Good & Bad Communication in the Workplace

By Eric Feigenbaum, eHow Contributor

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Friendly, clear and professional communication is an ingredient for success.

Businesses of all sizes and varieties need solid communication to succeed. Employees,
managers, vendors, suppliers, customers and clients have to coordinate and understand
one another for operations, projects, deals and transactions to be successful. In fact,
scattered ideas and actions can become the downfall of a company, which means that
everyone involved in an organization must be thoughtful about how they interact and
convey information. This ranges from issues such as respect and thoughtfulness to clarity
and transparency.

1. Respect
o Professionalism and respect are the foundations of good workplace and business
communications. Whether interacting with a colleague, boss, client, vendor or consultant,
everyone reacts better when they feel respected and well treated. Professionalism demands
keeping personal issues, including dislikes and bad days, in check so that everyone can work
together in a productive way. Although a person may not like or enjoy everyone she deals
with, keeping a standard of courtesy and respectful conduct can make situations workable.

Clarity
o People communicate differently, which can make communication challenging. Effective
workplace communicators have to think about how their words will be received by their
target audience, whether it is an individual or group. That means considering what others
may hear and varying approaches to conveying thoughts. The American workplace generally
prefers clarity and precision in communication to avoid ambiguity. Professionals must
figure out how to balance clarity and respect, which requires social skills and grace.

Cultural Considerations
o The diverse American workplace requires everyone to reach beyond their personal norms.
People of other races, genders, national origins, religions, ethnicities, ages and sexual
 orientations are important parts of how businesses operate. However, in many cases they
have different approaches, communication styles and personal needs. For example, an
organization with Muslim and Jewish employees may need to refrain from serving pork at
company lunches as well as granting leaves and days off for their religious practices and
holidays. Coworkers should at a minimum refrain from teasing, gossiping or making biased
comments when a Muslim take a prayer break or a Christian reads her Bible at lunchtime.
Similarly, people need to work with immigrants who lack native English skills to find ways
to communicate without making them feel dumb or inferior.

Media
o Today's workplace offers numerous communication options. Team members can call, email,
text, video conference, instant message or walk over to one another for face-to-face
conversation. Sometimes convenient options aren't necessarily the most effective. Email
and text-based media have limitations as they close off important aspects of
communication, such as tone of voice, facial expression and body language. Workers need to
consider which of their many options is most appropriate to a given situation. Email is
useful for brief, informational exchanges and sharing documents. However, when dealing
with sticky or sensitive issues, voice or personal conversation can usually get more done
faster.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8583209_good-bad-communication-workplace.html#ixzz2ztdWIP74