In my last post, I asked the question, “Does Your Organization Need Communication Training?” Perhaps you are beginning to think that communication training might be a good investment for your company. Maybe, you are not yet convinced. Let me share a few more thoughts.

Poor Communication Kills

There are consequences to bad communication. A few years ago, the Harvard Business Review referred to communication lapses as the “silent killer of big companies.” Perhaps your company or organization is not so big, but it is equally subject to the consequences of a lack of quality interactions. Think about it for a moment. Maybe your organization’s level of communication is deteriorated to the point that you can no longer recognize that there is a problem.

Four Consequences of Poor Communication

The Zyncro blog lists four specific consequences of poor internal communication in companies.

• Confusion: Most of us have experienced confusion resulting from poor communication. All the members of the team understand the situation and requirements in their own way. So, they are no longer working together or even moving in the same direction. It is not likely they will produce a quality product under these conditions.
• Culture based on distrust: Think about this for a moment. How do you feel about supervisors who do not keep you properly informed about what is going on? I would suggest that that you begin losing a great deal of trust in that supervisor. They no longer seem credible as your leader. What if that feeling is compounded in every member of the team? This now creates a climate of distrust that is significantly detrimental.
• Demotivation and a loss in productivity: People want to feel connected. They want to believe that they are part of something bigger than themselves. Uninformed employees lose this feeling of connection. They begin to feel like they do not matter to the company. When they begin to feel this way, they are sure to begin losing whatever passion they have for their job and their productivity will suffer.
• Deterioration in the work climate: There is an adage that says “nature abhors a vacuum.” In the absence of good information sharing, employees will begin filling in the blanks. The confusion, distrust, and demotivation that is also characteristic of an organization with poor communication further impacts their efforts to understand what is going on. Therefore, their suspicions will likely become negative and result in divisions and gossip.

Let’s Talk

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That is the solution to the problem…let’s talk. Organizations need to make it a habit to increase their internal communications. Leaders need to spend time talking with their workers. They need to keep them informed of what is going on and what the company’s priories are.  Leaders must also remember that good communication means that they need to listen as well as talk. “Let’s talk” is not just about talking!

“Let’s talk” is just the first step towards good internal communication. The talking and listening must both be effective.  As we noted in the previous article, the vast majority of people have had little to no formal training in effective communication.  So “let’s talk” needs to become “let’s communicate effectively.”

Intelligent Communication

We would love the opportunity to help you move from “let’s talk” to “let’s communicate effectively.”  We offer the Intelligent Communication approach to effective communication.  We developed this approach based on decades of experience in the intelligence community. Our team brings that experience to developing a training program specifically designed for your organization. We offer modular training, where the client gets to pick and choose what training modules they need. There modules include basic to advanced interpersonal skills, as well as team building skills using personality assessments. You can see a list of our available training modules on our partner site, Intelligent Communication.

If you are interested in getting your organization the training it needs, contact us to set up a consultation of your requirements. We will work with you to design a training program just for you.

As always, I like to remind you to be swift to hear and slow to speak,

rjm