To improve productivity and your business' reputation and reduce misunderstandings, address three root causes of poor communication in the workplace.
Identifying the Causes
- Poor management: If managers and executive staff lack good communication skills, they set a poor example for their employees. This creates a domino effect of poorly written correspondences and misunderstandings.
- Lack of professionalism: Some employees are content with their communication skill level and may assume that how they communicate with friends via text messages and emails is appropriate for professional correspondence.
- Lack of education and training: Many recruiters identify written communication as one of the most underrated skills among young employees. Poor preparation at the collegiate level is mostly to blame for recent graduates’ poor writing and communication skills.
Combating the Causes
- Strive to communicate effectively: Inspiring your employees to write more clearly begins with you. Strive to make every correspondence professional and error-free to encourage similar writing from your employees.
- Train your staff: Your employees, even if they're good writers, may still need help with their writing and communication skills, if only to reinforce what they're doing correctly. Enhance your staff's writing and communication skills in the workplace with business writing classes.