Communication is something people study in college, trying to understand the complexities of how we talk to one another. And with so many communication methods available, it can be difficult to know where to begin with communication at work.
Optimizing your business is a process of creating effective communication. There’s not a part of your business that won’t run smoother with good communication.
This article will walk you through several communication styles so you can find the communication method that works best for you.
1. Written Communication
In our contemporary workplace, written communication is becoming more important than ever. In most offices, people want reports of meetings typed up and conveyed quickly.
Information should always be clear. Many people think that because written communication doesn’t have the tones and inflections of verbal communication, they need to embellish their language.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Choose your words well and employ good sentence structure and you’ll be able to say what you need concisely.
Given the amount of precision that can go into written communication, it’s possible for written communication to be read faster than verbal communication. Practice packing as much info in as small a space as possible.
2. Verbal Communication
Verbal communication — or talking — is the most common type of communication in the first place. Whether it’s two laborers side by side exchanging a quick “look out” to make sure they don’t get hurt, or two business executives having a long phone call about complex business procedures, proper verbal communication is important.
Verbal communication inherently can’t be as precise as written communication. You have no time to prepare, so things aren’t going to go quite as efficiently and smoothly.
The key to verbal communication is overhearing yourself. Keep track of how long you’ve been speaking. Phrases you might have repeated, your diction/enunciation, your tone of voice, etc.
You might want to consider making use of a walkie-talkie — even if you’re not in a particularly physical workplace. They enable faster distant communication than any other type of technology because one doesn’t need to accept a message in order to get it.
Check out this article on two-way radios for more information.
3. Non-Verbal Communication
At the end of the day, non-verbal communication is an accessory added to verbal communication. You’ll never just be communicating nonverbally (unless you’re waving hello), you’ll be augmenting your verbal communication with physicality.
If anything, you should learn to convey all your thoughts through vocal quality — language, pitch, inflection, speed — so you can better communicate through a two-way radio.
Communication Method
As you can see, there are several different styles of communication for different businesses. We recommend going with the verbal communication method due to its quickness and forcefulness. We also recommend buying yourself a two-way radio so you can communicate over a distance.
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