Effective communication strategies are vital to your success in the workplace and in life. If you don’t know how to talk with others, you may find yourself failing to reach your goals at work or home, not just professionally but personally as well.
So what makes effective communication? How can you improve your skills? What should be your communication strategy? What are the types of communication strategies? We are going to cover all this in the article. Keep reading!
Everybody wants to build a successful communication strategy, but it’s not as easy as we think so. As we know that communication is the exchange of information between two parties i.e. sender and receiver. So for communication, one has to worry about effective ways of communication.
At the start, communication was limited to writings and meetings. But modern technology has changed the whole concept. People need to make efforts on understanding how they share information. Here communication strategies start working.
Definition: Communication strategy is the scheme of planning how to share information. Communication strategy is the choice of the most useful objectives of communication, and recognition of a particular brand and its strategy in terms of attitude.
A strategy need to be interlinked with the basis of the organization and has to be taken into account very seriously. Employees of the organization are supposed to be committed to the organization’s strategy completely.
An organization can’t compete well with the world outside if it lacks a proper strategy that informs about what it aims to do.
Before we move to the types of communication strategies, let us first understand what communication is exactly and why is it so important?
What is the role of communication?
Communication is so much more than a simple verbal or written exchange of ideas and information. Communication plays a critical role in learning, building relationships, and establishing trust—all of which are essential to both personal and professional development.
- You must be able to listen effectively to understand others
- You must be able to speak up when necessary
- Taking responsibility for your thoughts and actions
- You must know how to present your ideas persuasively.
Communications strategies will help you develop these skills by thinking through communication scenarios that might arise at work and developing plans to deal with them.
It will also help clarify what kinds of goals you want to achieve in any kind of communications-related situation, whether it’s a phone call with your manager or pitching an idea at a company meeting.
And even if you never need it directly as part of your job, knowing how to effectively communicate with people will help immensely no matter what career path you choose!
In your communications strategy, start by analyzing what kinds of communication you’ll encounter at work. It could be interviews, meetings, email exchanges with clients, team discussions, or brainstorming sessions—any kind of interaction that is essential to your role.
What is effective communication?
Effective communication is about connection. The goal of effective communication is to understand and be understood, whether you are trying to reach a supervisor, manager, business partner, or customer.
Effective communicators know that listening can lead to better understanding in any situation. They listen and think about what their communication partner is saying so they can respond appropriately.
In addition, effective communicators don’t just give out information—they also seek it out from others.
Effective communication is also a two-way street. It’s not just about you—it’s about what others need to hear from you and how they interpret your messages. When you think about all of these different factors, effective communication becomes much more challenging, but with practice, it can be done effectively in many situations.
Effective communication is challenging, but it is also important to work on regularly because, in business, it’s all about relationships.
If you can improve your communication with others, not only will you feel more confident doing so—you will also build better relationships and ultimately be able to accomplish more. Think about how much easier it is to work together when both parties are communicating effectively.
What is Communication Strategy?
Communication Strategy is a critical element of business, particularly in complex and/or large organizations. Strategic Communication plans, or Communication Strategies, define how an organization will communicate internally and externally (internally with other businesses and staff, externally with customers).
Moreover, it provides a map to help organizations navigate their various communications channels including:
- Face-to-face communication
- Social media
- Electronic communications such as email and intranets
- Press releases
- Public relations work
- Direct marketing activities and even products themselves.
Since a well-defined and strategically implemented communication plan can ensure your messages to customers are well-received, it’s an important factor in business success.
If you look at organizations that have successfully communicated their values and strengths to customers, you will see them employing strong communication strategies.
A good example of a business that has benefited from strong communication strategies is Southwest Airlines. Not only has it been consistently profitable, but it’s also ranked as one of America’s most loved brands by several reputable sources including Zagat and JD Power.
To create such a reputation, Southwest created its culture to communicate values that make customers feel good about flying with them.
Importance of Communication Strategy
Communication is one of your most important assets as a leader. It defines how well you run your business and how happy and productive your employees are.
Communication Strategies can help increase focus, motivation, productivity, and attention to detail in all areas of leadership.
A good Communication Strategy keeps everyone on track with what needs to be done and creates a flow of information within a company that not only helps managers effectively manage their teams but also provides regular checkpoints for personal reflection.
It gives managers a chance to review performance goals regularly and address any issues that may be occurring.
Effective communication keeps employees engaged and excited about their work as well as provides them with opportunities to enhance their skills so they are better equipped to handle challenges that come up during their day-to-day jobs.
In this case, the employee engagement communication strategy works better.
Communication is essential to your success as a leader and an employee. The way you communicate with yourself, your employees, and other people within your organization can affect everyone’s performance as well as company morale.
If you’re having trouble communicating your goals and objectives to your employees, it can often make people feel like they don’t have a clear vision of what their jobs are.
It can also cause people to lose motivation and interest in their work. It may even end up affecting productivity if employees aren’t seeing results from their efforts and don’t feel invested in what they’re doing.
Effective Communication Strategies will help employees understand what their role is in the company. It also helps managers understand how they can support and motivate their teams.
If a company has its employees across the globe, then the company must work on remote team communication strategies as well to get more of its team. In other words, your IT communication strategy must be strong.
If you have an established communication process, it makes it easier to spot problem areas and gives everyone a chance to adapt and make necessary changes that might improve performance over time.
While Communication Strategies don’t have to be complicated, it does take time and effort to develop.
But by creating an effective strategy, you can help your employees feel valued and motivated about their work as well as improve performance.
In addition, if you’re able to set clear expectations from day one, new employees will have an easier time getting up to speed. This will save you time on training and allow new hires to reach full productivity more quickly.
Communication is a skill that anybody can learn and hone with practice. If you feel that your current strategies aren’t effective, you may want to try a new approach.
While it may not always be easy to change old habits, you might find that your new strategies lead to better results at work as well as happier employees.
However, it is the responsibility of the company to provide proper strategic communications training to its employees.
Communication strategies are very frequent as every organization has its method to illustrate its goals to the public. Without developing any strategy the company will not be able to approach as much audience as it desires.
If the company is spending time evaluating its messages, it would be the best approach to develop an effective communication strategy.
This will be an assurance that the time spent in developing the strategy is not wasted and has helped to convey a message to the public.
While developing a strategy the company should consider two key elements: branding and the internet. Branding is very important in developing an idea about the organization.
It is the selection of an image that is recognized by the people, which brand belongs to which company. The Internet is helpful in terms of the web. The modern world is busy exploring and surfing the internet. If the company designs its web, this will help target the audience. They can target more audiences in this way with ease.
Factors of Communication Strategy
Following are the factors of communication strategies:
- Elements Needed
- Goals
- Important Self-checks
A brief explanation of each factor is below.
1. Elements needed
First of all, the organization has to set an aim to know what they are willing to do for the public. For example, there is a company that aims to work for the betterment of families to create a successful community.
For a prosperous organization, the first step is to set its goals and attach the people to a catchy motto.
Every organization sets a brief motto, but it covers its aim completely that what the organization aims to do. The objective of the organization covers its rules and policies and the cause of its existence. It is beneficial for employees too as they come to know why they are working so hard for the organization.
A successful strategy arises from the inside of the organization if the employees follow the mission that the organization has set.
2. Goals and Self-checks
These two factors are interlinked and completely rely on each other. The goals set by the organization are actually the ideas of the organization that it has put forth, it should be checked constantly.
Before taking a start the organization has to understand its audience whom they are trying to approach, as it will cause a great loss if the organization reaches the wrong audience.
The organization has to evaluate the demographical conditions of the audience to approach the maximum audience. To approach every single person may not be supported by the economical condition of the organization; therefore the organization has to plan a strategy to approach the maximum audience.
In the case of nonprofit companies, it is very important to know how the company has to utilize its resources because these companies are not financially very strong. To take a start every company needs to be financially strong. They must plan a strategy about how to achieve their goals in limited sources in terms of finance.
But the company communication plan must be clear to all of its employees and they must develop an internal communications channel strategy.
Every organization has to set goals to give a direction. While setting goals, keep in mind that these goals must be clear. Reports should be compiled where the time strain of goals to be achieved should be mentioned.
Every employee should have this report so that he will try to complete his project within the set time. Secondly, the organization must design a calendar where different events of the organization should be mentioned. This will help to communicate effectively and know the activities held in the organization.
At last, for the evaluation of the communication strategies, it is important to ask questions regarding the plans. Are the goals that were set achieved? If no then more hard work is to be done. If yes then the company must plan some techniques for the improvement of performance.
Strategies are not so easy to create; it is something that needs improvement over time. It can’t be designed perfectly but it has chances for improvement and change with the world’s day-to-day changes.
What are the four methods of communication?
The four methods of communication are verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual. Make sure to practice all of these methods to excel in your career. While some of them may be a little outdated, they can help you get your point across while making a positive impression.
If you communicate well with others at work, it will benefit you in many ways. You may even find that those skills help with communicating on a personal level as well!
Let us deeply learn about the methods of communication below.
1. Written Communication
Written communication is a type of non-verbal communication and can be used as an extension of verbal communication to provide more details or specifics.
For example, you might use written communication in a formal letter to explain something more fully than you could during a phone call.
Written communication is most commonly used in business settings, but it’s also common in everyday life, particularly when one person can’t meet face-to-face with another.
While email is generally seen as an effective and convenient form of communication, it can be misinterpreted. This makes written communication a useful tool when you need to communicate important information to others clearly and accurately.
As always, take time to plan out your written communication before actually putting it in writing. Avoid using sarcasm or slang so that your meaning won’t be lost on others.
When appropriate, use bullet points and numbered lists to make your meaning clearer and avoid making multiple-sentence paragraphs so your readers don’t lose track of what you’re saying.
Written Communication Examples
Some examples of written communication are:
- Proposals
- Websites/Blogs
- Letters
- Faxes
- Emails
- Press / News Releases
- Contracts
- Job Descriptions
- Reports
- Memos
2. Verbal Communication
Verbal Communication is one of those intangible factors that are hard to define, but easy to recognize. In a nutshell, Verbal Communication is your ability to communicate clearly and effectively with people in a face-to-face setting.
It’s not just about being able to spout off big words or impressive phrases—it’s about using your voice as an effective tool to convey information and ideas.
Effective verbal communication is key to any relationship, whether personal or professional. The better you are at communicating, in terms of delivering your message clearly and making others feel comfortable and appreciated, generally results in a positive response.
But communication isn’t just about knowing how to deliver a point—it’s also knowing how to receive one effectively.
As much as you should be focused on getting your message across in an effective way, you should also learn to listen when others speak so that they know they have been heard.
A key aspect of verbal communication is listening, which should be done as actively as possible. Pay attention to body language, tone, and pace in addition to what the other person is saying.
Good listeners consider what others are saying carefully and can provide feedback that helps them improve their message or point of view.
In some cases, you may want to ask a few questions before replying or sharing your thoughts on a topic.
Verbal Communication Examples
Some examples of verbal communication are:
- Face to face conversation
- Video/Audio Calls
- Speaking to mass
- Advising
3. Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication strategies involve sending and receiving messages without words through body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice.
For example, you can use touch to show affection or to show dominance in a work setting, or you can use your appearance to convey authority or professionalism. All of these elements play a role in how others perceive you, so it’s important to develop an awareness of non-verbal communication and become aware of how others perceive you as well.
When you’re communicating with others, remember that certain gestures and tones of voice may be lost in translation online. Since you can’t rely on facial expressions and body language to convey your thoughts, make sure you pay close attention to how you communicate.
Non-Verbal Communication Examples
Some non-verbal communication examples are:
- Face Expressions
- Tone of Voice
- Eye Contact
- Physical Appearance
- Physical Touch
- Gestures and Movements
4. Visual Communication
Visual communication is any form of communication that uses an image to deliver a message. Businesses often use it as a means of marketing products or services, because it is one of the best communication strategies for business.
In fact, many businesses have found success with focusing more on visual communication than on traditional forms of advertising like print and television.
Visual content is especially effective on social media channels where images are at an advantage over text-based content such as Facebook posts and Tweets.
The use of visual communication has numerous benefits. The most basic is that it makes your message more memorable. People are likely to remember an image-based ad than a text-based one, which means they’ll remember what you’re selling and are much more likely to follow through with a purchase.
It’s also possible to bypass language barriers if you have images rather than words in your ad or marketing campaign. Visual communication strategies can get around language barriers, making it possible to reach international audiences.
And, if you’re trying to target younger generations with an advertising campaign, images might be better able to resonate with younger demographics than text-based content will be able to do because younger generations prefer visuals over older ones do.
With all of these benefits, it’s easy to see why many businesses are turning toward visual communication as a means of marketing their products and services.
When creating visual content, you have plenty of options. Photos are often a good choice because they can help demonstrate what your product is or how it works, but infographics can also be an effective way to visualize data in a fun and engaging way.
The key to creating visual content is just to make sure that your message is clear and appealing to consumers.
Visual Communication Examples
Some examples of visual communication are:
- Animations
- Images
- Screen Recordings
- Infographics
- Images
- Data Visualization through charts
- Gifs
Barriers to Communication
You can talk to anyone you want, but sometimes the other person can misunderstand your words. Barriers to communication include poor writing and listening skills, the physical distance between people, a lack of eye contact, or the absence of nonverbal cues.
Another reason for miscommunication is people have different points of view. This happens often when a conversation involves more than two people. When everyone in a group has a different idea about what constitutes effective communication, it’s hard to agree on anything!
Be sure to take time at least once a week to connect with people. It doesn’t have to be anything formal, like having a weekly meeting; it can be as simple as grabbing lunch with coworkers or neighbors on occasion.
The more often you communicate, and in different ways, the easier it will be to find consensus and work together towards common goals.
Some communication barriers are below:
- Not taking time to listen.
- Using too many words.
- Assuming that your point of view is normal and others’ point of view is abnormal. This misconception causes most conflict in communication.
- Ignoring nonverbal communication cues (body language). It’s crucial to take notice of them because they can be much more important than what people say in terms of understanding their true meaning.
- Not getting back to someone as soon as you should have.
- Misunderstanding an issue and not acknowledging it when someone brings it up.
- Making assumptions about what people want you to do based on what they say.
- Assuming that your communication style is superior to everyone else’s, so there is no need to adapt to other styles or seek common ground with others.
- Not apologizing when it’s necessary. This shows respect for others and their beliefs by respecting yourself enough to admit when you were wrong or made a mistake.
And this is how to overcome barriers of communication?
- Before expressing your thoughts, be clear in your mind about what you are going to say and what effects it would bring.
- Keep in mind the other person may not be able to understand your idea. So, try to express your idea from their perspective.
- Pay close attention to the other person’s non-verbal signals to see whether they have the interest to listen to you.
- Your ideas or thoughts must also be beneficial for the person who is listening to you.
- Don’t get distracted while communicating.
- When the other person is talking, stay quiet and listen carefully without interpreting them.
Types of Communication Barriers
There are three basic types of communication barriers: physical, personal/language and emotional.
Let us learn about them one by one.
1. Physical Barriers
The physical barriers of communication are the obstacles that keep people from understanding each other. There are three main physical barriers: distance, obstructions, and distractions.
In fact, sometimes the first and most difficult challenge in any form of communication is overcoming these obstacles to make contact with the person or group you’re trying to reach.
Just as distance, obstructions, and distractions can prevent communication strategies from happening successfully, they can also prevent people from having a positive experience when they do communicate.
How many times have you been frustrated by a chatty coworker who won’t stop talking about his or her weekend?
And how about those days when you simply have too much to do and wish that everyone would just leave you alone! The physical barriers of communication are real—and we all deal with them daily.
2. Language Barriers
Language barriers are still a major problem in today’s world. Many people may have difficulty being understood due to language barriers, but there are a few communication strategies that can help you understand one another, even when you don’t speak the same language.
The main way to overcome these communication problems is to simplify your speech as much as possible, always remembering that you may not be understood by the person on the other end of the line.
As a rule of thumb, never assume that someone understands you if you’re using language that may be difficult to comprehend. Also, remember that it’s important to avoid slang or colloquialisms to ensure your message is received clearly.
When speaking with people from other countries, asking them to speak slowly can also make a huge difference.
Be aware of other possible communication barriers, as well. The person you’re speaking with may be in a noisy environment, or they could be hearing impaired.
In these cases, you’ll need to adapt your own communication strategies. For example, consider communicating in writing if face-to-face communication is not an option.
There are also mobile apps that can help you overcome language barriers.
3. Emotional Barriers
Communication can be a challenge with some clients due to emotional barriers, or internalized fears and insecurities.
You may need to identify what is causing the internal conflict so you can then address it. Sometimes a client just needs to know they are not alone.
Communication takes practice and persistence to get better at it, but if you learn how to approach your client with compassion, respect and kindness the conversation will flow easier.
Barriers to Listening
There are a lot of barriers to listening, many of which stem from our own internal struggles. Most people listen and take their cues from body language. If you sit with your arms crossed while they’re talking, it looks as if you’re not interested in what they have to say—and guess what?
They won’t be interested in listening to you either. Unfortunately, most of us don’t realize that we send signals like these until someone points them out.
Some of the listening barriers include:
- Not paying attention. This sounds obvious, but a surprising number of people really aren’t listening to what you have to say. As a person who likes being heard, that can be very frustrating; as a good communicator.
However, it should drive you to refine your message to make it as easy as possible for others to hear. Don’t expect people who are fiddling with their phones or interrupting you in midsentence to care about what you have to say. - Forgetting names and faces. There’s no better way to alienate someone than by forgetting his name right after he tells it to you—and once again, it only takes a few seconds for something like that to happen.
- Interrupting. If there are two things people hate more than being talked over, they’re being interrupted while they’re talking or having their point taken away before they even have a chance to make it.
Needless to say, both of these actions will make anyone shut down instantly; on top of that, if what you have to say is important enough for them not to interrupt you, then it should be important enough for them not to cut you off either. - Failing to provide details. It can be hard to remember everything someone has said, but if you do forget, it’s best to ask him for specifics rather than giving your own take on his story (especially when your take is wrong).
The more specific and detailed your questions are, as well as any answers you give in return, the better chance everyone has of getting something out of your conversation. - Letting personal problems bleed into business conversations. Your personal life and your work life are very different, and it’s important to keep them that way; if you let them overlap, you’ll end up acting unprofessionally at best and alienating your colleagues at worst.
- Failing to ask questions or show interest in what other people have to say.
Barriers to Accurate Perception
Communication involves perception, and sometimes we do not perceive accurately. Perception means taking in information through our five senses, but also our sixth sense.
Biasness, prejudice, mistakes, misperceptions, confusion, selective attention, or lack of attention to one’s surroundings affect the perception.
Our selective attention can hinder us from accurately perceiving another person’s communication. Selective attention is a process in which we use focus to give importance to something over something else.
This can lead to misperceptions and misinterpretations in our communication. The other person might say one thing, but we may hear something else entirely.
It is important to understand that a barrier to accurate perception is not always the other person’s fault. It is up to us as individuals to filter out our biases and prejudices, so we can accurately perceive what another person is saying, especially when it comes to effective communication.
In addition to biases and prejudices, we often see situations or issues that are not really there. This is called seeing a false reality.
For example, if you have low self-esteem, you might believe that others do not like you. If you have poor listening skills, you might think that other people are saying something different than what they actually said.
Sometimes we choose to hear only what we want to hear and disregard all else.
Here are some of the accurate perception barriers below:
- Self-Bias: Self-bias is when we think more highly of ourselves than other people do. This is what may be going on when you hear a boss say that he or she has high standards and everyone else thinks they are too tough.
In other words, their standards are only too high because they think they can do everything better than anyone else.
Other people might view them as being inflexible, but in reality, it might be just self-bias. If your self-esteem is low, you might see yourself as inferior to others or feel that others have higher expectations than they really do.
To overcome self-bias, you need to take another person’s perspective into account rather than formulating your own opinion based solely on personal experiences.
For example, if someone does not like you it may be because of reasons unrelated to you. Or if someone loves and adores you, it does not mean that they know all there is about you. - Others’ Bias: Another type of bias is others’ bias. This happens when you assume that other people feel, think or act in a certain way. A good way to overcome others’ biases is to take some time and get to know them personally; then you will see whether or not they are like what you had assumed.
For example, let us say that someone at work keeps bothering you with personal questions and appears overly friendly toward you in an uncomfortable way.
Perhaps it is because they think that you are interested in a relationship outside of work. You can try to overcome others’ biases by speaking to them about their behavior so that they might realize what they are doing and stop bothering you in such a manner. - Self-Blindness: Another common barrier to accurate perception is self-blindness or self-deception. Self-blindness occurs when we fail to see our own limitations as well as our true strengths and weaknesses.
When your self-confidence, such as low self-esteem, makes you think that you can do anything no matter what anyone else says, then it may lead to believing that your capabilities are greater than they really are.
Another type of self-blindness is pretending that something does not exist because it is easier than admitting that there might be a problem.
For example, if someone has been picking on you at work multiple times, instead of confronting them and complaining about their behavior, maybe you pretend like nothing is wrong and continue avoiding them.
If something like that keeps going on for years with little change, eventually it will create more problems for you in your career path. - Self-Perception: In contrast to self-blindness, self-perception is a good form of accurate perception. Self-perception is when you think that you are better than others in some aspect.
People may have great achievements in life and they could even get awards, but they still might feel like they are not good enough if they do not have more achievements or if others have much more achievement than them. - Others’ Perception: As opposed to self-perception, when you think that you are better than others in some aspect. Sometimes people might think they are more capable than they really are and when their work proves otherwise, they feel as if it is not good enough because it does not reflect how they perceive themselves.
This also could be seen as a type of self-bias where people think more highly of themselves than other people do.
Strategies for Accurate Perception
Accurate perception is essential to proper communication. It involves a fair amount of self-awareness, and to maintain that, you’ll need to know who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Learn more about yourself, both personally and professionally, so that you can effectively communicate with others.
Make sure you understand where your opponent is coming from—their motivations and expectations—before approaching any business-related conflict.
Never send an email when angry or upset; do not speak unless you have something kind to say; if appropriate, acknowledge your opponent’s perspective and explain why yours is different/correct; never cut off communication entirely (even if it feels easier); acknowledge when something doesn’t go as planned, then ask how to fix it rather than pointing fingers.
Some of the Strategies for Accurate Perception are below:
- Understand your strengths and weaknesses.
- Analyze your goal, who is involved, and what you need to do to achieve that goal.
- Anticipate situations where communication will be poor and take steps to help resolve those issues.
- Look at situations from others’ perspectives.
- Find common ground in disagreements with coworkers and customers/clients.
- Take responsibility for any role you played in a situation that caused communication problems.
- Use I statements, rather than blaming others, to get your message across.
- Be open to different styles of communication (for example, non-verbal or humor).
- Look at situations from your listener’s perspective; do not assume they will know what you mean based on your past interactions or relationships with them.
- Watch non-verbal signals as a way to gauge how people are feeling (examples include body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice).
- Keep an open mind when others disagree with you (do not immediately dismiss their thoughts/opinions).
- Accept criticism without taking it personally.
- Be concise in your communication; avoid rambling or beating around the bush.
- Avoid using terms that are offensive to others (for example, do not use words such as lame).
- Do not tell anyone how they should think, feel, etc.
- Listen more than you speak so that you can better understand others’ perspectives and how they feel about issues and topics of conversation.
Types of Communication Strategies
Following are different types of communication strategies. In a corporate world, these strategies will help you to communicate with your clients and colleagues.
Being aware of different ways we can influence others using language is important in your professional career. Here are the most common types of communication strategies.
1. Visual Communication Strategy
The power of visual communication to connect and inspire people is undeniable. Humans are wired to process images in a matter of milliseconds—comparatively, it takes us seven times longer to process written language.
So if you want your message to be remembered, use visuals. The human brain processes image 60,000 times faster than text. Consider using slides, videos, or infographics as part of your communication strategy when presenting key points or data.
Effective visual communication also encourages participation and opens opportunities for dialogue between audiences and speakers.
Visuals have become an integral part of strong communication strategies, with text slides moving over to more creative visual communications.
According to Brightcove, visual storytelling engages and holds attention much better than text. As such, visuals deliver a message through pictures and illustrations to clearly explain concepts or present information powerfully.
Some of the Visual Communication Strategies are below:
- Using graphics in PowerPoint presentations and other presentation software is a visual communication strategy.
- Visual storytelling on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
- Infographics—for marketing, sharing, and collaborating ideas, visually representing data and information.
- Captivating logos—visuals embedded within your logo tell a story about your brand. A good logo should not only be memorable but also present company values.
- Slideshows of customer projects, products, or services are easy ways to share with clients what you do to set yourself apart from competitors in your field.
- Whiteboard Videos—these create a visual association between your brand and content marketing strategy that targets customers at all stages of their buying process.
- Videos on Facebook Live—live videos are great because they engage audiences emotionally and allow them to actively participate in real-time.
- Promotional emails with embedded media like images, graphics, infographics, or animations will always get more attention than an email without these visuals embedded into it.
- Creativity-based video advertising campaigns are not just fun to watch but very successful and effective in getting customers to notice your brand or company.
- Content marketing—visual communication within your articles. It’s best to add plenty of photographs that illustrate ideas and techniques being discussed in content marketing campaigns—all of which should be relevant to your business niche and target market/customers interested in seeing relevant new content about a specific subject matter.
Also consider including before-and-after photos (of projects), charts, graphs, and other visual elements that enhance the customer experience when reading about new products/services on blogs, websites, or social media platforms.
2. Verbal Communication Strategy
Verbal communication is one of those life skills that doesn’t go away, regardless of whether you have just gotten into college or have been working in a job for years. It’s one of the basic communication strategies.
Whether you are speaking with your team members or meeting with clients, effective verbal communication can make all the difference between a good day and a great day.
Here are some simple tips to remember when speaking with others. The key to effective communication really boils down to three things: listening, reflecting, and applying.
Listening means being truly present while someone else speaks; reflect on what they say without immediately reacting; apply what they say by considering how it applies in your situation.
Some of the Verbal Communication Strategies are:
- Never forget to introduce yourself and always follow it up with a smile. Most people have had an experience of walking into a room full of people they don’t know, only to leave with no memory of meeting anyone.
A great introduction solves that issue and allows you to build rapport right away. - Be mindful of your body language. Studies have shown that 93% of our communication is non-verbal, which means what you do (and don’t do) can speak volumes more than what you say. Keep your shoulders back and never cross your arms across your chest; studies show these are signs of defensiveness.
Keep things positive by keeping a neutral facial expression; it will make you appear friendly instead of upset or condescending. - Actively listen – there’s one major difference between good communicators and bad ones: good communicators listen when others are speaking while bad communicators think about their next statement while someone else is talking to them!
When another person is talking to you, simply repeat back what they just said so that you understand where they are coming from.
This helps keep both parties on topic and prevents miscommunication later on. - Make it personal. Studies have shown that we like people who share things in common with us; whether it’s politics, sports teams, or hobbies, sharing something establishes trust much faster than saying I agree with everything you just said over coffee every day after work.
- Practice makes perfect. To be a great communicator you need to practice both speaking and listening regularly, so try attending a meeting of Toastmasters International if your office doesn’t already have one.
The goal is to learn new skills so make sure to go with an open mind!
3. Non-Verbal Communication Strategy
We may not always be conscious of it, but our non-verbal communication is constantly sending out messages to others in a variety of different ways.
If you’re interested in improving your ability to connect with others and enhance your brand, consider implementing some non-verbal communication strategies.
A large part of our communication is done through body language, so try and be mindful about how you position yourself when speaking to others or giving presentations. It could mean all the difference between a positive impression and one that leaves people feeling less than impressed.
Following are some tips on ways to refine your own non-verbal communication:
- Try moving into an open posture (ie; spreading out your arms) as opposed to folded (ie; crossing of arms). Studies have shown that people who use open postures are perceived as more confident, authoritative, approachable, and likable.
- Be aware of facial expressions—and make sure they reflect what you want them to convey. In other words, don’t frown if you don’t want people thinking you’re unhappy! Practice maintaining steady eye contact when engaging in conversation. Most experts say that anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds is ideal—but avoid holding eye contact too long as it can seem overbearing and intimidating.
Some of the Non-Verbal Communication Strategies are below:
- Maintain a firm handshake, but don’t apply too much pressure.
- Say Thank You as much as possible, both verbally and in written form. People appreciate it and it keeps your company top of mind.
- Use humor to diffuse difficult situations and create goodwill with others. Laughing together strengthens connections!
- Treat everyone you meet with equal respect, regardless of their rank or title; focus on adding value to their day, instead of asking them to provide value to yours. When other people see you putting in effort on their behalf, they are more inclined to give you positive consideration in return. Everyone loves a giver!
- Avoid jumping quickly into work mode and forgetting about your host and/or others at your event.
- Do ask questions that solicit open-ended responses from others (if you really want to know what’s going on). Most effective: How…?, What…?, and Why…?
- Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know, it shows humility and builds trust with others.
- Don’t apologize needlessly—most apologies can be avoided by double-checking before acting (ie; did I screw up?) The rest can usually be handled by simply fixing the situation—instead of just saying sorry!
- Do tell people what you think and feel respected.
- Be a good listener, actively show your interest, and don’t interrupt others while they are speaking.
- Make every effort to avoid unnecessarily wasting people’s time—be on time and provide accurate information to others when communicating with them. Doing so conveys that you respect their time, which makes you more trustworthy to them.
Most Common Communication Mistakes
Unfortunately, most people make more mistakes than they can count in their communication habits. To give you a head start, however, here are some of the most common—and dangerous—communication errors made by employees. These mistakes can prevent effective communication strategies to execute properly.
Some of the most common Communication Mistakes are:
- Working Harder, Not Smarter: When you’re upset with a colleague or a project isn’t moving along as fast as you want it to, there’s a good chance that you choose to work longer hours and push harder—and sometimes that can be effective.
However, if your goal is to maintain an excellent reputation and communicate effectively, doing more of what isn’t working doesn’t make sense. You need to learn how to get better results by adjusting how you speak and how you listen. - Assuming Everything You Say Is Taken at Face Value: Unfortunately, words are often taken out of context when they’re spoken in a non-private space like an office; overhearing certain conversations (or even whispering just loud enough for others around you to hear), it’s easy for listeners to misconstrue what was actually said.
That’s why business communication requires some key tools: listening skills and face-to-face honesty about your intentions and expectations—both before you speak up and after. - Believing That Everyone is on Your Side: In reality, people have their own lives to manage and colleagues have their own interests at heart—that means that people aren’t always going to be as invested in your professional goals as you are.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that they want to see you fail; however, it does mean that sometimes what seems like an objective fact might not really feel true. - Trusting Strangers or Coworkers Too Much: Most of us hate being lied to—and if we don’t know a person well enough to understand how likely they are to break a promise or mislead someone else, then it makes sense to proceed with caution.
But even people who you think you can trust can betray your faith; that’s why one of the business communication essentials is building and maintaining healthy relationships with colleagues and other associates. - Assuming That Everyone Thinks Like You Do: It might seem logical to assume that everyone likes working in teams as much as you do, but that isn’t always true.
Unfortunately, people are different; that means your communication skills need to be flexible enough to speak up and discuss problems without offending someone else or shutting them down completely.
Some of These Mistakes are more harmful than others—some even have legal consequences—but all of them will hurt your business relationships if you don’t watch out for them.
The following tips can help you avoid your communication mistakes.
- Don’t let your personal feelings get in the way of being professional.
- Before sending an email, making a call, or speaking with your boss/colleagues – stop and think about what you really want to say and how it will be received.
- When working as part of a team, be sure to maintain good relationships with others on your team.
- Always respect those around you.
- Use business-appropriate language, regardless of your relationship with others.
- Think about why you’re communicating what you are and how it will be received before sending a message or making a call or attending a meeting.
- It might not be a bad idea to ask someone else to proofread your message before sending it!
- If you don’t understand something, don’t hesitate. Ask about it.
- Make sure that you and others on your team are aware of each other’s expectations;
- Always let someone know if you have an issue or problem with something or if there is anything that needs fixing or adjusting;
Effective Communication Strategies In the Workplace
As communication is so important in today’s workplace and a lot of people do not know how to communicate properly.
Therefore, it is essential to learn effective communication strategies that can help you succeed in your career. Below are some effective communication strategies you should use to enhance your communications and thrive in your career.
- Use language that is not offensive or argumentative.
- Be respectful to others in your workplace.
- Don’t leave a conversation with an unresolved disagreement.
- Learn from your mistakes and try to fix them next time.
- Realize communication styles are different among cultures.
- Don’t interrupt or dismiss someone else’s viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- Avoid using sarcasm in your communication, as people might not understand your true meaning.
- Don’t assume that others see things as you do.
- Don’t use a time-consuming medium when a brief one will suffice.
- Have objectives in mind before you start your communication.
- Give clear directions and share information with others so that they can better assist you.
- Be an active listener in a conversation, even if you don’t agree with someone.
- Be as honest as possible, but be tactful and do not overshare private or confidential information unnecessarily.
- Show respect to people and their time by being on time when scheduled to meet someone.
- Maintain good eye contact while speaking, as well as when listening to others.
- Don’t interrupt when another person is speaking.
- Use body language that indicates that you are engaged with what is being said.
- Don’t take on too much at once and become overwhelmed by your tasks.
- Learn how to say no so you don’t overcommit or become resentful.
- Learn how to resolve conflict constructively.
- Learn how to negotiate.
Communication Pitfalls
We all are guilty of certain pitfalls when communicating. Some of these include: Assumptions, Inaccurate, Lacking Detail, Not Engaging and Defensive, or Closed Minded Communication.
To have better communication you will need to learn how to avoid these pitfalls. There is no magic bullet that solves these issues but there are methods such as active listening and writing down what needs to be communicated, who is involved, and most importantly what needs to happen next.
One thing is for sure though; effective communications build relationships, partnerships, and cooperation that lead a team towards success. Poor communication in business can lead to loss of money or customers, strained or broken relationships at work, lawsuits, and even a destroyed reputation.
Communication is one of the most important skills anyone can have especially in business. When speaking with other people you will be able to show them who you are by learning how to ask great questions and not make assumptions as well as being more flexible by listening to what other people are saying so you don’t get defensive about something you haven’t heard yet.
Some of the communication pitfalls are:
- Assumptions: When you assume something that you are communicating, you may end up putting yourself in a bad situation.
- Inaccurate: To have better communication with others it is important to write down everything that has been discussed so you will not make any mistakes in your communication.
- Lacking Detail: A lack of detail can create a problem when trying to understand someone or what they are saying.
- Not Engaging: If you want to be more productive at work you must engage with your co-workers and clients by listening and being engaged with them so that you will not miss something important in communication.
- Defensive or Closed Minded: You will find out if you are defensive or closed-minded because if you are, others will be able to tell right away by how you respond when speaking with them.
Communication Pitfalls Solutions
- Make sure that what you communicate to someone is what they want to hear and not an assumption about it.
- When communicating make sure that it is in detail so everyone involved can understand what needs to happen next for a project or idea to work properly.
- Make sure you have engaged with someone before you try and communicate something important with them.
- Be open-minded when listening to others and allow them to speak freely without interrupting, which will show them that you are interested in what they have to say as well as show your respect towards them.
- If you find yourself getting defensive or closed-minded about something then it is time to stop and think about why that might be happening before trying to communicate again.
Now with all of these communication pitfalls in mind, it is important for any leader or business owner to understand how important good communication can be at work, with clients, or even outside of work.
Conclusion
Communicating effectively is vital to your success as a professional. In a competitive world, you need to stand out and be heard.
By avoiding common communication mistakes, you can deliver better results while making more money and winning more clients. Follow the strategies discussed in this article above and you’ll see improvement immediately.
Communication isn’t just a tool to win over new customers or new clients; it’s also essential in building and maintaining your current relationships, whether personal or professional. When you communicate well, your co-workers, boss, family members, and friends respect you more.
In fact, if you improve how you communicate with these important people in your life, you can drastically reduce conflict while increasing happiness overall. I hope this article post on communication strategies will help you in the longer run.
FAQs
1) How can I improve my communication skills?
Communication is such a valuable skill that everyone should learn. Here are some tips to improve your communication:
- Listen: This may sound simple, but people don’t often hear what others have to say or wait until they feel like talking.
- Take time: before you respond to give people a chance to finish and make sure you understand their ideas and opinions.
- Don’t be defensive or aggressive: Rather be open-minded and listen carefully and quietly when someone is talking to you.
2) What’s an example of poor communication?
A prime example of poor communication is how many people communicate via email. Email can be impersonal and often lack any emotion or context. If something isn’t understood, it can be difficult to have a productive conversation about it over email.
When you write in emails, make sure to use simple language so that your meaning is clear and try to add in as much detail as possible so that your message is easily understood when read out of context.
3) Is it better to communicate face-to-face or via technology?
Face-to-face communication is generally more effective than communicating over technology. It’s easier to pick up on visual cues, tone of voice, and body language when you are communicating in person rather than over a screen.
However, technology allows you to reach more people at once and can be an easy way to have conversations when face-to-face communication isn’t possible.
4) What’s a way to make communication more effective?
It’s important to be considerate of others’ time. If you need to communicate with someone, consider whether it can wait until a better time than when they are working or if it’s worth interrupting them. You should also use clear and concise language, making sure your message is understood.
Make an effort to ask questions so that you understand what another person has said, and don’t assume anything – instead, clarify any points that aren’t clear. Of course, be careful not to talk too much! No one likes a big chatterbox who talks over people and doesn’t let them get a word in edgewise!
5) What do body language cues say about communication?
Body language is an important part of effective communication. If you want to be understood and get your point across, pay attention to non-verbal cues when you’re communicating with others. Make sure that your facial expressions are in alignment with what you’re saying, and stand or sit up straight so that you look confident. Even little things like eye contact can make a big difference in your ability to be understood.
6) Can technology cause problems in communication?
Communication over social media, text messaging, and emails can sometimes be misinterpreted. Technology is quick and convenient, but it isn’t a very personal way to communicate. If you use it to communicate with others, make sure that your tone of voice is clear so that your meaning doesn’t get lost. It’s also important to pay attention to body language and other non-verbal cues if you’re communicating via technology.
7) What’s a good way to communicate with others when you can’t be face-to-face?
Technology makes it easy to keep in touch with others, but don’t rely on it as your main method of communication. Phone calls and video chats are good ways to make sure that what you want to say is understood. Consider using a phone call or video chat even if you just need someone to vent about something.
Hello everyone! This is Richard Daniels, a full-time passionate researcher & blogger. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics. He loves to write about economics, e-commerce, and business-related topics for students to assist them in their studies. That's the sole purpose of Business Study Notes.
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