Basic Principles of Effective Communication

Listen First, Ask questions later.

Effective communication the life blood of any successful organisation and yet so often it is overlooked. This article aims to provide some practical tips to encourage effective communication.

Adopt a Top Down Approach

Good communication needs to start at the very top of the organisation by senior management setting the example through continually providing a constant stream of information to staff about the strategies, policies and procedures the organisation intends to adhere to. If employees see that senior management are consistently communicating with them they will adopt a similar approach.

Two Way Process

Communication should always be a two way process and whilst it is the responsibility of senior management to set the example they also need to foster a culture of listening to feedback from employees.

Utilise Focus Groups

Focus groups are made up of small teams of employees perhaps five or six in number, that meet regularly to discuss specific or wider organisational issues and provide suggestions for overcoming problems or difficulties. These suggestions can then be fed back up the chain to senior management.

Active Listening

This is essential for effective communication and simply refers to the importance of listening carefully to the concerns raised by another person or group of people. After the individual has finished talking it requires you to briefly recap the key points to check that you have correctly understood the intended message.

Body Language

Effective communication requires both the listener and the communicator to be focussed whilst a message is relayed. If as a listener your body gives out signals that you have little interest in what is being communicated then this is disrespectful to the other individual concerned. So be aware of excessive frowning or folding your arms or looking over the shoulder of the other person whilst communicating or important information could be missed.

Don't Interrupt

If someone is trying to communicate information to you avoid interrupting but wait until they have finished. Constant interruptions can lead to the individual becoming frustrated or even to them forgetting key points that needed to be communicated to you. Be respectful and listen, ask questions later.

Avoid Email for important information

Email is undoubtedly a quick and convenient method of communicating with people and is ideal for short messages. However, it should be avoided for passing on important information for a number of reasons. Firstly the person may not receive the email in the required timescale. Secondly emails can be misunderstood and your attempt at communicating urgency could be misinterpreted as being pushy or aggressive. Always use face to face meetings to communicate critical information.

Team Meetings

These are by far the most effective means of communicating as they enable information and understanding to be checked immediately and you can read from an individual's body language the emphasis or priority attached to a message. Team meetings are also an excellent way of communicating important information to a larger group of people simultaneously rather than needing to speak to people individually. It also ensures that individuals all receive the same message.

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