Communication #1 Issue for Employees

In almost every survey employees place communication problems at the top of their frustration list.

Most managers spend so much time and effort communicating, it's hard for them to believe it could be a major problem. The paradox is that while employees are frustrated by a perceived lack of communication with their managers, most managers feel they are outstanding communicators. Almost 80% of managers think they are better communicators than they actually are.

Communication may not be the problem and in most cases employee's don't need more information. Most of the information employees receive doesn't get read and what is read isn't usually understood. The problem is that most managers communication is filled with so much "static" that the message is not understood, supported, or accepted by employees.

What causes this "static"? One factor is the proliferation of communication methods including email, voice mail, meetings, conference calls, cell phones, pagers, memos, video, intranets, newsletter, etc. With so many options, we tend to pay more attention to how we're going to communicate that what we're going to communicate, it more about the method then the message.

We have forgotten that communication is a two-way process. In order to connect with employees and create the understanding, support and acceptance critical to success we need to start with "Building Trust".

"Building Trust" is the core of communication. Without trust, does it really matter how "charismatic" you are or how "wordsmith" or how well you speak in front of your team.

Along with building trust we must "Share Knowledge". One of the best investments of a manager's time is teaching the team "the business of the business". Sharing knowledge and teaching employees the business of the business is the key to building understanding. The more information managers share about the "why" behind the "what" they are trying to accomplish, the more employees will see the overall organizational vision, and the more they will accept and support the plans and strategies necessary to achieve that vision.

In order to finish this post and not go into to much detail and start to bore you I will end with that "providing feedback" and "walking the talk" are extremely important in improving your overall communication effectiveness.