Publication number: ELQ-83894-1
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How to Communicate Effectively in Today's Business
Learn how to communicate effectively in today's business.
Introduction
When was the last time you changed how you communicate to your team and to your customers? The way you deliver your message is key to maximizing its impact, or even reaching the intended audience. Don’t count on people reading your Annual Report for breaking news. Your team needs to hear from you on a regular basis, on a channel they can relate to easily and quickly.
Thus, top business leaders now deliver requests to their team via text messages, and even expect updates from top national leaders via Twitter. As a business advisor, I still find owners and entrepreneurs who have never sent a business text message, written a blog, or produced a small video to update their constituents, or highlight a key message.
If you know someone in this category (including yourself), here are some key principles, from my own experience, that you can help me pass along for the benefit all of us:
- Step n°1 |
Every message must be keyed to your expected receiver
The limited channels for delivering a message have exploded in recent years, with social media, the Internet, and smartphones. Your team and customers will judge you by how timely and effectively you deliver the message. For example, I find that millennials rarely read emails or policies.
- Step n°2 |
Use professional wording and tone in all business messages
Even with the new channels, don’t forget that business is not casual for your constituents. Skip any urge to use abbreviations, slang, or emoticons. Make the context clear, and keep the content on point. People still expect separation between business and personal relationships. - Step n°3 |
Build a communication culture of engagement and participation.
The days of command and control are gone, and you can’t depend on your title and the management hierarchy to amplify and relay the message. For example, messages are better delivered these days via informal weekly “town hall” meetings, rather than official CEO updates.
