Question: Write down the benefits of effective communication.

Explain each point in detail

using appropriate examples?

Answer: Good communication matters at work because few jobs are solo acts. It takes
communication to work on a team, and even people working alone have to report to their bosses.
If you run a business, you have to tell employees what's expected of them. Bad communication
leads to errors, failure and sometimes lawsuits. Effective communication helps prevent these
errors.

Building a Team
Effective, honest communication can bind employees together. If the staff are talking with each
other on the job, that's a major step towards building a good team. Employees who look forward
to talking with their colleagues are more enthused about coming to work. If they know they can
talk to the boss about problems and that the boss will listen, that binds them to the company.
Good communication builds teams and increases employee loyalty.

Making Things Clear

Confusing instructions and unclear guidelines are bad for everyone. When communicating with
employees, managers have to be clear about what they want and expect. That applies whether the
communication is through meetings, instructions, performance reviews or employee handbooks.
If workers understand their duties and responsibilities, everything flows more smoothly.

Managing Diversity in the Workforce

Good communication is even more important if the workforce is diverse. With a mix of races,
nationalities, genders or faiths on the job, it's easy for people to accidentally offend each other. If
promotion and employee review rules aren't clear, minority workers may feel they've been
discriminated against. Policies that clearly spell out how the company applies rewards and
penalties can clear things up. Clear guidelines telling employees how to treat each other helps
avoid unwanted conflict.
Dealing With Problems

Bad communication causes all sorts of problems. Two employees receive conflicting
instructions. HR issues a warning without finding out what the real issues are. A supervisor
doesn't respond to questions or avoids discussing employee issues.

These are all examples of poor communication. Good communication skills can resolve the
problems, or better yet prevent them from developing in the first place.

Surviving Difficult Situations

If management fudges the facts or ducks discussion, it can kill employees' faith in the company.
Talking honestly about the situation can strengthen their trust. The best companies don't wait
until disaster strikes to start communicating. If the company's been honest and communicating
effectively all along, they have a valuable reservoir of trust built up.

References (4)

6 Reasons Why Effective Communication Should Be a Focus in Your Business

The Importance of Good Communication in the Workplace

Workplace Conflicts? 4 Ways to Improve Communication

How Trust Affects Workplace Communications

Resources (1)

Building Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills --

Advantage: Good Communication Promotes
Understanding
Effective communication removes the guesswork from any message. When
information or ideas are effectively communicated, audiences don't question the
meaning or reasoning. Think about a doctor informing a patient about a fatal disease.
The doctor needs to make sure the patient understands the problem along with any
possible courses of action.

When you communicate clearly, it's easier to get your message across and make sure
you're on the same page with your audience. For example, if you're discussing a new
project with your employees, you want to ensure they understand your instructions
and expectations. Pinpoint the key aspects, summarize them at the end of the meeting
and encourage employees to ask for further clarification if necessary.

Disadvantage: Negative Acknowledgement

Good communication may not always be enough to make yourself heard. Your
circumstances, as well as your audience and the timing of the message, can all
influence this process.

Additionally, even a clearly delivered message doesn't prevent negative

acknowledgment. Think of a doctor telling his patient that he has cancer or that he
needs an expensive treatment. Even though the message is clear and the patient
understands what he's being told, his reaction may be negative. Plus, some patients
may not understand why a particular treatment, which happens to be quite expensive,
is better than another.

Advantage: Read Emotional Cues

People find themselves in stressful situations all the time. Meeting with a boss,
handling an aggressive salesman or dealing with a mechanic are a few examples of
daily interactions that can create stress. Paying attention to sensory cues and clearly
conveying desires and needs may occur naturally, but these skills can be improved
with practice and self-awareness.

Tuning in and being able to read the emotions of others gives you a big advantage in
deal-making and finding solutions. At the same time, it makes it easier to adjust your
message so that it fits the mood and needs of your target audience. For example, if
you're making a speech and the audience seems bored or disengaged, you can use
humor or make a powerful statement to draw their attention. Pay attention to their
body language and tailor your speech accordingly.

Disadvantage: It Leaves You Vulnerable

Reading emotional cues may not always work in your favor. If you can read these
cues, others can do it too. This can turn against you when you're not in control of your
emotions. Losing your temper in any type of negotiation puts you in a
disadvantageous situation.

Let's return to the previous example. If your speech promotes a service or product that
you don't really believe in, your audience may acknowledge that. Sometimes, being
persuasive isn't enough to make a point and entice customers to take action. Your
body language, gestures and facial expressions can tell a completely different story.

Advantage: Build and Maintain Relationships

Personal relationships rely on effective communication in every way. Good
communication in relationships reduces conflict, builds trust and strengthens bonds.
These are all strong advantages.

Imagine the following scenario. You’re attending a networking event and find yourself
surrounded by industry experts, suppliers and like-minded individuals. Some may be
interested in your business and what you have to offer. However, they may never find
out about your company and what makes it stand out unless you communicate with
them.

Any of these people could be a potential lead or business partner. Don’t hesitate to
reach out and introduce yourself. Use your communication skills to market yourself,
make a good first impression and differentiate your brand from competitors.
Furthermore, you need to keep an open line of communication with prospects,
vendors and other business owners to maintain and grow your relationship.

Disadvantage: Not Being Heard

No matter how strong your communication skills are, you may fail to deliver your
message if the other parties are not listening to what you have to say. It's possible that
one party communicates effectively but is simply not being heard by the other party. If
a message is not being accepted, negative consequences often result. Remember,
effective communication goes both ways.

When receiving parties are not open to the messaging, even properly communicated
messages fall on deaf ears. This leads to conflict that often can't be resolved without
either a compromise or dissolution of the relationship. While this is certainly a
disadvantage of effective communication, it remains a better option than not openly
communicating feelings, desires and needs to a partner or friend.
No matter where you sit, team leader or teammate, effective communication is everyone’s
responsibility. It is a lot more than just communicating; it involves knowing your audience,
building trust and encouraging involvement. Effective communication takes work but, if you get
it right, your team will be more productive and less stressed.
Here are the benefits of effective communication in the workplace.
Team Building
When teams effectively communicate, information flows freely from side to side and top to
bottom. Team members feel empowered to act because they understand how their work impacts
other efforts and how it contributes to the team’s goals. If a teammate learns of an important
change, he or she can quickly assess which tasks will be impacted and who needs to know.
Leaders also benefit by having a complete picture of where their employees are on a particular
task and how to help them stay on track. Because leaders and teams are communicating
effectively there are no surprises at weekly project updates and annual reviews.
Employee Morale
Another benefit of effective communication is that it improves team morale. When a team does
not communicate well, a failure to inform can generate a feeling that team members or leaders
are keeping secrets. Employees who believe that they are deliberately being left out will feel
suspicious and angry and trust overall will erode. This can create a negative workplace that saps
morale and productivity. Poor communication can also lead to very unpleasant surprises such as
missed deadlines, inaccurate requirements and unreported errors.
However, when a team communicates effectively, team members trust that they are getting the
whole picture and can focus on their work. They feel comfortable that, if something comes up,
they will be informed and will know who to turn to for help.
Increases Customer Satisfaction
And when a team communicates well with each other, they will communicate well with the
customer. Customers do not appreciate it when they get different answers whenever they call or
when Sales provides a deadline that Engineering knows nothing about. Just like an uninformed
employee, customers will begin to distrust what they hear and become suspicious when there are
problems. That can quickly lead to lost sales and opportunities. A well-communicating team,
however, projects professionalism and trust. A customer who knows they can count on you, even
with there are problems, will be far less willing to take their business elsewhere.
Increases Productivity
Most importantly, effective communication will provide a high return on your investment across
the enterprise. When team members know their roles, the roles of others and what leadership
expects, they can concentrate more on work and less on the workplace. Team leaders gain a clear
picture of their resources and can balance workloads to get the most out of their team. Issues,
that could become a distraction, are quickly resolved. Rework for customers is minimized. All of
these gains contribute to greater productivity for you and your team.