Effective communication is an essential aspect of any business, whether it's internal or external. The way businesses communicate with their employees, customers, and partners can significantly impact their success.
I will touch on the subject of the importance of business communications and provide some best practices for conducting effective internal and external communication.
Importance of Business Communication
Business communication is crucial because it helps businesses achieve their goals by connecting people, ideas, and resources. Communication is the foundation of any successful business, and it enables businesses to collaborate, share information, and make informed decisions. Effective communication also helps companies to build strong relationships with customers, partners, and stakeholders, which is essential for long-term success.
Internal Communication Best Practices
Internal communication refers to the exchange of information and ideas among employees within a business. Effective internal communication can help improve employee engagement, productivity, and morale.
Here are some best practices for conducting effective internal communication:
1. Use a variety of communication channels: Different employees prefer different communication channels, so it's essential to use a variety of channels to reach all employees. Channels such as email, instant messaging, video conferencing, and company intranet can help reach employees across different locations and time zones.
2. Be transparent: Transparency is critical for building trust among employees. Be honest about business updates and changes and provide employees with clear instructions and expectations.
3. Encourage feedback: Encourage employees to share feedback and ideas. This can help identify problems early and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
This is essential, employees must feel that it is ok to criticize and give both negative and positive feedback. Who is closest to the market and the clients, most of the time it’s the employees. That is one of the reasons why it’s important to listen to what they have to say.
External Communication Best Practices
External communication refers to the exchange of information and ideas between a business and its customers, partners, and stakeholders. Effective external communication can help businesses build trust, credibility, and strong relationships.
Here are some best practices for conducting effective external communication:
1. Know your audience: Different audiences require different types of communication. Tailor your communication style to your audience to ensure that your message resonates with them.
2. Be clear and concise: Avoid using jargon and technical terms that your audience may not understand. Keep your message clear and concise and avoid rambling.
3. Use storytelling: Storytelling is an effective way to communicate complex ideas in a simple and engaging way. Use real-life examples and anecdotes to illustrate your message and make it more memorable.
Effective business communication is essential for achieving business success. By using a variety of communication channels, being transparent, encouraging feedback, tailoring your communication style to your audience, keeping your message clear and concise, and using storytelling, you can improve your internal and external communication and build strong relationships with employees, customers, and partners.
If you are a board member, take the next opportunity to ask your fellow board members to write down on a piece of paper the vision and mission of the company. This without speaking to each other!
When it is done and the notes have been handed over to you, read them out loud.
If the board of directors don’t have a clear view of this, how could the employees be able to? If the employees don’t know where the company is heading and why, it becomes difficult for them to understand why they are told to do what they are doing. With that comes a lack of engagement at the workplace. Ultimately it gives a negative result on the bottom line.
