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Communication Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
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Common communication mistakes
- Lack of attention to tone. No matter what the circumstances, learn to pay attention to tone. Before you speak, pause and take a breath.
- One-size-fits-all communication. Different people have different needs and expectations.
- Avoiding the difficult conversation. Everybody faces conflict.Provide clear and actionable feedback, even when it is difficult for you.
- Reacting instead of responding. Before reacting with anger and frustration, pause to reflect.Then respond in stead of react.
- Indulging in gossip. Leave no place for gossip if you want to be trusted and esteemed as a communicator.
- Speaking more and listening less. When you listen more than you speak, you open yourself up to learning and empathy.
- Thinking you are being understood. Take the time to check that people have understood your message.
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Effective communication
... is imperative for every successful business. Poor communication inevitably causes misunderstandings, confusion and conflicts that hinder productivity and professi...
Effective Communication is vital in business
- It helps to create effective brand messaging. It determines how your brand is perceived and also builds trust with customers.
- Customer service relies on good communication. "60% of consumers have stopped doing business with a brand due to a poor customer service experience." Microsoft’s 2016 Global State of Customer Service Report.
- It enables positive team relationships. Effective communication helps to unite teams and create a safe environment to express themselves.
It helps to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts. It can help to defuse a potentially explosive dispute while bad communication can set it off.
Worst Communication Mistakes
- Using a One-Size-Fits-All Communication Approach. Tailor the communication style to the intended audience.
- Speaking More and Listening Less. Listen to what is said, how it is said, and to what is not said.
- Assuming Instead of Asking More Questions.
- Using Negative Tone. Choose words carefully to eliminate negative reactions.
Avoiding Difficult Conversations.
Reacting, Not Responding.
Not Keeping an Open Mind. Accept and respect differences, listen without judgment and consider all sides of an issue.
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Not Editing Your Work
Spelling, tone and grammatical mistakes can make you look careless.
- Don't rely on spell-checkers.
- Proofread your work.
- Use a dictionary to look up any words that y...
Delivering Bad News by Email
Written communication channels don't allow you to soften difficult messages with nonverbal cues.
Delivering a message in person makes it easier to pick up on signs that people have misunderstood parts of your message.
Avoiding Difficult Conversations
It's tempting to try to avoid difficult conversations, but this can cause further problems.
- Preparation is key to handling difficult conversations.
- Use tools such as the Situation – Behavior – Impact technique to encourage your people to reflect on their behavior.
- Role-play your conversation first.
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Communication during stressful times
Uncertainty has a way to reveal everyone's strengths and weaknesses. During drastic uncertainty, employees will seek more information in order to achieve a sense of certainty. During this unsta...
Managing the passive communicators
- Talk to them one-on-one. They will feel more comfortable opening up.
- Offer multiple modes of communication. Instead of calling on them during a meeting, send them an email afterward.
- Help them feel psychologically safe at work. Let your team know they won't face negative consequences for voicing their opinion respectfully.
Passive communicators battle to express their needs and stand by their convictions. This is because they want to avoid conflict. They may be silent during crucial meetings. If they do make a suggestion and it is challenged, they may say, "never mind then."
Managing the aggressive communicators
- Outline and enforce boundaries. If they interrupt someone, step in and say, "Please let [Name} finish, and afterward, we'll give you time to speak too."
- Give them a safe and healthy way to vent their anger. People under pressure are more likely to act out. Pull them aside for a one-on-one time to address their concerns.
Aggressive Communicators voice their opinions in a straightforward, often blunt way. They often interrupt others, take up significantly more time than others during meetings and don't take into account others' feelings or opinions.