How to be a more effective communicator
13 November 2006
Research shows that morale among new hires in an organisation is almost always high and then, by about the six-month point, it has dropped sharply. Empirical evidence suggests a correlation between employee morale and a bosses management capabilities.
One of the key attributes identified in a successful manager is the ability to communicate effectively.
Below are 7 tips to help you communicate more effectively with your employees:
- Be a better listener. Pay attention to your employees.
- Make time for employees. Regular, one-on-one meetings with your team members are important. If you can't meet weekly, do it at least twice a month. Talk about their career paths and how you envision them growing in their jobs
- Get the word out to those affected as efficiently as possible. Make a conserted effort to contact those who should be in the know about workplace changes coming down from above. Sometimes it is easy too forget to tell someone, on a timely basis, something they should know about to do their job.
- Put out a consistent message about your values. Knowing who you are, and what you stand for, can help your employees make better decisions on their own (or at least decisions that you will like better). If you're sending mixed messages, explain them or suffer the consequences.
- Give regular feedback; avoid surprises. Employees shouldn't first learn about significant performance issues in an annual evaluation. They should be confronted well beforehand that there is something they need to improve.
- Be effective in speaking to groups of employees. If you can't speak well at employee meetings or in front of employee groups, you lose credibility as a manager. Learn how to do it and learn how to get better at it. The same thing goes for writing group e-mails.
- Don't hide behind e-mails. Most delicate matters must be discussed in person. Most conflicts must be settled in person, or at least by phone. When emotions are involved, e-mail becomes a less-appropriate vehicle to communicate.
Whilst there are several other factors that effect employee morale, by following these basic tips you should be able to help maintain employee morale more effectively.