Communication is key to all aspects of our lives — our daily social interactions and our professional ones, too. But how you communicate, especially in the workplace, can have a direct correlation to success, productivity and overall happiness.

Communicating effectively at work is essential to:

  • Build employee morale and encourage dialogue among team members and leaders
  • Maintain satisfied and productive employees
  • Ensure employees are in-the-know and have the confidence to perform their job responsibilities
  • Make employees feel valued and important
  • Establish loyalty and build trust among team members

Here are 5 ways you can improve your workplace communication:

**Communicate frequently.**Now more than ever, more employees are working from home which can create big communication challengers. The water cooler talk and face-to-face conversations likely aren’t happening.

Reach out and connect with others to improve communication. Be strategic in your approach, too. Think virtual coffee or lunch to provide a more relaxed atmosphere if the topic warrants it.

Schedule one-on-ones. According to Gallup, employees who have regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with their managers are three times more likely to be engaged. Employees get a sense of trust in this type of environment, which promotes open conversation and leads to higher retention rates in the long-term.

Create a plan. A well-thought out communication strategy can go a long way. Use a calendar as a communication tool and jot down important events or initiatives that need to be communicated to employees. Include times to touch base with each employee, too.

Be available. Make yourself easy to get in touch with when employees want to share ideas or concerns. Be sure to put your listening ears on, too. Employees who feel like they are being listened to will have a higher level of trust.

Keep your audience in mind. Craft communication that is specific to the group you are talking to —you may need to communicate differently to certain groups. And be sure to leverage tactics and channels you have to get your message out there and keep employees engaged.

People learn differently so while a video may work for some, others prefer to read the information themselves. Most people actually need to see/hear a message more than one time to completely understand it so offer variety in your communication materials.

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