In a growing business, every human interaction matters. Yes, you need to know how to look after your clients, but how you speak to your team members matters just as much. In the dynamic world of small or medium enterprises, clear and strategic communication can keep your staff satisfied, motivated and engaged1, and increase customer satisfaction2, too.
Strategic communication specialist and integrator Christine Breet has 30+ years of experience helping leaders communicate effectively and build positive relationships within their organisations. Using some of her insights, here are five ways to communicate better at work.
Business communication, also known as workplace communication, is the exchange of information within an organisation in order to achieve business goals. Ideas and information are exchanged efficiently and effectively, enhancing collaboration, trust and productivity.
While research tells us that email is the most preferred form of communication in businesses, says Christine, it’s the least liked form of communication. “People think if they send an email, that they have communicated. But this is not the case. That dialogue, that feedback from the listener in the moment is so important.”
It’s also true that people develop understanding in different ways, for example, by hearing it said aloud, seeing someone’s body language, or by interacting in a social setting. If leaders assume their way of taking in information via the written word is the only – or best – way to get a message across, they will not succeed.
“Communication is only communication if it’s two-way – if you get a reply and you can check whether there is understanding,” explains Christine. Blue ticks don’t count. “So, in person, face to face, will always be first prize.” Especially if it’s a serious conversation.
In many businesses, people who are skilled specialists end up being promoted to management once they have enough experience. However, to manage other people well, they need to learn new soft skills separate from their subject knowledge.
These abilities include how to communicate effectively in verbal and written form; how to build positive relationships, inspire and motivate others; how to maintain high performance in teams; how to resolve conflict; and how to evaluate employee performance and provide feedback. Give your managers the best chance at success by ensuring they have sufficient training.
If leaders can’t express themselves well or listen actively, staff won’t be able to relate to them. If they don’t relate to them, they won’t have a relationship, and because there is no relationship, there is no trust.
“Not trusting a person or not trusting a message is the downfall of any communication activity,” says Christine. So how do you build trust? “You need to show that if you say you are going to do something, that you do it. And be a vulnerable leader. That means being comfortable enough to be open with your team.” This could look like admitting when things don’t go according to plan, addressing problems transparently, or inviting ideas on solving problems to move forward.
Every business will have its problems, but are there any proactive steps that owners can take to prevent conflict? “Emotions are going to bubble up one way or the other; we’re not robots,” says Christine. So conflict is unavoidable, but there are ways of handling it. You need empathy and diplomacy, and you need to know what team members might be feeling emotional about. How do you know? It’s as simple as asking them.
“A good culture is where staff feel comfortable and safe to be able to do their work. So if people are not feeling safe or comfortable, that should be a red light,” says Christine. If you don’t have an HR person to help you do organisational listening, you can be proactive by sending out regular pulse surveys or anonymous polls on WhatsApp, with two or three questions.
A large part of being a good communicator in your business is having your ear to the ground. “A lot of the time, leaders are not in touch with the feelings of employees,” reveals Christine. “People don’t tend to be honest with the CEO, and staff may not tell you exactly what’s wrong in an official meeting. But if you sit and drink coffee with them, or you stand outside and you smoke, those real water-cooler conversations, that’s where you can get your finger on the pulse, and find out what’s happening.”
Another tip is to determine who the informal leader is in the group and make sure you have a good relationship with them. Without revealing identities, they can share what employees in the business might be curious or unhappy about, and then you can address those issues proactively.
As Christine’s insights show, a workplace where open, honest and meaningful interactions can happen is much more than a nice to have – especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. By cultivating a culture where employees feel valued and respected, business owners can solve their challenges more collaboratively and effectively, resolve conflicts, boost morale and motivation, and ultimately improve their bottom line. And it all starts and ends with communication.
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1 Internal Communication in a Diverse and Developing World Context: Challenges for Corporate South Africa, Lucinda Bella-May Sutton (2022), accessed in September 2024
2 Mastering effective communication in small business is the key to success, Denise Maré (2024), accessed in September 2024
