Leaders who communicate with empathy, transparency, and authenticity create positive team dynamics, higher retention, and better team outcomes. In fact, teams that rate their communication as strong, have 4.5x higher retention rates. On top of that, 86% of employees in a recent survey blame company failure on poor communication.

We know that many leaders struggle to effectively communicate and find the time to act consistently to ensure that important information is shared with their teams, across departments, and within functional areas. With the 4 tips we’ve listed below, you can implement easy tactics to strengthen communication on your team.

1. Keep Workplace Communication Consistent

Develop weekly, monthly, and/or quarterly meetings to consistently communicate goals and objectives. These meetings should be leveraged to discuss strategy changes and allow for collaboration on shared projects. By sharing goals and objectives consistently, teams stay focused on key performance indices which drive positive outcomes. 

Leaders should also implement monthly 1:1 sessions with each member of their team to build relationships, monitor and discuss professional goals, and focus on individual performance. This will ensure that leadership and the entire team are held accountable for their workloads and are consistently updated on the progress of the organization. This creates staff and stakeholders alignment which bolsters employee productivity, motivation, and engagement. 

2. Foster a Culture of Honest Feedback

Generating a workplace environment that encourages open and honest communication is key to strengthening communication on your team. When leaders demonstrate honesty and transparency with their teams, the team becomes more comfortable sharing their opinions which leads to better outcomes.

Amy C. Edmonson, author of, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, states, “For knowledge work to flourish, the workplace must be one where people feel able to share their knowledge! This means sharing concerns, questions, mistakes, and half-formed ideas.” 

In fact, 91% of employees want their organization to foster honest and open communication across all levels of the business. Leaders should share how the team is performing, how the company is doing, and pinpoint areas of improvement in a constructive manner. 

Implementing an open-door policy where leaders have set aside an hour or two per month where any and all employees can stop by their office to voice their concerns, ask questions, and receive feedback and guidance is key. By leaving the door “open” business leaders are perceived as more approachable and easier to engage in conversation. 

3. Keep Your Team Informed on Milestones, Challenges, and Wins

An easy and fun way to strengthen communication on your team is to celebrate milestones and wins. Keeping your employees informed about what is happening internally is a surefire way to keep employees engaged and motivated. A few examples of information that should be shared throughout the organization include:

• Job anniversaries
• Employee birthdays
• Employee promotions
• Challenges overcome
• Deals closed

4. Ask Questions and Actively Listen to Your Employees’ Feedback

It is important for leaders to actively listen to their employees’ feedback and ideas. Active listening is one method to develop psychological safety in the workplace and serves as a great example of how to communicate. 

Active listening is defined as, “the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully.” Leaders should engage with employees through conversation which includes intently listening to employees’ concerns, ideas, and thoughts and responding in a thoughtful and constructive manner. Leaders shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions when clarification is needed. Essentially, active listening is imperative to strengthening communication throughout the entire organization.

Final Thoughts

One path to creating the conditions for teams to thrive is through effective communication. If you or your leadership team is struggling to implement effective communication tactics, TLD Group’s cadre of team development experts can help.

Get in touch with us to strengthen communication on your team.