, you can get your message across by explaining your differing point of view in the right terms.

Learn to be courteous in your dealings with others, yet firm when you have to make an important internal decision. You can't avoid disagreements between colleagues. However, it is possible to maintain the quality of relations with your employees, so as to improve collaboration and team cohesion over the long term.

Thanks to this, you'll be able to convey your ideas more effectively, or easily share project information with your staff.

Favour physical exchanges

Sometimes, internal communication problems in companies arise because of the wrong choice of information medium. To eliminate communication errors, face-to-face exchanges are best. If your team works remotely, hold frequent videoconference meetings.

Physical communication is better, because it allows you to adopt the right tone and better resolve conflicts, which is not really possible with the written word. It's essential that your interlocutors can discern your non-verbal language (facial expressions, gestures, etc.).

Organize a meeting so that you're face-to-face with your colleagues when you need to explain an important concept. Being able to hear each person's voice and tone clearly is more conducive to successful communication and healthy collaboration.

Select the right communication tools

Corporate communication takes many forms. It can be face-to-face, by e-mail, by telephone or via a professional platform. To be as effective as possible, you need to define the right communication tools for your staff.

It's vital that employees are unanimous about which communication channels to adopt in each situation. What are the most appropriate tools for asking questions or giving feedback? Is it preferable to hold exchanges in real time, or is sending a message off-line enough to manage a project?

Ask your teams for their opinion on the choice of communication tools, and follow the preferences of the majority. It's imperative that all staff members are on the same wavelength. In the event that some staff find it difficult to use the designated tools, consider organizing a short training session to ease their initiation.

Look after your verbal and non-verbal language

In the workplace, communication isn't just about words. The way you hold yourself and the way you speak when you express yourself also impacts the quality of your relationships. To avoid making your employees uncomfortable or rushing them, avoid crossing your arms when addressing them.

Your body language may have nothing to do with the situation at work. However, keep in mind that your team members probably don't know this. They may therefore assume that your non-verbal expression is due to anger directed at them.

Our advice: adopt a neutral posture. Make sure your facial expressions don't betray stress or inner fatigue. Try to remain calm and take a short break before speaking. In this way, you'll be better able to tame your emotions and communicate properly with your employees.

Resolve conflicts quickly

You can't optimize the management of your communication at work if you haven't dealt with the underlying issues beforehand. Conflicts can get in the way of open, honest communication at work.

Do your employees feel comfortable speaking out? Is there any reason why your employees can't express themselves freely? As a business owner, you need tolisten to your employees. That way, your employees will find it less difficult to express themselves and assert themselves.

In the event of conflict, staff members need to be able to discuss disagreements without animosity and in a caring atmosphere. Make sure you have identified the needs of each employee, and that everyone feels at ease in your company.

Set up a feedback system

Internal communication problems in companies can stem from the fact that managers don't ask their employees for their opinion. If you don't clearly question your employees, chances are they won't give you feedback.

Get feedback from others about the way you communicate. This way, you can identify weak points in your workplace communication strategy and improve them.

Organize activities that foster team communication

Sometimes, the work environment is not conducive to employees trusting their managers. Ice-breakers are often an effective way of finding out a little more about colleagues, while having a good time at the same time.

So don't hesitate to organize team-building sessions to help your employees relax and enjoy themselves. Team-building fosters team spirit and facilitates communication between participants. As a result, you'll be able toimprove relations between colleagues, and work together in harmony once you return to work.