SALES & MARKETING
Five types of workplace miscommunications (and how to fix them) BY HANNAH MASSEN
Ask couples what the secret to a happy marriage is, and nine times out of 10, you’ll get the same answer: good communication. The same is true for workplace relationships, where communication is key to working as a team rather than as a bunch of individuals that are paid by the same company. But for all the good that proper communication can do, poor communication can cause just as much harm. Missing a message, accusations, or failing to get everyone on the same page, can derail projects, lose clients, or worse – damage relationships between coworkers. Miscommunications can throw an otherwise well-oiled organization into chaos, but understanding where they come from can help you clear things up before it’s too late. Here are five common types of miscommunications and ways to fix them. ■
THE POORLY WRITTEN EMAIL Written communication is just as important as its verbal counterpart – especially with more people than ever working from home. So if your directions or requests aren’t entirely clear, don’t be surprised when your coworkers come back with the wrong document or a PowerPoint that isn’t quite, well, on-point. If you’re writing a long, detailed email, scope document, brief, or list of directives, have a coworker look it over before you send it to the entire team to help you spot the holes you missed. Another aspect of avoiding these types of miscommunications can’t always be established in one email, and usually takes years to build: your approachability. Consistently remind your team that you’re here to help if they have questions so that they know they can come to you when something’s not clear.
THE SURPRISE RESPONSIBILITIES Anytime you charge your team with a task, you need to set clear expectations for not only what the result should be, but how every person on that team will contribute. The same goes for job descriptions, in general. For example, how will your social media content creator also know that they’re responsible for running analytics reports unless you tell them? Be specific, or you may be disappointed.
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LocalBizSC.com Q3 2022
