For most people, life is challenging. The pressures of just getting through the day are often enormous. And it’s not only in the mind. For many people, troubles and suffering are real - and unavoidable. While people might smile, almost everyone is fighting a private battle. 

Because of this, companies need to be extremely careful in how they communicate. A single bad word can disrupt someone so much that they can no longer contribute to the firm. And that can be devastating for internal morale. 

By contrast, a single good word can make all the difference. When a person feels cherished, loved, and supported, it changes the dynamic completely. A worker who once retreated into their shell can become a star employee. Instead of being a drain, their work becomes their strength. 

According to Australian communication skills trainer Lindsay Tighe, improving communications within companies is relatively straightforward. It’s often little, yet overlooked, changes that can make all the difference. 

Being Sympathetic

One of the most important skills to develop, for instance, is being sympathetic. Everyone experiences negative experiences in life. Therefore, teams need to accommodate team members who are enduring difficult circumstances, no matter how minor they might seem from the outside. Simply recognizing that a member of staff is facing problems is often enough to lighten their load and encourage them to continue contributing to the team. 

Learning How Your Team Communicates

Learning how your team communicates can also make a tremendous difference. Teams often have varying communication styles, and some aren’t helpful. In many cases, a negative culture can develop which slowly deteriorates over time. 

Understanding where things are going wrong is often the first part of the solution. People need to feel comfortable around each other, respected, and part of the group.

Once you have knowledge of how your team communicates, you can begin to make changes. For instance, some people are highly analytical and don’t take personal factors into consideration. Others are functional, or process-driven, and obsessed with detail, not zooming out to see the bigger picture. Some are intuitive, high-level thinkers who might skip the details. 

Open Door Policies

Given workplace communication challenges, operating an open-door policy can be exceedingly helpful. When team members feel like they can communicate with senior people at any time, it gives them reassurance and provides valuable pastoral support. Executives don’t have to be counselors, but they should be approachable. 

When operating an open-door policy, make sure that team members can visit you one-on-one. Maintain a strict privacy policy. Don’t disclose the contents of conversations to anyone else. 

Sharing Feedback

Companies also need to develop a culture of sharing feedback, both top-down, and bottom-up. Surveying employees at regular intervals helps them to let off steam and provide you with actionable recommendations. The more anonymous feedback you can collect, the better. Employees are much more likely to come forward with problems if they are free from worries about how their feedback might affect their careers in the future. This way, companies can continue to learn and grow.