If you want to grow your business, then you need to start by improving internal communication. Unfortunately, many businesses have very poor communication, which causes myriad problems. A business that doesn’t have good internal communication will struggle to fulfill orders, delegate tasks, and keep staff happy.
Business experts unanimously agree that good communication is a fundamental component of successful businesses. Without it, a business simply can’t thrive.
If you are a business owner who’s concerned with their business’s internal communication, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how to improve your business’s communication:
Communication Platforms
Since the pandemic began over a year ago, many businesses have allowed their employees to work from home. While this stops viral transmission and makes everybody much happier, it can also interfere with communication. For this reason, you need to ensure that you have a quality communications platform for your staff to work on. These platforms should be kept running all day so that you can check on your staff, and so that they communicate with each other. The ideal platform will have a chat feature and video call abilities. This allows you to communicate with your staff in different ways.
Internal Connection
If you want your staff to communicate with each other, then you need to work on internal connections. Some departments have no connection, and so, staff from these departments don’t know each other. In order to encourage internal communication, introduce staff to each other even if they will not be working together. This will allow them to forge bonds and get to know people from different areas of your company. One day, they might end up needing each other’s help, and knowing each other, makes their lives [and yours] much easier. You can encourage internal connection by holding parties, get-togethers, and work barbecues.
Company Mission
It’s also important to make your company’s mission and vision clear. If your staff doesn’t know what their ultimate goal is, they will have difficulty streamlining their work. Communicating your company’s mission can also be very motivational, helping staff to know their place and what you want from them. Many businesses find that posting their company’s mission statement on their website works. You could also pin it inside your staff’s group chat so that they can all see it. You can also send out weekly or monthly reminders.
Open Dialogue
If you want your business to succeed, then you need to encourage open dialogue among your staff. If your staff aren’t comfortable communicating with each other, then they won’t be able to share important tasks or discuss things. In addition, open dialogue also creates a culture of honesty. When your staff feels comfortable saying anything, then they will be able to tell you or their managers when they are dissatisfied, or conversely, when they are satisfied with how your business is running. A good way of encouraging openness is by handing out regular staff surveys for your employees to complete, where they can voice their opinions.
Information Sharing
A very crucial part of your company’s internal communication should be the sharing and distribution of information. Make sure that your staff effectively share information whenever it’s necessary for them to do so. The sharing and distribution of information is your company’s lifeblood. A good way of encouraging information sharing is to create a spreadsheet for your staff to fill out when they complete their daily tasks. You should also have them tell their line managers when they have completed their work so that their managers can log this information and give them more work to do.
Project Management
Good project management is an important part of internal communication. If down the line, your project managers don’t effectively communicate then you will be entirely cut off from your staff. You need to stay connected to them at all times. A good way to improve your project managers’ communication is to have them attend training courses. In addition, you can have them check in with you on a regular basis and update you with what’s going on at every level of your business.
External Events
As we mentioned earlier, planning external events with your staff is a great way to encourage them to communicate with each other. There are many different types of external events that you can hold, from celebratory meals to picnics and barbecues. Try to hold external events at least once a year and encourage all of your staff to attend.
Improving the way that your business communicates is a great way to improve it, and to maximize success. Communication is your business’s lifeblood. If it’s lacking, then you won’t be able to succeed.
