Why Effective Communication is the Most Important Soft Skill

Look back through time and you’ll notice that communication has been the deciding factor in different spheres of influence.

When the Romans would go out and conquer entire countries, they built roads so they could quickly exchange goods and communicate with their armies.

The Rothschilds were able to establish their financial empire due, in large part, to an intricate communication network.

There are countless examples but the conclusion remains the same. Proper communication is not an option, it’s essential to your business success. This article makes the case for why it’s so important.

You can move faster

Even if you have a successful business and a unique product, it doesn’t mean you’re secure forever. The more popular and profitable your business, the more competitors will spring up.

They’ll copy what you have and build on top of it. To stay alive in such a competitive landscape, you’ll need to create products and services that are one step ahead. Communication makes this possible.

You and your team should be able to understand the business landscape and communicate the changes they see to all the stakeholders involved. Not only that, it’s necessary for them to distill that information, create a plan, then clearly communicate it to the right people.

This gives you the ability to move faster than everyone else in your field. You observe new trends, adapt, and move beyond them before your competitors know what’s happening. Communication best practices make this entire process simple and effective.

Resolve problems quickly

Why do most problems in the world arise?

Apart from a few outliers, most issues are due to poor communication or lack of communication.

For example, have you ever had an issue with someone on your team? Maybe they keep coming late or they don’t pull their weight at work. There are a few cases where they’re a victim of circumstances or refuse to do better. Most of the time, it’s because expectations weren’t communicated clearly.

In this case, these problems could have been prevented by proper communication. There are times when a problem hasn’t been prevented and needs to be resolved. In a situation like that, the key is to remain calm and make sure everyone feels heard.

After listening to the conflicting opinions and the reasons for the problem, you’ll be in a better position to solve it. When you take this approach then share your solution, even if they’re not happy about the final outcome, people are more likely to accept it.

Improves employee engagement

68% of employees in the U.S. are disengaged from their jobs. Of that 68%, 17.2% are actively disengaged. In other words, they’re doing the bare minimum necessary to keep their jobs. That translates to poor enthusiasm, disciplinary problems, lack of innovation, and a laundry list of other issues in an organization.

I don’t need to tell you that your team is your most valuable asset. If they’re not performing to the best of their ability then every aspect of your organization. Companies have tried everything from impressive compensation packages to offices with countless perks to improve engagement.

While those strategies are effective, one of the most powerful things you can do is adopt the right team communication strategies. There’s been a growing emphasis, especially within the younger workforce, on impact and meaning in the workplace.

Many employees aren’t content with a high salary. They want to know how their work is impacting their organization and the world as a whole. Proper communication makes it possible to imbibe a sense of meaning for every employee. They know where they stand, how they’ll be able to progress within the organization, and become more engaged as a result.

Customer satisfaction is improved

One of the major reasons why customers are unhappy is because of poor messaging from the brand. Oftentimes, brands promise the world and when someone buys the product, they’re underwhelmed and often seek a refund. If a refund isn’t possible, they’ll take to review sites to shout about their poor experience.

This is easily preventable if you put out the right message minus the marketing hype. I’m not saying you shouldn’t sing the praises of your product or service. I’m saying you shouldn’t go overboard. Not only are people skeptical, but you’re also setting yourself up for failure because they’ll find out the truth soon after purchasing.

If, on the other hand, you’re upfront about what your product can and can’t do, the people who buy it will do so knowing exactly what to expect. There won’t be as much (or any) buyer’s remorse after the fact.

Better team building

Have you ever seen an elite team in any sport or endeavor? It doesn’t matter if it’s basketball, a military squad, or a cricket team. All of them are able to communicate well with each other. They’ve gotten so good at it that they don’t need to speak half the time.

A benefit of this is that everyone on the team trusts each other with the tasks they’re in charge of. There’s less micromanaging, the team is able to produce novel ideas more quickly, and they’re efficient.

This doesn’t happen overnight or by accident. It’s deliberate and is only achieved when you adopt the right communication strategies and work on them over time.

Conclusion

On some level, we all know that we need to communicate with other people if we want to achieve our personal goals. The tangible benefits of putting that understanding into practice are what most people miss.

This post has gone through some of the many benefits of better communication in your organization. Of course, it’s not a comprehensive list but it may be just what you need to spend more time on improving your communication skills.

Photo by Matheus Bertelli from Pexels

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