Communication in Organizations

A number of techniques can be used to improve organizational communication:

Managers spend 50 percent to 80 percent of their time engaging in some form of communication,
according to Work911.com. This amplifies the need for managers as well as small business owners with
employees to become effective communicators. To aid you in your quest to improve communications
within your organization, a few techniques may be of help.

Assess Communication Level

Solicit feedback from your employees by asking them how well you communicate with them and if they
have ideas for improving communication. Something as simple as one-on-one weekly meeting with your
employees can help open the lines of communication.

Communicate Directly

If you need to communicate something important to one of your employees, be sure to deliver the
message yourself instead of relying on a third party. For example, if you're displeased with an action of
an employee or need to give him specific direction on how to complete an assignment, delivering the
information yourself will eliminate misunderstandings and allow the employee the opportunity to ask
questions.

Spell It Out

Don't assume that just because you know something that the whole organization also knows or has the
same understanding. For example, if you offer special pricing to a top customer and neglect to inform
the salesperson who handles the account, it could prove to be an embarrassing situation for the
salesperson who discovers the information from the customer instead of you.

Create Job Descriptions

Just because your business may not be a large corporation doesn't mean you don't need to provide
written job descriptions. A written job description eliminates ambiguity by clarifying the responsibilities
and expectations for each member of your organization. It can also improve communications between
employees by eliminating the "I thought you were supposed to do that" syndrome.

Require Status Reports

As a small business owner or manager, you don't always have the time to keep tabs on the daily
activities of your employees. By requiring them to provide you with a weekly written status report, you
can determine what they accomplished during the week as well as what they have planned for the
following week. This gives you a basis for discussion during your weekly one-on-one meetings as well as
helps you monitor their progress on any uncompleted projects.