Communication Strategies in Workplaces

COMMUNICATION SKILLS 1
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN WORKPLACES
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COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2
Introduction
Communication refers to the abilities used by individuals to pass information within
organizations (Menconi, 2018). Communication enables business and individuals to understand
what is happening in the surrounding. Various skills make communication successful in
organizations and among individuals. The skills include such as,
1. Listening skills
2. Verbal skills
3. Writing skills
4. Non-verbal skills
Communication strategies enable successful movement of information within
organizations and among individuals (Arora, 2016). Furthermore, businesses rely on
communication to ensure the success of strategies set within the business. Some of the strategies
include such as competitive, operational and functional, which aim at putting the business ahead
in the market. Communication comes in handy when informing the internal and external
environment about the plans put in place to ensure success (Tucker, 2013). Proper
communication allows the internal and external parties to understand the behavior and attitude to
assume when working towards success.
Current communication issues
Modern-day communication faces various challenges that hinder the proper passing of
information (Spies, 2018). The issues affect both societies and individuals causing a break down
in understanding and interpretation of messages. The issues run deep and have affected the
basics of communication to the extent of causing misunderstanding among individuals and
organizations (Stokken, 2011). The essay will focus on some of the issues affecting current
communication.
Failure to listen
The failure to listen keenly affects many individuals at workplaces. The cases of failure
to listen occur when co-workers disrupt speakers or plan what to say next instead of paying
attention (Ganapathi, 2014). Other disruptions include behavior such as eye-rolling or
discounting each other at workplaces. Additionally, some workmates just forget or do not care
about listening to a speaker. The various actions indicate failure to listen, which is a problem to
proper communication.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS 3
Distance from offices
The current move to adopt globalization in places of work have affected communication
to a certain extent. The existence of long-distance learning and virtual offices have resulted in
individuals communicating through memos, emails, telephones and video conferencing (Paor,
2016). The locating of offices away from each other eliminates interaction, which is a great
barrier to proper communication. Therefore, projects end up stalling and presence of
misunderstanding among individuals.
Cultural differences
Today's world experiences different cultural groups with unique languages and
understanding of various issues. The cultural differences result in employees forming different
groups at workplaces with different communication styles (Paor, 2016). The groups pose
challenges to management when trying to pass around a message. The problems arise from the
failure of the groups to interpret information in the same way.
Ego and attitude
Ego and attitude problems have increased over the past years at workplaces affecting
teamwork since some employees feel lesser or superior compared to the rest. Therefore, the
employees end up feeling inadequate at the place of work, which hinders performance group
cohesion (Ganapathi, 2014). The employees who feel inadequate tend to quit and work alone
thus affecting teamwork at workplaces.
Communication strategies
Organizations set up communication strategies to give employees a blueprint of how
information is exchanged. The employees follow the strategies to ensure uniform communication
thus eliminating miscommunication among individuals (Beauregard, 2013). The organizations
train employees about communication to ensure adherence during daily internal and external
interactions. The essay focusses on two communication strategies.
Visual communication strategies
Visual communication strategies including putting up clear signs, posters, graphics, and
websites among others for employees to read (Beauregard, 2013). For example, the safety
department could put up a sign that alerts workers of an upcoming hazard. The visual
communication tools send information clearly and simply to prevent confusion. However, due to