You’ve probably heard before, “communication is key.” And, it’s true. Effective communication is absolutely essential to every relationship in your life, whether it’s at work, in the community or within your family. Today, let’s focus on just one of these areas: Communication in the workplace.

If you work with people, there’s a good chance you have experienced both good and bad communication. The benefits of great communication are endless. Good, clear and honoring communication allows you to get more done in less time and helps to cultivate a culture of respect.

On the other hand, a lack of (or poor) communication leads to stress, frustration, misunderstandings, dishonor, plus it impacts the company bottom line.

I want to point out a few different aspects of communication often forgotten or in need of some improvement. While you read this today, don’t think, “Oh, I never have that problem” or “I’m a great communicator!” You may be a great communicator. But there is always room for improvement. As your communication skills increase, so will your income. So look for ways you can improve your communication today.

• Tone of voice: You’ve heard, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Your tone of voice communicates either honor or disrespect. It communicates confidence or fear. Sometimes we don’t even hear how we speak to others. So today, really pay attention to how you speak and respond to others. Are you honoring your superiors? Are you honoring those who are “below you” in the company?
• Nonverbal communication: Did you know 93% of communication is nonverbal? If you’re sitting back, not smiling, with your arms crossed, your body language says, “I’m not interested in what you have to say. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to listen to you.” If you are smiling, sitting forward and getting involved in the conversation, it promotes good communication. The other person is more receptive and it really pulls you into the conversation.
• Clarify! Never assume you understand exactly what someone means. The phrase, “So what I hear you saying is…” will help make sure you got the other person’s message loud and clear. It causes you to listen carefully, because you will be recapping the conversation. If you don’t understand something, simply say, “Could you clarify that for me?” or “What do you mean by that?”
• Follow up: Always follow up! Follow up is a key part of communication that, unfortunately, many people never do. But it’s as simple as sending an email following a conversation. This includes giving progress updates on projects or assignments you’re working on. When you follow up with your boss, managers and coworkers, it keeps everyone in the loop and updated on the progress, while eliminating the need for them to track you down to find out where you are or what you’re doing. With open lines of communication within a team, productivity soars and encourages a harmonious work environment.

Communication is one of the most important skills you use every single day. When you have poor communication skills, your success is severely limited. However, when you focus on constantly improving your communication skills, your success will continue to grow.

So today, I want you to figure out where you can improve your skills. If today’s message highlighted any areas you feel could use some work, then don’t wait. You can start working on those things immediately. Remember, what you focus on, you get good at. Wherever you focus intensely, you will see results. So, if you see your communication skills lacking, get the tools here to focus on improving them and you will see results!

I hope this has helped you! If it has, would you mind passing it along to your friends, family and coworkers? Share this post on Facebook and Twitter!

In great faith,

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