Three Simple Steps to Improve Communication in Your Organization

Communication is a great tool. It helps you build relationships and get things done. But I’m seeing some issues in a number of the companies I’m working with that’s very disturbing.

I’m talking about a serious lack of face-to-face interaction and communication. There are people sitting in the same general vicinity who use IM and e-mail to communicate before they’ll walk over and interact face-to-face.

In vertically siloed organizations, we see this all the time. Marketing doesn’t talk to PR, the sales team has no idea what’s happening in product development, and IT has been working on a huge infrastructure project for 3 months only to find out that the facilities group has already initiated the project and signed a vendor. Sound familiar? I thought it might.

When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say. – Abraham Lincoln

How do you fix this disconnect? It’s going to take a little work via the human touch, but it can be done. Now, I’m not talking about revamping a broken corporate culture; that’s a huge undertaking best left to serious agents of change with robust body armor and an antidote for hemlock. What I’m suggesting is starting small, doing one or two things to plant the seeds of change, at least in your world.

Here are three simple steps you can take to improve the quality and frequency of the communication in your organization, whether it’s inter-departmental or within your own team.

1. Get out of your chair. Venture forth and meet your colleagues. I’m blown away by people who tell me they’ve worked at a  company for 5 years and still “…have no idea who that guy is over there.” I know one guy whose approach to breaking the ice revolves around chocolate chip cookies (and these are some really good cookies). He works the cookie angle to death. Everyone at work gets to sample the cookies at one point or another. It breaks the ice, it leaves an impression and it opens the door to future interaction. If cookies aren’t your thing, that’s fine – goodies aren’t a necessity. Wander around, stick your hand out and introduce yourself. Get out of your chair and stop using IM and e-mail as your primary methods of communication.
2. Listen. Once you’ve introduced yourself, try to do more listening than talking (because it’s tough to listen with your mouth). One way to avoid the verbal vomit syndrome is by asking relevant questions and then listening carefully to the answers. Be genuine, look ‘em in the eye and listen. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn.
3. Make time. Make face-to-face communication part of your daily routine at work. Set time aside to engage your colleagues on a regular basis, and I’m not talking about attending meetings. Invite someone for a coffee, have lunch, take a walk – get out of the office, if at all possible. Sometimes it’s easier to chat when the phone isn’t constantly ringing or incoming e-mail isn’t a distraction. Oh, and make sure you leave your cell phone at your desk.

The list above is by no means intended to be comprehensive, but it’s a start. Please share your communication strategies as a comment below. I’d love to hear what you think.