40 •
The Lion King
• January - March 2016
3 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
IN AN
ORGANIZATION
BY SOLANKE OLADIMEJI
E
ffective communication in orga-
nization increases productiv-
ity, decreases employee turnover
and improves office atmosphere.
Here are three steps to build an effec-
tive communication in an organiza-
tion.
LISTENING
In the business world, listening goes
much farther than speaking and is
undoubtedly the most important
component of effective communica-
tion in an organization. When inter-
acting with others, listening will help
you avoid confusion, understand tasks
more clearly and generate an overall
positive connection with the person to
whom you are speaking.
Additionally, if you don’t listen to
people, they would not listen to you.
Listening extends far beyond hearing
and understanding words.
It involves offering positive body lan-
guage to speakers so they know you
are listening. These signals include
making eye contact, nodding in
understanding or agreement, stand-
ing or sitting in a welcoming and
approachable way, and not interrupt-
ing. These elements fall into the listen-
ing category as they serve to assure
the speaker that you understand and
are interested.
SPEAKING
Words are powerful. Speaking is an art
form not to be taken lightly, regard-
less of how flippantly many of your
co-workers might use their words. That
is why it is important to allow others
to speak first. Gather every opinion in
the room, think about what you hear,
write notes if you want to, and answer
accordingly.
If at the end of your deliberation you
have something to say or if you dis-
agree with something that was decid-
ed upon, it is time to speak up. Take a
deep breath and begin by affirming
what others have said in the meeting,
using your notes if you need to. Point
out what you like about certain ideas
and then, if necessary, what you do
not like. After spending time on what
has been discussed, you should state
your opinion plainly, clearly and tact-
fully. Give reasons, evidence and sta-
tistics for the things you say.
Wrap up your comments with a recap
of the meeting and your opinions. It
is impossible to predict how a con-
versation will unfold, but if you loosely
follow these guidelines, acknowledge
others’ thoughts, agreed and points
of disagreement, your opinions and a
conclusion; your comments in meet-
ings will go farther than you ever
imagined.
PREPARATION
Preparation in every situation paves
the way for effective communica-
tion. Before every phone call, busi-
ness meeting, conference, interview
or predetermined conversation, brief
yourself on the components of the
meeting before even thinking about
moving forward.
Write down things you want to dis-
cuss, questions you want to ask and
points you want to make. This tactic
translates into productivity, profession-
alism and respect from others. If you
practice this method every day in all
situations, you will find yourself facili-
tating meetings more often than not,
so if you are a regular employee who
is always prepared and knowledge-
able, advancement is not far on the
horizon.
PRODUCTIVITY
| 3 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
