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13 Internal communication ideas to boost engagement of your deskless workforce

Discover 13 actionable internal communication ideas to effectively engage your deskless workforce and foster a more connected and productive team, helping you boost employee morale and improve overall business performance.

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This blog post was updated on August 27, 2024 .

Effective internal communication is crucial for any organization, but it becomes even more vital when dealing with deskless employees. These are the employees who work outside the traditional office setting, such as frontline workers, field service technicians, retail staff, and healthcare professionals. Despite their crucial roles, deskless employees often face significant challenges when it comes to receiving timely and relevant information from their employers.

One of the primary obstacles in communicating with deskless employees is their physical separation from the central office and their lack of access to traditional communication channels like email or intranet. Additionally, their work environments can be dynamic and fast-paced, making it difficult to stay informed and engaged with company updates and initiatives.

This article aims to provide practical and creative internal communication ideas specifically tailored for deskless employees. By implementing these strategies, organizations can bridge the communication gap, improve employee engagement, foster a stronger company culture, and ultimately drive better business outcomes.

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Understanding deskless employees

Deskless employees are a vital part of the workforce, often overlooked when it comes to internal communication strategies. These employees do not have a dedicated desk or workstation and are typically mobile or on-site workers, such as field service technicians, retail associates, healthcare professionals, delivery personnel, and manufacturing line workers.

One of the primary challenges in communicating with deskless employees is their lack of consistent access to traditional communication channels like email or intranet portals. They are constantly on the move, working in different locations, and may not have regular access to computers or corporate networks. This makes it difficult to keep them informed, engaged, and aligned with company updates, policies, and initiatives.

Additionally, deskless employees often face unique communication needs based on their job roles and work environments. For example, frontline retail associates may require real-time updates on promotions, inventory levels, and customer service protocols, while field service technicians might need access to technical manuals, safety guidelines, and job scheduling information.

Effective communication with deskless employees is crucial for several reasons:

1. Employee engagement: Keeping deskless employees informed and involved in company matters can foster a sense of belonging and boost morale, leading to higher engagement and productivity.

2. Operational efficiency: Clear and timely communication ensures that deskless employees have the information they need to perform their jobs effectively, reducing errors, improving customer service, and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

3. Compliance and safety: Communicating important policies, procedures, and safety protocols is essential for maintaining compliance and ensuring the well-being of deskless employees, especially in industries with strict regulations or hazardous working conditions.

4. Company culture: Effective communication helps reinforce company values, culture, and branding, creating a sense of unity and shared purpose among all employees, regardless of their location or job role.

To address these unique challenges and needs, organizations must adopt tailored communication strategies specifically designed for deskless employees. These strategies should leverage mobile-friendly technologies, visual communication methods, and interactive platforms to ensure that important information reaches deskless employees in a timely and engaging manner.

13 Internal communication ideas for deskless teams

1. mobile-friendly communication tools.

With the increasing prevalence of smartphones, leveraging mobile-friendly communication tools ensures that deskless employees can access important updates and information anytime, anywhere.

Examples of mobile communication tools that can be beneficial for deskless employees include:

1. Employee apps: Customized employee apps can be developed to cater to the specific needs of deskless employees, offering features like shift scheduling, task management, training modules, and communication channels.

2. Messaging apps: Apps like WhatsApp, Slack, or Microsoft Teams can facilitate instant communication, group chats, and file sharing, making it easier for deskless employees to stay connected and collaborate.

3. Push notifications: Mobile push notifications can be used to send important updates, reminders, or alerts directly to employees' devices, ensuring that critical information is received promptly.

4. Mobile-optimized intranets: A mobile-friendly intranet or employee portal can provide deskless employees with easy access to company news, policies, schedules, and other important resources from their mobile devices.

2. Video messages and updates

Utilizing video messages can capture the attention of deskless employees more effectively, delivering messages in a more engaging and relatable manner.

When it comes to creating effective video content for deskless employees, there are several tips to keep in mind:

📹 Keep it concise: Deskless employees often have limited time and attention spans, so it's crucial to keep videos short and focused. Aim for videos that are no longer than 2-3 minutes, and ensure that the key messages are conveyed clearly and concisely.

📹 Prioritize quality: While professional-grade equipment is not always necessary, it's important to ensure that videos are of high quality in terms of lighting, audio, and visual appeal. Poor production quality can detract from the message and undermine the credibility of the content.

📹 Incorporate visuals and graphics: Enhance the video's visual appeal and clarity by incorporating relevant graphics, animations, or on-screen text. This can help reinforce key points and make the content more engaging and memorable.

📹 Encourage interaction: Whenever possible, encourage deskless employees to interact with the video content. This could involve prompting them to leave comments, share their thoughts, or participate in discussions related to the video's topic.

📹 Optimize for mobile: Since deskless employees often rely on mobile devices, it's crucial to ensure that videos are optimized for mobile viewing. This includes using responsive design, vertical video formats, and considering data usage limitations.

📹 Leverage storytelling: Effective videos often incorporate elements of storytelling, using narratives, real-life examples, or employee testimonials to make the content more relatable and engaging.

📹 Promote and repurpose: Once a video is created, promote it through various channels to maximize its reach and impact. Additionally, consider repurposing the content into other formats, such as written summaries, social media posts, or podcasts, to cater to different preferences and consumption habits.

3. Interactive employee newsletters

Creating interactive employee newsletters is an effective way to engage deskless workers and ensure important information reaches them. Traditional, static newsletters can often feel impersonal and one-way, leading to low engagement and retention of information. By incorporating interactive elements, you can transform your newsletters into dynamic, two-way communication channels that encourage participation and foster a sense of community.

Here are two easy ways to get you started:

✔️ Include interactive quizzes, polls or surveys. These elements not only help gauge employee sentiment and gather valuable feedback but also encourage active participation and make the content more memorable.

✔️ Incorporate multimedia elements. Think video, animations, infographics, clickable links or QR codes that direct employees to additional resources.

4. Employee recognition programs

Deskless employees are often the unsung heroes of an organization, working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure smooth operations and excellent customer service. However, due to their remote or mobile nature, they can easily feel disconnected from the company culture and overlooked for their contributions.

Implementing an effective employee recognition program is crucial for boosting morale, fostering a sense of belonging, and retaining top talent among this segment of the workforce.

Here are some quick ways to recognize your deskless employees:

• Peer-to-peer recognition initiatives
• Points-based recognition system
• Celebrating milestones and achievements together
• Personal gestures

5. Digital signage and noticeboards

Digital signage and noticeboards areuseful for sharing real-time updates and important information with deskless employees. These visual displays can be strategically placed in high-traffic areas, break rooms, or workspaces where deskless employees congregate, ensuring that critical messages are visible and accessible.

Using digital signage allows for instant updates and the ability to share dynamic content, such as news, announcements, safety reminders, or recognition of employee achievements. This real-time communication ensures that deskless employees are kept informed and engaged, even if they don't have regular access to email or other digital channels.

6. Virtual town halls and Q&A sessions

Virtual town halls and Q&A sessions are powerful tools for fostering engagement and open communication with deskless employees. These digital events offer a convenient and accessible platform for employees to connect with leadership, ask questions, and receive real-time updates and information.

Tips to organize effective Q&A sessions

❓ Promote the event: Utilize various communication channels to promote the virtual town hall and Q&A session well in advance, ensuring maximum participation.

❓ Gather questions beforehand: Encourage employees to submit questions beforehand, allowing you to prepare comprehensive answers and streamline the Q&A process.

❓ Moderate questions: Assign a moderator to review and prioritize questions, ensuring the most relevant and pressing concerns are addressed.

❓ Provide clear instructions: Clearly communicate the process for asking questions during the live event, whether through a chat function, raising hands virtually, or other methods.

❓ Follow up: After the event, share a recording or transcript of the Q&A session, and follow up on any unanswered questions or action items.

7. Use gamification in your internal communications

Gamification is the application of game-like elements, such as points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards, to non-game contexts. When applied to internal communications, gamification can be a powerful tool to boost engagement, motivation, and participation among deskless employees.

By tapping into the natural human desire for competition, achievement, and recognition, gamification strategies can transform routine or mundane tasks into enjoyable and rewarding experiences. This approach can incentivize deskless employees to actively engage with company communications, training materials, and initiatives.

Here are a few unique gamification strategies to get you started:

• Implement a points-based system , where employees earn points for completing specific actions or tasks related to internal communications;
• Incorporate badges or achievements for specific milestones or accomplishments;
• Gamify your employee recognition programs , so that employees can earn points or badges for demonstrating desired behaviors or achieving performance goals;
• Integrate gamification elements into your internal communication platforms or mobile apps to make the experience more engaging and interactive.

8. Leverage peer-to-peer communication platforms

Encouraging peer-to-peer communication among deskless employees can foster a sense of community, facilitate knowledge sharing, and improve overall engagement. By providing platforms that enable direct communication between colleagues, organizations can empower their deskless workforce to collaborate, exchange ideas, and support one another.

There are a few tools that can help you get started:

• Employee apps with instant messaging functionality. Employee apps allow deskless employees to connect, chat, and share updates or files in real-time, regardless of their physical location.
• Internal social networks or employee communities. These networks encourage employees to share updates, ask questions, and engage in discussions, fostering a sense of belonging and collaboration.
• Dedicated peer-to-peer recognition platforms. This is where employees can publicly acknowledge and appreciate their colleagues' efforts, fostering a positive and supportive work culture.

Learn more about the best internal communication tools for deskless workers.

9. Storytelling and employee spotlights

Storytelling can help humanize your internal communications and foster a deeper connection with your deskless employees. By sharing relatable stories and experiences, you can make your messaging more engaging, memorable, and impactful.

One effective way to leverage storytelling is through employee spotlights.

Employee spotlights are short profiles that highlight the achievements, experiences, or personal stories of individual employees . Employee spotlights not only recognize and celebrate your team members but also help create a sense of community and shared identity within your organization.

When creating employee spotlights, consider featuring individuals from different departments, roles, or locations to showcase the diversity of your workforce. You can highlight their career journeys, unique challenges they've overcome, or interesting hobbies and passions outside of work. These personal stories can help deskless employees feel more connected to the company and their colleagues, even if they don't interact with them directly.

Additionally, you can use employee spotlights to reinforce your company's values, culture, and mission. By sharing stories that exemplify these principles, you can inspire and motivate your deskless employees to embody those values in their daily work.

Some ideas for engaging employee spotlights include:

• Short video interviews or profiles
• Q&A-style written features
• Photo essays or visual stories
• Employee-contributed blog posts or articles
• Social media takeovers or live Q&A sessions

10. Feedback mechanisms and surveys

Gathering feedback from deskless employees is crucial for understanding their needs, concerns, and perspectives. By actively seeking input, organizations can identify areas for improvement, address issues promptly, and foster a culture of open communication. Feedback mechanisms and surveys provide a structured way to collect valuable insights from this often-overlooked workforce segment.

Here are a few ways to start gathering feedback from your deskless employees today:

• User-friendly feedback tools (such as mobile apps, dedicated hotlines, or web-based platforms).
• Mobile-friendly surveys on topics like job satisfaction, workplace conditions, training needs, and more.
• Regular pulse surveys or shorter, more frequent check-ins to provide real-time insights into employee sentiment.

11. Training and development programs

Providing accessible and engaging training opportunities is crucial for keeping deskless employees informed, skilled, and motivated. Traditional classroom-based training may not be feasible or convenient for this workforce segment.

Explore alternative methods to deliver training content effectively:

• Leverage mobile learning platforms or apps that allow employees to access training modules on their smartphones or tablets. This ensures training is available anytime, anywhere, fitting seamlessly into their schedules.
• Create bite-sized, microlearning content to enable deskless employees to consume information in short bursts during breaks or downtime.
• Develop interactive video-based training courses . Videos can be engaging, visually appealing, and easily digestible.

Regardless of the delivery method, effective training programs for deskless employees should prioritize:

✔️ Accessibility: Ensure training materials are easily accessible on various devices and platforms, catering to the mobile nature of deskless work.

✔️ Relevance: Tailor content to the specific roles, responsibilities, and challenges faced by deskless employees, making it directly applicable to their day-to-day tasks.

✔️ Engagement: Incorporate interactive elements, gamification, or multimedia to maintain interest and promote active learning.

✔️ Flexibility: Offer self-paced or on-demand training options to accommodate varying schedules and work environments.

✔️ Continuous improvement: Regularly update and refresh training content to reflect changes in processes, regulations, or best practices.

Get more actionable tips to develop an effective e-learning program for your deskless workforce.

12. Social media and internal social networks

Leveraging social media platforms can be an effective way to improve communication with deskless employees. These platforms are already widely used and familiar to many, making them an accessible and engaging communication channel. 

Companies can opt for one of two strategies:

• Create dedicated internal social media groups or pages specifically for deskless employees, fostering a sense of community and facilitating real-time updates, discussions, and knowledge sharing.
• Implement internal social networks tailored to their workforce. These allow deskless employees to connect, collaborate, and stay informed about company news, updates, and initiatives.

13. Visual and infographic content

Visuals and infographics can help effectively convey complex information to deskless employees in an engaging and easy-to-understand manner. By presenting data, processes, or instructions through visuals, you can break down barriers and ensure that your message resonates with your audience.

Inês is the Head of Content at Oneteam. She mainly writes about employee experience and other HR topics. Fun fact about Inês: she is originally from Portugal, grew up in Canada and the US, and now lives in the Netherlands with her husband and 3 daughters!

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More From Forbes

3 essential communication skills for skills-based organizations.

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Business leaders discussing new business ideas in the office at a skills-based organization

In skills-based organizations, effective communication is the meta-skill.

Communication skills have always been vital to the success of high-performing organizations. That’s why learning and development leaders in such companies ensure that programs on, for example, active listening, feedback, and clear, concise communication are among the essential offerings for their employees’ personal and professional growth.

Recent data from top-tier research firms, such as Deloitte and Bain & Company , indicate a significant shift towards skills-based organizational models. This requires an equally important shift towards a learning mindset. According to Deloitte's research , a substantial majority of corporate leaders recognize the importance of skills in defining work and managing talent. Specifically, around 90% of executives are actively experimenting with or moving towards a skills-based approach, indicating a strong belief in its potential to improve organizational outcomes.

This development has raised the bar on communication skills.

Especially in a skills-based organization, where the focus shifts from rigidly defined job descriptions and roles to the specific skills and competencies of individuals, high levels of coordination and collaboration among team members with diverse skill sets makes effective communication the critical differentiator for leadership roles in a company.

Reasons abound why a focus on communication skills is crucial in such a model:

Coordination and Flexibility : Skills-based organizations often involve dynamic team structures where individuals are brought together based on their skills to work on specific projects or tasks. Effective communication is necessary to coordinate these efforts, ensure that everyone understands their roles, and adapt quickly to changes.

Cross-functional Collaboration : In this model, communication across different functions and departments is vital to leveraging diverse skills and knowledge. This cross-functional communication fosters innovation and problem-solving by breaking down silos and encouraging the exchange of ideas.

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Transparency and Trust : As roles and tasks are not strictly defined by job titles, clear and transparent communication helps build trust among team members. It ensures that everyone is aware of the organization's goals, the purpose of their tasks, and how their contributions fit into the larger picture.

Continuous Learning and Development : Skills-based organizations emphasize continuous learning and development. Effective communication is crucial for providing feedback, sharing knowledge, and identifying skill gaps that need to be addressed through training and development initiatives.

Empowerment and Engagement : By focusing on skills, organizations aim to empower employees to take ownership of their work and contribute meaningfully. Strong communication skills help articulate expectations, provide recognition, and engage employees in decision-making processes, leading to higher motivation and job satisfaction.

So, where should skills-based organizations focus the attention of their future leaders so they can elevate their communications skills?

I recommend three foundational focus areas:

Clarifying Expectations

This relatively unassuming concept doesn’t have the cachet of, say, strategic storytelling—the domain of visionary leaders—or negotiation skills. But it is increasingly important in everyday workplace communication. It is hard to overstate its value in organizations transitioning to skills-based frameworks that prioritize adaptability, continuous learning, and talent agility.

As these models gain momentum, leaders must learn and leverage requisite communication skills, to effectively navigate and manage this new environment, to enable alignment, engagement, and innovation within their teams.

Even Gallup has emphasized the significance of clarifying expectations as a key driver of employee engagement and inspiration. When managers clearly define and communicate expectations, employees understand their roles better and align their efforts with organizational goals.

This clarity enables employees to perform effectively and reduces confusion that can lead to disengagement, especially in organizations where predefined jobs with specific roles and responsibilities are a thing of the past. Employees who know what is expected of them are more likely to be engaged, which Gallup has linked to better business outcomes, such as increased productivity and profitability.

The process of clarifying expectations involves ongoing communication, alignment on outcomes, and frequent feedback. This helps employees prioritize their tasks, calibrate their approach, and measure their contributions, ultimately inspiring them to perform at their best.

Communicating Across Cultural Barriers

Cultural differences can significantly impact communication in skills-based organizations, often leading to misunderstandings and barriers to collaboration and innovation.

Leaders and their teams should take note of different cultures’ distinct communication styles, which can affect how messages are conveyed and interpreted. For example, some cultures may prefer direct communication, while others rely on indirect or nuanced expressions. Miscommunication and emotional friction can result if team members are not sensitive to these often-subtle differences.

Other cultural norms, such as attitudes towards hierarchy, authority, and teamwork, can also influence how communication is perceived and conducted. In some cultures, for instance, it is considered inappropriate to openly challenge a manager, which can stifle open dialogue and feedback in a North American environment.

Team members from such cultures sometimes don’t find it psychologically safe to challenge their more senior colleagues in meetings and in innovation discussions . In such cases, leaders and peers need to adapt their communication styles to more effectively engage those whose ingrained behaviors default to humility and conformity. This enables them to contribute fully to the organization’s success and makes having a diverse and culturally mixed team a strength rather than a potential vulnerability.

Influencing Up and Across

A critical differentiator for emerging leaders when engaging senior executives is the ability to simplify complexity, especially in skills-based organizations. They distill complex strategies into clear, understandable choice points and goals that align with the organization's skills-centric approach. In this way, leaders demonstrate their next-level potential and effectively communicate their outcome-focused strategies to both superiors and peers.

Trust is another foundational element for influencing others, especially in skills-based organizations where stakeholders and team members can change from one project to the next. Networks are in constant flux, so self-awareness is key in understanding the impact we have on those we’re partnered with. Emerging leaders should engage in self-reflection to understand their strengths and weaknesses and make the adjustments needed to foster trust and respect among peers and superiors. This is crucial for influencing decisions and driving change.

Building a strong network will become even more important to building influence in skills-based models. Leaders should cultivate relationships across the organization and leverage these connections to gather support for initiatives. In a skills-based organization, where cross-functional collaboration is key, having a robust network goes a long way in facilitating the sharing of skills and resources.

By leveraging organizational intelligence and understanding both the formal and informal structures of the skills-based organization, emerging leaders can better navigate organizational politics. Thus, they can position themselves strategically to influence decisions and initiatives.

Finally, future leaders of a skills-based organization can increase their positive impact on the business by actively fostering a skills-centric culture. By embracing skill development initiatives and promoting a culture that values continuous learning and skill enhancement, they can influence the organization's strategic direction and ability to meet new challenges.

Bottom Line

There are innumerable aspects to effective communication, each one subject to the complexity of human perception and behavior. Nonetheless, in today’s rapidly evolving business environment clear and effective communication is becoming increasingly important for employees to build followership and move up to higher levels, especially in skills-based organizations.

As companies continue to pivot from traditional job roles to skill-centric models, the leaders who will make the biggest impact are those who can master the art of clear, cross-functional, and culturally aware communication. By honing these critical communication skills, they not only ensure alignment and collaboration but also drive innovation and agility.

In doing so, emerging leaders position their teams—and themselves—for long-term success in a future that rewards agility and expertise.

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USDA Invests Nearly $4.1 Million in Risk Management Education for Farmers, Including Underserved and Organic Producers

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WASHINGTON, August 8, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is awarding nearly   $4.1 million to organizations and outreach efforts to educate underserved, small-scale, and organic producers on farm risk management and climate-smart farm practices. The funding from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) provides assistance through its Risk Management Education Partnerships for organizations, such as nonprofits and land grant universities, to develop training and resources for producers about risk management options.  

“This funding and these partnerships are key to the success of our outreach and education efforts in communities that historically have not had access to training about risk management options. Our Risk Management Education Partnerships are part of USDA’s broader efforts to ensure equity and access to programs,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger during a virtual event announcing the 2024 recipients. “We need to work with growers, and livestock producers to provide them with the training and resources about risk management options and how to apply them to their farming businesses, and these partnerships will help us do just that.” 

This nearly $4.1 million investment builds on the $13 million that RMA has already provided in partnerships since 2021. RMA advertised available funding in January 2024 and reviewed 41 applications. 

This year’s partnership projects will reach every state in the nation, including eight state-specific, four regional, and three national programs. Out of the 15 organizations receiving funding, six are new partners and nine are current or former partners, including non-profits and university extensions, among others. 

One of the 2024 awardees, Right Risk, LLC, a non-profit group dedicated to providing top notch risk management education will continue their outreach work. “The funding we’ve received through our Risk Management Education partnership will allow us to continue outreach to Alaskan producers,” said Jeff Tranel, Owner and Chief Financial Officer for Right Risk, LLC. “We use on-site trainings, recorded presentations, newsletters, one-on-one coaching, printed materials, and the Right Risk Alaska-specific website to educate producers in Alaska about risk management options.” 

The 2024 awardee organizations and their projects include:  

• Cross Over Community Development – Provides comprehensive educational sessions on production, marketing, financial, legal and human risks geared to small-scale immigrant farmers. 
• Georgia Organics – Offers outreach and educational programing to organic and underserved farmers in Georgia about risk management options, business strategies and record keeping.  
• Napa Valley Grapegrowers – Provides risk management education to 500 Napa wine grape producers on: climate smart agriculture, organic and specialty crop farming, Crop Insurance 101 and water conservation.  
• Oregon Tilth – Increases awareness, understanding, and use of crop insurance and risk management tools by organic producers and those transitioning to organic production.  
• Northeast Organic Farming Association – Supports Vermont farmers by increasing their knowledge of climate-smart agriculture, risk management tools and crop insurance. 
• Right Risk, LLC – Develops multi-faceted approach to assist Alaskan producers understand and implement crop insurance and risk management strategies to improve their opportunities for success.  
• Rural South Institute – Builds resilient farm operations through increased participation in crop insurance and adoption of value-added and climate-smart agricultural practices.  
• University of Arkansas – Delivers workshops that support young Native American beginning farmers and ranchers by equipping them with culturally appropriate risk mitigation strategies focused on climate resilience and strengthening local Tribal food economies.  
• University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture – Provides online and in-person Train-the-Trainer workshops, including all 1890 Land Grant Institutions on the fundamentals of federal crop insurance.   
• University of Connecticut –  Delivers program designed to mitigate financial and production risks through on-farm tours, online classes and a crop insurance decision application tool for producers.  
• University of Maine – Educates farmers about mitigating risks due to climate events, pest outbreaks, market changes and poor business skills through increased awareness and understanding of federal crop insurance programs. 
• University of Nevada, Reno – Assists producers understanding of existing and emerging federal crop/livestock insurance programs in Nevada and throughout the West while focusing on local and regional food systems.  
• RMA Southeast Ambassador – designed to strengthen the agency’s outreach, engagement, and impact within the agricultural community by creating channels for two-way communication and feedback, ensuring programs meet the needs of underserved agricultural communities in 13 states in the Southeast region.  
• Tribal Ambassador – designed to strengthen the agency’s outreach, engagement, and impact to better meet the unique agricultural needs of farmers and ranchers within Tribal communities.
• Navigator Learning Platform – partnership with Custom Ag Solutions to strengthen technical assistance to underserved producers by training specialists tasked with providing outreach and technical assistance on key topics related to crop insurance.  

More Information

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the  RMA Agent Locator . Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at  rma.usda.gov or by contacting your  RMA Regional Office . 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit  usda.gov .  

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                                       USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

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Importance Of Effective Communication In An Organization 2024

Effective communication is vital in all forms of life and of course even more vitally across all businesses and industries. If you don't run a tight ship then you can fall foul of confusion in the ranks.

Apple and Microsoft became highly successful companies not just because they had a great product to sell that people wanted or required, but also because their employees were all pulling in the same direction. This goal-oriented outlook came by way of effective communication from the top down, but also across with leaders of teams making sure that everyone knew what they had to do, and when it needed to be done by.

If open communication be it written or oral within a workplace is encouraged, a more cohesive and effective team will emerge, and this will show up on the bottom line. Good communication within a team also tends to build trust and boost employee morale. When managers communicate effectively, employees feel that they are well informed of the company’s direction and vision, there is no misunderstanding, and they will feel more secure within their role. 

Importance of Effective Communication in An Organization 

1. it boosts growth .

Effective communication is important when it comes to developing a better company culture and the growth and plays a pivotal role in driving growth and success in any setting, be it within a business, a team, or even personal relationships. When individuals are able to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and goals clearly and concisely, it leads to increased understanding, collaboration, and productivity. By fostering open dialogue, active listening, and clear messaging, effective communication paves the way for growth, innovation, and success.

2. It increases innovation

Effective communication plays a vital role in fostering innovation within an organization and can be achieved via idea sharing and collaboration, active listening and feedback, cross-functional communication, and transparent and inclusive communication.

On the subject of idea sharing and collaboration, when individuals feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions, it creates a fertile ground for innovation.

With regards to active listening and feedback, when individuals actively listen to others' ideas and provide constructive feedback, it promotes a culture of mutual respect and encourages the free exchange of ideas. Constructive feedback helps refine and strengthen innovative concepts, leading to improved outcomes.

On the subject of cross-functional communication, effective communication facilitates collaboration across departments, teams, and disciplines, enabling the cross-pollination of ideas. By breaking down silos and encouraging interdisciplinary communication, organizations can leverage diverse skill sets and knowledge, resulting in fresh insights and breakthrough innovations.

Last but not least, transparent and inclusive communication can facilitate collaboration across departments, teams, and disciplines, enabling the cross-pollination of ideas. By breaking down silos and encouraging interdisciplinary communication, organizations can leverage diverse skill sets and knowledge, resulting in fresh insights and breakthrough innovations.

3. It improves productivity

Effective communication has a significant impact on productivity in the workplace. When communication is clear and concise, employees have a better understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and objectives. Clear communication eliminates confusion and ambiguity, enabling employees to prioritize their tasks and work efficiently towards specific goals. The end result of all that? You got it. Improved productivity.

4. It increases efficiency

Effective communication plays a key role in increasing efficiency within an organization. There are several ways in which it contributes to improved efficiency. Experts maintain that it can come via clear instructions and expectations, more streamlined processes, timely information sharing, regular feedback and performance evaluation, effective collaboration and teamwork, and better utilization of technology. By eliminating misunderstandings, facilitating quick decision-making, promoting teamwork, and leveraging technology, efficient communication optimizes workflows and resource utilization, leading to improved overall efficiency within the organization

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5. It increases loyalty

Effective communication plays a crucial role in fostering employee loyalty within an organization. When employees feel that their voices are heard, opinions are valued, and information is transparently shared, they develop a sense of trust and belonging. Open and honest communication from leaders and managers helps establish a culture of transparency and integrity, creating an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns, ideas, and feedback. By actively listening to their employees, leaders can address their needs and provide support, which in turn boosts morale and loyalty.

6. It increases employee engagement

Effective communication plays a vital role in increasing employee engagement within an organization and there are several ways to make employees more involved. These can be open and transparent communication, two-way communication, recognition and feedback, making sure that levels of expectation are clearly set out, empowerment and autonomy is provided to all levels of employees, and teams are regularly communicated to and encouraged to collaborate on tasks. Effective communication that is open, transparent, two-way, and focused on recognition, feedback, clarity, empowerment, growth, and collaboration contributes to increased employee engagement.

7. It resolves problems

Effective communication serves as a powerful tool in resolving work problems and conflicts. When faced with challenges or disagreements, open and honest communication allows individuals to express their concerns, perspectives, and emotions in an early and respectful manner. By actively listening to each other, seeking to understand different viewpoints, and engaging in constructive dialogue, parties involved can find common ground and work towards a mutually beneficial resolution. Clear communication helps clarify misunderstandings, addresses underlying issues, and prevents conflicts from escalating further.

8. It enhances skills

Effective communication plays a significant role in enhancing skills in various areas. There are many ways that it can contribute to skills development and those include; greater clarity and articulation, an increase in active listening, greater incidences of nonverbal communication, better empathy and rapport-building, advanced conflict resolution and negotiation, and more effective written communication. Overall, effective communication enhances various skills, including clarity and articulation, active listening, nonverbal communication, empathy, conflict resolution, negotiation, presentation, and written communication. By consciously practicing and refining these skills, individuals can become more effective communicators, leading to improved personal and professional growth.

Conclusion 

Communication is key in business, and those organizations that have been able to master this crucial art of open and honest channels of communication between leaders and employees, and vice versa, will be best placed to reap all of the benefits. With open, honest and effective communication organizations will be able to mitigate conflict, increase employee engagement, improved productivity, a healthy workplace culture, boosted employee satisfaction, and increased innovation. 

Can being a great communicator be taught? You bet it can! Anyone can be a great communicator with training and practice and as an added bonus, it can make you a better leaders. The best communicators and leaders spend time developing, practicing and incorporating feedback into their communication efforts. These skills can be honed by doing a leadership management and teams course , and/or a leadership and organizational development course from a leading online university that offers MBA and BBA programs. 

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Common types of communication in the workplace

Experts maintain that there are four common types of communication in the workplace, namely verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual. Verbal, or oral communication among employees and managers plays an important part because at its core it means using speech to share information with other people. 

Verbal communication: Verbal communication involves the use of spoken words, tone of voice, and effective listening. It helps in resolving misunderstandings by providing clarity and immediate feedback. Through face-to-face conversations, phone calls, or video conferences, individuals can express their thoughts, ask questions, and seek clarification in real-time, ensuring clear understanding and reducing the chances of misinterpretation.

Nonverbal communication: Nonverbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and gestures convey important information in workplace interactions. Paying attention to nonverbal cues helps individuals understand emotions, attitudes, and intentions, which can aid in resolving communication problems. For example, observing signs of frustration or confusion allows others to respond appropriately and offer support or clarification.

Written communication: Written communication, including emails, memos, reports, and documentation, provides a clear and permanent record of information. It helps overcome communication problems by ensuring that details are accurately conveyed, allowing individuals to refer back to messages for reference or clarification. Written communication also provides time for thoughtful reflection and revision, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings caused by hasty or impulsive responses.

Visual communication: Visual aids such as charts, graphs, diagrams, and presentations can enhance understanding and overcome communication barriers. Visual communication simplifies complex information, making it easier to grasp and remember. Visuals can be especially useful when dealing with diverse audiences or when language barriers exist, as they transcend linguistic differences and convey information in a universally understandable manner.

How to develop communication skills as a manager

Having effective management communication and an effective communication strategy can help improve many aspects of a business. There are many ways you can improve management communication in the workplace, as every company is different. Some of the best practice tips on how managers can develop and improve their management communication skills are, work on writing skills, create an open channel for communication, listen and be receptive, involve your team and be transparent, and have a primary channel of communication. 

How to develop communication skills between managers and employees at work

It goes without saying that that the importance of communication between managers and employees is one of the most important factors of any successful business. Clear and effective communication helps ensure everyone is on the same page regarding objectives, direction, and expectations. It means everyone knows where they stand. Experts maintain that there are six ways to improve communication between managers and employees and those are, meet weekly, have regular 1-2-1s, keep employees in the loop, have an open door policy with managers, take advantage of tools that improve communication, and ask for and give feedback.

How to improve communication skills of employees working remotely

There is an expression that goes, "out of sight, out of mind." When managers are dealing with employees that are not in an office environment daily, communication levels and frequency of communication can slip. But this need not be the case. Fortunately, there are examples you can look to for inspiration and guidance as you adapt to the dynamics of managing remote working teams. Good communication skills means saying good morning either on a video or via a message in Teams, engaging in casual chit chat, and trying to meet offline when possible. Be proactive with communication and don't just wait for planned meetings, and respect time differences.  

Challenges of communication training for employees

Communication is a vital skill for any trainer, whether delivering online or in-person sessions, facilitating group activities, or providing feedback. However, lack of communication and communication challenges and barriers can arise in any training scenario, affecting the quality of learning outcomes and the satisfaction of the participants. But all hope is not lost. There are ways to address these issues and ensure effective communication with training stakeholders. Identify the audience, choose the right mode of training that suits attendees, use clear and concise language, handle difficult situations, and finally evaluate and improve by using surveys, tests, observations, or feedback forms, to measure the effectiveness and impact of your communication on your audience's learning outcomes and satisfaction.

Should you invest in a leadership and communication training course for your staff?

In short, the answer is yes. The right leadership and communication development program can improve productivity, employee retention, engagement levels, corporate culture, and internal hiring. More and more studies are showing that effective communication and communication-related skills amongst employees contribute to some of an organization’s most important KPIs, including profitability, productivity, and client engagement. Whilst on the subject of leadership training, it has been proven that leadership development boosts employee engagement, increases the organization's ability to deal with gaps in the talent pipeline, and reduces the headaches and costs associated with turnover. 

What are the best communication training programs?

People learn in different ways and in accordance with their own timeframes. This is why organizations should take these things and more into account before settling on training programs that are right for your organization. Although we're biased, at Nexford, we have a broad range of online courses for you to take, whether you're interested in entrepreneurship, AI, leadership, data analytics and much more.

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He is passionate about using data and customer insights to improve marketing performance.

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Essay on Communication: Meaning, Process and Objectives

After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Meaning of Communication 2. Definition of Communication 3. Process 4. Objectives 5. Modes 6. The Organisational Context 7. Directions 8. Channels 9. Patterns 10. Barriers 11. Organisation-Level Improvements.

Essay on the Meaning of Communication:

The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communis which means common, besides commonality, communication involves the concept of transfer, meaning and information transfer. Thus communication means sharing ideas in common to one or many.

It means a verbal or written message, an change of information, a system of communicating, and a process by which meanings are exchanged between individuals/groups of individuals through a common system of symbols. It also means technique for expressing ideas effectively and quickly.

Essay on the Definition of Communication:

Communication is the process of transferring information, meaning and understanding from sender to receiver and vice versa. And carrying out that process convincingly, meaningfully and proficiently is an absolute essential for a manager to exercise leadership efficiently.

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In fact, it is hard to conceive of successful leadership in the absence of excellent communication skills. The first step for a manager to become an outstanding leader, therefore, is to become an outstanding communicator or perhaps best communicator.

Communication is defined as “the process of passing information in oral or written form and understanding from one person to another in oral or written form.” It means transmitting and sharing of ideas, opinions, facts, figures and information in a manner that is perceived and understood by the receiver of the communication.

F.E.X. Dance defined communication as “the process by which people seek to share meaning via the transmission of symbolic messages.”

Essay on the Process of Communication:

The communications involves four actions and five components. The four actions are encoding, sending, receiving, and decoding. The five components are sender, message, medium, noise and receiver. The actions and components combine to transfer meaning from the sender who sends the message to the receiver. The sender who sends message originates the message by encoding it, that is, by constructing the message.

The message is the content of the communication. The sender then transmits the message through a medium. A medium is the mode or form of transmission of message, not the message itself. Examples of media are spoken words, gestures and fiscal expressions video.

Telephones, written memos, faxes and e-mail messages. The receiver acquires, or receives, the message by hearing it, reading it, or having it appear on a fax or computer through e-mail or voice mail.

The receiver then begins decoding the message, that is, interpreting it using various tools. Sometimes distractions interfere with the message; these interferences are called noise which leads to misunderstanding, noise contributes to misinterpretations of the original message, and it is only through feedback, or verification of the original message, that communication problems may be located, corrected and understood properly.

The basic model of communication is called as fundamental and universal model. That is, it occurs whenever communication takes place regardless of the culture or organisation and location.

However, while the basic acts and components of the communication process are the same everywhere, how the acts are carried out and the nature of the components are deeply influenced by cultural, organisational, and even personal contexts through this type of communication.

Who can send messages to whom, what kinds and what volumes of messages are sent, by what medium are messages transmitted what sort of interference or noise is likely to occur, and what cues are available for decoding are just some of the many examples of the types of communication issues that can vary from manager to manager, from organisation to organisation, from media to media and from country to country.

Essay on the Objectives of Communication:

Modern Organisation cannot exist without communication. If there is no communication, employees can’t know what their co-workers are doing, management can’t receive information inputs, and supervisors and team leaders cannot dive instructions and therefore communication is needed for effective management of the organisation.

Thus the followings are the objectives/importance of communication in the present context:

1. To develop information and understanding among all workers in the organisation.

2. To foster any attitude which is necessary for motivation and cooperation in the organization.

3. To encourage better performance and job satisfaction in the organization.

4. To prepare workers in the organization for a change in methods or environment by giving them the necessary information in advance.

5. To discourage misinformation, ambiguity and rumours in the organisation.

6. To encourage subordinates in the organisation to supply ideas and suggestions for improving upon the product or work environment, and taking these suggestions seriously.

7. To improve labour-management relations in the organization.

8. To encourage social relations among workers in the organisation by encouraging into communication.

9. To accomplish all the basic management functions— Planning, Organizing, Leading/directing and controlling in the organization.

10. To achieve their goals and meet challenges in the organization.

Essay on the Modes of Communication:

Communication can occur in the organization either a verbal mode or a non-verbal mode as given below. Each mode has particular characteristics in the organisation and issues that an effective manager must understand.

1. Verbal Communication:

Spoken words, which are called as verbal communication, mean both oral and written communication in the organization.

(i) Oral Communication:

The spoken word has the potential advantages of being vivid, stimulating and commanding attention in the organisation. In most organizational situations, it is difficult for receivers—the listeners—to ignore the words spoken or the person speaking to them in oral type of communication.

Just think about the last time someone spoke to you directly. Even if you weren’t interested in what the person had to say, wouldn’t it have been difficult to simply ignore the person, turn and walk away? Certainly not possible, hence, here it is mandatory to listen the person.

Also, oral communication is exceptionally flexible for both the sender and receiver in the organization. While you are speaking with another person, you may try to make a point a certain way but along the way change your words in order for the listener to understand you in a better way.

Because oral communication is generally interactive in the organisation, it can be quite responsive and adaptive to circumstances. However, this mode of communication in the organisation has the major disadvantages of being transistor and subject to considerable misinterpretation of messages.

Even when individuals use the same language in the oral communication, the subtle nuances of the spoken word may be missed or incorrect meaning attached to them. Oral communication between those whose First language differ in the organisation, as in many management situations today, simply multiplies the chances of intended meaning going away.

Advantages of Oral Communication in the Organisation:

1. It is direct, simple, timesaving and least expensive for any organisation.

2. It helps in avoiding delays, red tape and other formalities in the organization.

3. Feedback and spontaneous thinking are available in this type of communication which benefits organisation growth.

4. We can clear any misunderstanding between speakers.

5. It develops a sense of belonging because of personalized contacts in the organization.

Disadvantages of Oral Communication:

1. There is no any formal record for transaction in the organization.

2. Lengthy and distant communications cannot be effectively conveyed verbally in the organization.

3. The receiver may receive the message in his own perception and thus misunderstand the intent of the message in the organization.

4. The spirit of authority cannot be transmitted effectively in verbal transaction unless trust between speakers.

5. Different meaning may occur by manner of speaking, tune of voice and facial expressions in the organization.

(ii) Written Communication in Organisation:

Written communication is one when messages are put in writing, as in letters, memos, electronic mail, and the like, the opportunity for misunderstanding the words of the sender are decreased. The receiver of the message sent may still misinterpret the intended message, of course, but there is no uncertainty about exactly what words the sender has used.

In that sense, written communication has precision. However, not everyone writes well, and so greater precision does not necessarily lead to greater understanding in the organisation.

This is further complicated when the words need translation from one language to another for better understanding. The writer/sender does not know immediately how well or poorly the message is getting across, written communication has the disadvantage of not being very flexible in the organization.

In addition, it is often not as vivid or compelling as oral communication. Although you might find it difficult to ignore someone speaking to you, it would probably be much easier to ignore a letter you received in your organisation.

Advantages of Written Communication in the Organization:

1. It can easily verify and more precisely defined in the organization.

2. It is likely to be a permanent record and uses for future references in the organization.

3. It reduces the possibility of misunderstanding and misinterpretation in the organization.

4. It is reliable for transmitting lengthy statistical data in the organization.

5. The time can be saved when many persons should be contacted in the organization at the same time.

Disadvantages of Written Communication in the Organization:

1. It is very slow and causes delay in the organization.

2. Written material may leak out before time, causing disruption in its effectiveness in many organization.

3. More dependence of written communication can lead to too much of paper-work in the organization.

4. It leads to excessive formality in personal relations in the organization.

2. Nonverbal Communication in the Organization:

In direct interpersonal communication, nonverbal actions and behaviors often constitute significant messages in the organization. A whole range of actions, or lack of them, has the potential for communicating in the organization.

The way you dress, speak words, use gestures, handle utensils, exhibit facial expressions, and set the physical distance to the receiver are just some of the many forms of nonverbal communication in the organization.

Electronic Communication:

Now a day, electronic mail, or e-mail, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing forms of communication in the organisation. In the recent nationwide survey, 79 per cent of the responding executives indicated that e-mail was their number-one choice for business communication in their organisation.

With e-mail or faxes, you can send a message simultaneously to dozens or even hundreds of people throughout the world. Recently, Videoconferences have also emerged as a business communication too.

Essay # The Organisational Context of Communication:

Managers in the organization do not deal with communication in the abstract. Rather they deal with it within an organizational context. The structure of organisations and the process of organisations powerfully shape the nature and effectiveness of communication that takes place within and between them.

In the present setup Organizations, whether business, hospitals or government agencies, have a set of defining characteristics, all of which affect communication in one way or another.

Thus, organizations:

a) Are composed of individuals and groups.

b) Are oriented towards goals

c) Have differentiated functions.

d) Has intended coordination.

e) Have continuity through time.

Organizations of any size, regardless of country, are not simply a random set of individuals who by chance come together for a brief period with no purpose. The fact that they have goal orientations, structures, and coordination greatly influences the nature and amount of communication that takes place in the organization.

This influence can be analyzed in terms of directions, channels and patterns of communication in the organization.

Essay # Directions of Communication within Organizations:

Because organizations of any degree of complexity have both differentiated functions and more than one level in the organisation, the directions of communication within them can be classified according to the level for which they are intended.

Downward communication is sent from higher organizational levels to lower levels in the organisation; for example, from the organization’s top executives like to its employees, or from supervisors to subordinates.

Upward Communication is sent from lower organizational levels to higher levels; for example, from non-management employees like workers to their supervisors, or from a manager to her CEOs.

Lateral Communication is sent across essentially equivalent levels of an organization; for example, from one clerical to another, from the manager of product X to the manager of product Y, or from the marketing department to the engineering design department in the organisation.

The topics covered in organizational communication vary according to their direction. Downward communication typically involves such matters as goals, objectives, directions, decisions, and feedback in the organisation.

Upward communication usually focuses on information, suggestions, questions, problems and requests for clarification in the organisation. Lateral communication typically involves changes of information-both formal and informal-that assist or affect coordination and joint problem solving in the organization.

While the subject matter of communication in particular direction tends to be fairly similar in most medium to large organizations, the culture of the organization can affect the process. For example, in an organization where authority and hierarchy are stressed, upward communication might be more formal than in an organization with more egalitarian culture.

As a simple illustration, in the hierarchical organization, a conversion might start with the subordinate addressing a superior several levels above as Mr. Or Ms. James.

In many countries, for example in Korea, the conversion might start by addressing the superior by his or her title, such as Director Park. In organizations with less emphasis on hierarchy, the conversation might start by addressing the superior by his or her first name.

Likewise, organizational or country culture can influence the frequency and flavor of upward communications. For example, in organizations with strong hierarchical values, upward communication tends to be less frequent.

In summary, organizational communications flow upward, laterally, and downward in every organization. The direction of the communication has a significant impact on the type of communication that is likely to take place frequently.

However, the culture of the organization and the region or country in which the organization is located can further determine the exact from that communication will have and even the frequency of each direction of communication will take place in organization.

Essay # Channels of Communication within Organizations:

Organizational channels, or routes of communication, consist of two fundamental types namely formal and informal. Both types are essential for organizational functioning, and neither types can easily substitute for the other.

Formal Communication channels are those that are authorized planned and regulated by the organization and that are directly connected to its official structure. Thus, the organization’s designated structure indicates the normal paths for downward, upward and lateral formal communication. Formal communication channels are like highlighted roads on road map.

They specify organizational members who are responsible for tasks and communicating information to levels above and below them and back and forth to adjacent units. Also, formal channels indicate the persons or positions to whom work-related messages should be sent in the organization. Formal channels can be modified, and thus they have some flexibility, but they can seldom be disregarded in the organization.

The wheel or star network refers to an administrator and four subordinates with whom he interacts in the organisation. There is no interaction among the subordinates in the organization.

In ‘y’ network; there are two subordinates reporting to the superior.

The “chain” in the network, denotes a five-level hierarchy in which communication can take place only upward and downward, and across organizational lines in modern organizations.

The circle network denotes a three level hierarchy in which there is communication between superiors and subordinates, with cross communication at the operative level.

Informal communication channels are communication routes that are not prescribed by the organization but that develop through typical interpersonal activities of people at work in the organisation. Channels can come into existence and change or disappear rapidly, depending on circumstances in the organization.

However, they may also endure in many work situations, especially where individuals have been working together over a period of time in the organization. If a specific pattern becomes well established, it would ordinarily be called a ‘network’ in the organisation.

There are four major type of informal communication in the organisation.

They are as follows:

(1) Single strand.

(2) Gossip.

(3) Probability.

(4) Cluster.

In the single stranded network, the individual communicates through intervening persons in the organisation. In the gossip network, the individual communicates or spreads like anything without a choice in the organisation. In probability network, the individual spreads the communication at random in the organisation.

But in the cluster network, the individual communicates with only those individuals whom he trusts in the organisation. Among these types of communication network, the cluster is most popular network in many organisation.

Essay # Formal and Informal Channels of Communication in Organization:

In a Plastic Bottle manufacturing company the CEO has got two immediate managers one is GM-marketing who markets plastic bottle and another one is GM-production who manufactures Plastic Bottle. The GM-marketing has got two subordinates one is advertising manager and the second one is promotions manager.

Likewise the GM-Production has got two immediate subordinates, one is supervisor design and another one is supervisor testing. If CEO communicates to GM-Marketing or GM-Production it is called as formal channels of communication. However, if CEO contacts Advertising manager or supervisor testing it is called INFORMAL channels of communication.

Formal Communication Channels:

a) Authorized, Planned and regulated by the organization.

b) Reflect the organization’s formal structure.

c) Define who has responsibility for information dissemination and indicate the proper recipients of work-related information in organization.

d) Maybe modified by the organization in future.

e) Minor to severe consequences for ignoring them unknowingly.

Informal Communication Channels:

a) Develop through interpersonal activities of organisation members

b) Hot specified by the organization

c) Man is short-lived or long lasting.

d) Are more often lateral than vertical in organization.

e) Information flow can be very fast in organization.

f) Used for both work-related and non-work information.

Some more informal communication Channels in the organization are as follows:

a) Informal Communication Channels tend to operate more often in the lateral than in the vertical direction compared to formal channels because they are not designated by the organization and its top officials.

b) Second, information flowing through informal channels in the organization often moves extremely fast, principally because senders are highly motivated to pass information on. The so-called grapevine is a classic example of rapid transmission of messages through informal channels.

c) A third feature is that informal channels carry work- related as well as non-work information in the organisation. Just because channels are informal does not mean that only gossip and other messages unrelated to jobs and tasks are carried by them. In fact, crucial work-related information is frequently communicated in this way.

Of course, some of the messages passed through the informal channels in the organisation may contain inaccuracies or be negative, and thus seen by some managers as a source of problems. However, few organizations could exist for long if they had to rely only on formal communication channels in the organisation.

Essay # Patterns of Organizational Communication in the Organisation:

Identifiable patterns of communication that occur with some regularity within and between organizations, whether using formal or informal channels, are typically called communication networks in any organisation. Put another way, communication networks are stable systems of interconnections in any organisation.

Thus, networks involve consistent linkages between particular sets of senders and receivers in the organisation. For example, a middle-level divisional marketing manager in New Delhi might have a particular network that involves her boss in Kolkata, three key managers in other departments in the Kolkata headquarters, her seven subordinates located in major Western cities, and two outside vendors of market research data.

Another network for the same manager might involve two lower-level managers in other units in the New Delhi office and their former colleague and old friend who is now a sales supervisor in Chennai and who has access to inside information on how well new marketing approaches are working in that region.

An example of a larger, more organization wide network could be the Coca Cola Company’s worldwide pattern of communication relationships between its headquarters in Atlanta and its bottlers and distributors throughout world. Of course, networks can also be formed across organizations as well as within the organisation.

The importance of communication networks to managers in any organisation is that they can provide significant and regular sources of information, both of the formal and informal type, that might otherwise take a much longer time to obtain if the various links had to set up from scratch each time some new topic or problem came up.

Also, when managers are members of established networks, it can make it easier for them to influence the other people or groups involved in the networks. Consequently, for both of these reasons, managers need to pay particular attention to what networks they can, and want to, be a part of and to the composition of those networks in the organisation.

It is no accident that the term networking has come to signify a process that has the potential for gaining advantages for a manger (or anyone for that matter) by having one or more sets of individuals in the organisation or groups with which one can interact easily and regularly, and with whom one can communicate a sense of confidence and trust in the organisation.

In traditional western organizations, it has always been relatively easy for males in management positions to establish various network with other males (thus providing the basis for the phase “old boys network” ) in their organisation. However, at least until very recently, it has been much harder for women and members of underrepresented ethnic groups to establish similar helpful networks in their organisations

Recent research suggests, in fact, that organizational networks involving individuals from these groups are different in terms of both composition and relationships from the traditional networks composed primarily of white males in the organisation.

It does not make such networks any less important or useful to managers from these groups, but docs serve to emphasize that network patterns to communication in organisations can vary based on a number of different situational circumstance, including the age, gender, and ethnicity of individuals in the organisation.

Essay # Barriers to Communication in the Organisation:

Although the organisational context provides numerous opportunities for managers to engage in effective and productive communication to assist in leadership efforts, there are likewise many barriers related to that context that can interfere with the communication process in the present organisation.

Such barriers can arise from several different sources, including interpersonal, organisational, organizational, and cultural in the organization.

Obstacles to interpersonal communication in the organisation can occur with either the sender or the receiver. The burden is simultaneously on both the sender and the receiver in any organisation to ensure accurate communication.

It is, however, the sender’s obligation to choose the language and words—to encode the message—carefully to carry the greatest precision of meaning. Precision in the organisation is especially important if the sender is trying to persuade the receiver to do something in a language or communication style different from what the receiver prefers.

For example, if you are talking with your boss style and choice of words, your boss may not be receptive if he or she prefers a more formal approach in the organisation. You will probably need to adjust your style for the communication to be effective in the organisation.

The receiver, of course, is often the source of communication breakdowns in the organisation. For example, the receiver might have a selective perception problem in the organisation. That is, the receiver may unintentionally screen out some parts of the intended message because they contradict his beliefs or desires in the organisation.

For example, you might stress the increased productivity in the organisation from a proposed project, but your boss is focusing on the estimated cost of the project. Although selective perception is a natural human tendency, it hinders accurate communication, especially when sensitive or highly important topics are being discussed in the organisation.

Another way to state this point is that individuals tend to adopt frames of reference, or quick ways of interpreting messages in the organisation that help them make sense of complex communications, but these shortcuts may prevent the intended message from being received.

Essay # Organisational Barriers:

Just as interpersonal barriers can limit communication, so can organisational barriers limit communication? Such barriers in the organisation can interfere with communication between individuals or groups within the same organisation, between individuals or groups from two different organisations, or between entire organizations.

The basis of these organisational barriers lies within the hierarchical structure of organizations.

All organisations of any complexity have specialized functions and more than one level of authority in the organisation. This specialization creates a situation that is ripe for communication difficulties in the organisation.

For example one person might come from marketing and the other form Production. The person in marketing might think nothing of exaggerating while the person from Production always understates her points.

Consequently, the marketer might see the Production Manager as unimaginative and boring, while the Production Manager might view the marketer as superficial and careless. In addition, the two parties might come from different levels in the organisation.

The differences between responsibility and level of authority could cause a senior executive to expect an explanation of the broad impacts on the entire organization of a proposed project and a junior technical expert to focus on the detailed schedule of the project in any organisation.

Essay # Cultural Burriers in Organization:

Communication and culture are tightly intervened in the organisation. Culture cannot exist without communication and human communication only within a cultural context in the organisation. Since the act of communicating is so closely connected to the surrounding environment, culture can ease or hinder it in the organisation.

Thus, similarity in culture between senders and receivers facilitates successful communication-the intended meaning has a higher probability of getting transferred in the organisation.

Differences in culture hinder the process of-any organisation. The greater the cultural differences between sender and receiver, the greater the expected difficulty in communicating within or outside the organisation. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be easier, for example, for an Indian manager to communicate with a Singapore subordinate than with a Malaysian subordinate.

Probably the greatest single cultural barrier that can affect communication across different departmental, organisational, regional, or national cultures is ethnocentrism in the organisation.

Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own groups and the related tendency to view others in terms of the values of one’s own group in the organisation. Ethnocentrism leads individuals to divide their interpersonal worlds into in-groups and out-groups in the organisation.

A third major cultural barrier to communication I can be labeled cultural distance in the organisation. This concept refers to the overall difference between two cultures basic characteristics such as language, level of economic development, and entrenched traditions and customs in the organisation.

Cultural distance was illustrated by a study that gathered 21 senior executives from major corporations in Japan, the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom and India for a five-week period of cultural explorations regarding communication.

The executives attended lecturers and seminars, built rafts and climbed riffs together, and even travelled in fact-finding teams to the countries represented to improve communication, nevertheless, observers reported that communication remained a problem the entire five weeks among them.

The various barriers that were discussed in the preceding section can interfere with effective communication, but there are ways of dealing with, or overcoming, them in the organisation. That is the subject of this section – approaches that will help to improve your communication in the organisation as a manager.

Essay # Organisation-Level Improvements in Communication:

Organisations can take steps to change their policies and methods for how and when managers should communicate in the organisation. Unfortunately, guidelines for this more structural approach are not as well developed as those for individual managers in the organisation.

A recent study of research and development laboratories within 14 large multinational firms, however, did provide some suggestions. The study produced strong evidence for the importance of gatekeepers, or so-called “boundary-spanning” individuals who are at the communication interface between separate organizations or between units within an organisation.

Large companies especially need to be able to structure the activities of gatekeepers to maximize their usefulness to the communication process and to make sure that the most critical information is both sent and received.

Finding from the study indicated that communication could be improved by implementing rules and procedures that increased formal communication, replacing some face-to-face communication with electronic communication, developing particular communication networks, and even creating a centralized office to manage communication activities in the organization.

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• Essay on Communication: Top Essays | Directing | Functions | Management
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• Communication: Types of Communication | Process | Directing | Management

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8 Ways You Can Improve Your Communication Skills

Your guide to establishing better communication habits for success in the workplace.

Mary Sharp Emerson

A leader’s ability to communicate clearly and effectively with employees, within teams, and across the organization is one of the foundations of a successful business.

And in today’s complex and quickly evolving business environment, with hundreds of different communication tools, fully or partially remote teams, and even multicultural teams spanning multiple time zones, effective communication has never been more important — or more challenging.

Thus, the ability to communicate might be a manager’s most critical skill. 

The good news is that these skills can be learned and even mastered. 

These eight tips can help you maximize your communication skills for the success of your organization and your career.

1. Be clear and concise

Communication is primarily about word choice. And when it comes to word choice, less is more.

The key to powerful and persuasive communication — whether written or spoken — is clarity and, when possible, brevity. 

Before engaging in any form of communication, define your goals and your audience. 

Outlining carefully and explicitly what you want to convey and why will help ensure that you include all necessary information. It will also help you eliminate irrelevant details. 

Avoid unnecessary words and overly flowery language, which can distract from your message.

And while repetition may be necessary in some cases, be sure to use it carefully and sparingly. Repeating your message can ensure that your audience receives it, but too much repetition can cause them to tune you out entirely. 

2. Prepare ahead of time

Know what you are going to say and how you are going to say before you begin any type of communication.

However, being prepared means more than just practicing a presentation. 

Preparation also involves thinking about the entirety of the communication, from start to finish. Research the information you may need to support your message. Consider how you will respond to questions and criticisms. Try to anticipate the unexpected.

Before a performance review, for instance, prepare a list of concrete examples of your employee’s behavior to support your evaluation.

Before engaging in a salary or promotion negotiation, know exactly what you want. Be ready to discuss ranges and potential compromises; know what you are willing to accept and what you aren’t. And have on hand specific details to support your case, such as relevant salaries for your position and your location (but be sure that your research is based on publicly available information, not company gossip or anecdotal evidence). 

Before entering into any conversation, brainstorm potential questions, requests for additional information or clarification, and disagreements so you are ready to address them calmly and clearly.

3. Be mindful of nonverbal communication

Our facial expressions, gestures, and body language can, and often do, say more than our words. 

Nonverbal cues can have between 65 and 93 percent more impact than the spoken word. And we are more likely to believe the nonverbal signals over spoken words if the two are in disagreement. 

Leaders must be especially adept at reading nonverbal cues. 

Employees who may be unwilling to voice disagreements or concerns, for instance, may show their discomfort through crossed arms or an unwillingness to make eye contact. If you are aware of others’ body language, you may be able to adjust your communication tactics appropriately.

At the same time, leaders must also be able to control their own nonverbal communications. 

Your nonverbal cues must, at all times, support your message. At best, conflicting verbal and nonverbal communication can cause confusion. At worst, it can undermine your message and your team’s confidence in you, your organization, and even in themselves. 

4. Watch your tone

How you say something can be just as important as what you say. As with other nonverbal cues, your tone can add power and emphasis to your message, or it can undermine it entirely.

Tone can be an especially important factor in workplace disagreements and conflict. A well-chosen word with a positive connotation creates good will and trust. A poorly chosen word with unclear or negative connotations can quickly lead to misunderstanding. 

When speaking, tone includes volume, projection, and intonation as well as word choice. In real time, it can be challenging to control tone to ensure that it matches your intent. But being mindful of your tone will enable you to alter it appropriately if a communication seems to be going in the wrong direction.

Tone can be easier to control when writing. Be sure to read your communication once, even twice, while thinking about tone as well as message. You may even want to read it out loud or ask a trusted colleague to read it over, if doing so does not breach confidentiality. 

And when engaging in a heated dialogue over email or other written medium, don’t be too hasty in your replies. 

If at all possible, write out your response but then wait for a day or two to send it. In many cases, re-reading your message after your emotions have cooled allows you to moderate your tone in a way that is less likely to escalate the conflict.

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5. Practice active listening

Communication nearly always involves two or more individuals.

Therefore, listening is just as important as speaking when it comes to communicating successfully. But listening can be more challenging than we realize. 

In her blog post Mastering the Basics of Communication , communication expert Marjorie North notes that we only hear about half of what the other person says during any given conversation. 

The goal of active listening is to ensure that you hear not just the words the person is saying, but the entire message. Some tips for active listening include:

• Giving the speaker your full and undivided attention
• Clearing your mind of distractions, judgements, and counter-arguments. 
• Avoiding the temptation to interrupt with your own thoughts.
• Showing open, positive body language to keep your mind focused and to show the speaker that you are really listening
• Rephrase or paraphrase what you’ve heard when making your reply
• Ask open ended questions designed to elicit additional information

6. Build your emotional intelligence

Communication is built upon a foundation of emotional intelligence. Simply put, you cannot communicate effectively with others until you can assess and understand your own feelings. 

“If you’re aware of your own emotions and the behaviors they trigger, you can begin to manage these emotions and behaviors,” says Margaret Andrews in her post, How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence .

Leaders with a high level of emotional intelligence will naturally find it easier to engage in active listening, maintain appropriate tone, and use positive body language, for example.  

Understanding and managing your own emotions is only part of emotional intelligence. The other part — equally important for effective communication — is empathy for others.

Empathizing with an employee can, for example, make a difficult conversation easier. 

You may still have to deliver bad news, but (actively) listening to their perspective and showing that you understand their feelings can go a long way toward smoothing hurt feelings or avoiding misunderstandings.

7. Develop a workplace communication strategy

Today’s workplace is a constant flow of information across a wide variety of formats. Every single communication must be understood in the context of that larger flow of information.

Even the most effective communicator may find it difficult to get their message across without a workplace communication strategy.

A communication strategy is the framework within which your business conveys and receives information. It can — and should — outline how and what you communicate to customers and clients, stakeholders, and managers and employees. 

Starting most broadly, your strategy should incorporate who gets what message and when. This ensures that everyone receives the correct information at the right time. 

It can be as detailed as how you communicate, including defining the type of tools you use for which information. For example, you may define when it’s appropriate to use a group chat for the entire team or organization or when a meeting should have been summarized in an email instead. 

Creating basic guidelines like this can streamline the flow of information. It will help ensure that everyone gets the details they need and that important knowledge isn’t overwhelmed by extraneous minutia. 

8. Create a positive organizational culture

The corporate culture in which you are communicating also plays a vital role in effective communication. 

In a positive work environment — one founded on transparency, trust, empathy, and open dialogue — communication in general will be easier and more effective. 

Employees will be more receptive to hearing their manager’s message if they trust that manager. And managers will find it easier to create buy-in and even offer constructive criticism if they encourage their employees to speak up, offer suggestions, and even offer constructive criticisms of their own. 

“The most dangerous organization is a silent one,” says Lorne Rubis in a blog post, Six Tips for Building a Better Workplace Culture . Communication, in both directions, can only be effective in a culture that is built on trust and a foundation of psychological safety.

Authoritative managers who refuse to share information, aren’t open to suggestions, and refuse to admit mistakes and accept criticism are likely to find their suggestions and criticisms met with defensiveness or even ignored altogether. 

Without that foundation of trust and transparency, even the smallest communication can be misconstrued and lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict.

Communicating with co-workers and employees is always going to present challenges. There will always be misunderstandings and miscommunications that must be resolved and unfortunately, corporate messages aren’t always what we want to hear, especially during difficult times.

But building and mastering effective communication skills will make your job easier as a leader, even during difficult conversations. Taking the time to build these skills will certainly be time well-spent. 

Want to build your skills? Find the program that’s right for you.

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About the Author

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Emerson is a Digital Content Producer at Harvard DCE. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Yale University and started her career as an international affairs analyst. She is an avid triathlete and has completed three Ironman triathlons, as well as the Boston Marathon.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Effective Communication — Effective Communication: The Key to Building Strong Connections

Effective Communication: The Key to Building Strong Connections

• Categories: Connection Effective Communication

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Words: 791 |

Published: Sep 12, 2023

Words: 791 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The importance of effective communication.

• Key Elements of Effective Communication
• Barriers to Effective Communication
• Strategies for Improving Communication

1. Building Relationships:

2. resolving conflicts:, 3. achieving goals:, 4. personal development:, 5. success in the workplace:.

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Communicating Direction to Your Organization: 5 Dimensions to Consider

• 07 Feb 2023

As an organizational leader , you’re responsible for setting your firm’s direction. Aligning its vision, mission, strategy, and identity is critical for contextualizing and planning a purposeful trajectory.

Yet communicating organizational direction is just as important as planning it. According to research by employee communication firm Haiilo, three-quarters of employees rank effective communication as the most important leadership attribute. Less than one-third, however, believe their organizations’ leaders communicate effectively.

In the online course Organizational Leadership , Harvard Business School Professors Anthony Mayo and Joshua Margolis break down leaders’ responsibilities, including setting direction and effectively communicating it to teams.

“Formulating your organization’s direction in writing is a crucial first step for you to figure out where the organization is headed,” Mayo says in the course. “Communicating it to others is how you bring that direction to life.”

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What Is Organizational Communication?

Broadly, the term organizational communication describes how a firm’s information is shared internally and externally.

Examples of internal organizational communication include:

• Newsletters
• All-staff or team-specific meetings
• Messaging platforms
• One-on-one meetings
• Casual in-office interactions, such as a watercooler chat

Examples of external organizational communication include:

• Press releases
• Social media posts
• Check-in calls with clients
• Meetings with stakeholders

Communicating Organizational Direction Internally

When carried out internally, organizational communication is the process of relaying your firm’s direction to your team.

Whether you’re the CEO or a new manager, you must be adept at communicating direction to ensure your team members are aligned and motivated.

When communicating direction, you should be:

• Clear: Will people understand the direction?
• Compelling: Will people be motivated by and care about the direction?
• Concise: Is the direction succinct enough to be easily internalized?

One challenge of leading at scale is that you likely won’t be able to speak to each employee directly—which is why effective communication is critical.

“Leading at scale and scope requires you to treat communication as a tool to reach out to people, captivate heads, and move hearts, so those you’re leading understand your actions and goals,” Margolis says in Organizational Leadership. “And, perhaps more importantly, so they understand where they fit and why their work matters.”

Here are the five dimensions of communicating organizational direction outlined in Organizational Leadership to help you become a more effective leader .

Related: 8 Essential Leadership Communication Skills

The 5 Dimensions of Communicating Direction

1. know your audience.

To communicate effectively, you must first define your audience. For example, how you speak to other managers may differ from how you speak to your entire organization and stakeholders.

Consider your audience’s perspective, how much they already know about your organization’s direction, what factors matter most to them, and any questions or concerns they may have.

2. Cater the Content

Once you’ve determined your audience and understand what’s important to them, cater your communication’s content to fit that.

For example, imagine you’re trying to communicate that your company is entering a new market. When letting stakeholders know about this direction, you may prioritize the financial reasoning behind the decision and the goals you expect your firm to reach.

When communicating the same information to your employees, however, you may emphasize how the change will impact their daily work and how each person’s tasks will help the organization reach new goals.

Catering your communication to each audience shows you care about them and understand what they value and need to succeed.

Related: How to Communicate Organizational Change: 4 Steps

3. Align on Purpose

The next dimension seems intuitive but can be overlooked: Ensure you know the communication’s purpose for each audience. To do so, ask yourself: What do I hope to achieve by communicating this content to this group of people?

“Are you seeking to inform, solicit input, gain approval, galvanize action, or some combination of these?” Margolis asks in Organizational Leadership .

Remember that the purpose may differ between audiences; for instance, gaining input and approval from shareholders versus informing and motivating employees.

4. Design the Process

The fourth dimension of communication is logistical in nature. Once you know your message’s purpose, audience, and content, you need to design the communication process.

• Timing: When will you deliver this communication?
• Frequency: Is this communication a one-time or recurring event? If it’s recurring, how often will you provide updates?
• Channel: What channel will you use to communicate? For instance, addressing the company at an in-person all-staff meeting may be received differently than sending a company-wide email. If you’re aiming for a more casual approach, a note in your company’s messaging platform may do the trick.
• Pattern: Who should deliver the information? Is it more appropriate for every employee to receive the communication at an all-staff meeting or from their direct manager?

There isn’t one correct way to design the communication process; it depends on your organization’s dynamics, your role, and the information you want to communicate to each audience.

5. Curate Tone and Style

Finally, you need to deliver the message with deliberate tone and style choices. This step works in tandem with your message’s content. If you don’t deliver the message with the proper tone and style, the content won’t have its intended impact.

In Organizational Leadership, Mayo and Margolis describe the six attributes of tone and style, known as the “six C’s”:

• Compassion: Do you show your audience you care about their perspectives?
• Clarity: Do you communicate clearly to someone unfamiliar with the message?
• Conciseness: Is the message short enough to be internalized?
• Connection: Do you make an emotional connection with your audience?
• Conviction: Do you demonstrate your commitment to the good of the organization?
• Courage: Do you demonstrate confidence in your ability to lead through uncertainty?

“To be heard, you must consider how your audience experiences you,” Margolis says in the course. “You may have heard the phrase ‘it’s not what you say but how you say it’ to describe the resonance of communication.”

These considerations are particularly important in cases of extreme change or crisis ; your team needs to know that you’re attuned to their needs and they can trust you to lead the organization through turbulent times.

Maintaining the Big Picture

When communicating organizational direction using the five dimensions, Mayo recommends not focusing too heavily on one of them.

“You may be tempted to focus predominantly on the content of your communication,” Mayo says in Organizational Leadership. “Make no mistake: The content is very important. But, as you work out the content, think about the other four dimensions. These will be as important for the impact you have and, it turns out, also shape the content.”

Communicating direction is a dynamic responsibility—circumstances constantly change. It requires an evolving strategy and consistent messaging as elements shift.

Guided by the five dimensions, you can navigate the changing business landscape and effectively communicate direction to your organization.

Are you interested in elevating your leadership skills? Explore Organizational Leadership —one of our online leadership and management courses —and learn how to communicate direction and lead at scale.

About the Author

Importance of Communication in Decision Making

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

How does communication influence decision-making within a company? Is there any relationship? Find the answer here! This essay focuses on the role and importance of communication in decision-making process within a business.

Executive Summary

Introduction.

• Decision Complexity
• Problem-Solving Effectiveness
• Research & Development

Recommendations

Reference list.

The report entails evaluation of the role of communication in making decisions within an organization. The correlation between decision making and communication is underscored in the background study. Some of the key roles of communication in decision making are identified. The importance of communication in identifying the complexity of the intended decision is underscored.

This arises from the fact that some of the decisions that a firm’s management team can make are more complex and can lead to enormous financial loss. Through communication, firms’ management teams are able to identify the involved complexity. The role of communication in solving problems within an organization is underscored.

This arises from the fact that problem solving entails effective identification of the problem which is attained via communication. Communication also aids in reducing employee resistance which might during the decision making process. This may result into conflicts within the organization.

Communication also aids in the process of a firm undertaking decisions regarding research and development which is vital for a firm’s success. Finally a conclusion of the entire study and a set of recommendations are made. The recommendations made entail some of the ways via which communication in an organization can be enhanced so as to improve decision making.

Background to the study

In the process of executing their duties, managers are charged with a number of roles. Some of these roles relate to interpersonal roles, informational roles and decisional roles. The success of an organization is dependent on the effectiveness and efficiency with which the managers undertake their functions.

One of the most important roles which managers are supposed to undertake is making decisions to guide the organization’s operations. Decision making is paramount in the success of every business. According to Martinsons and Davison (2007, p.287) decision making should be fast considering the fact that opportunities have a short window.

Poole and Ahmed (2008, p.6) define decision making as the process of selecting from a number of alternatives based on a comprehensive analysis of the various options. Poole and Ahmed (2008, p.1) consider decision making to be a vital primary process in the operation of an organization. The decisions which the managers undertake are supposed to be independent.

In an organizational setting, there are a number of groups which help the organization in conducting various tasks. The basis of these groups may be the various departments. Despite the fact that managers should be independent in making decisions, consideration of the various groups is paramount.

There is a strong correlation between communication and decision making (Ellen & Almonte, 2009). Explicitly stated, communication has an influence on the decision made. Communication is defined as the dissemination of information from sender to the receiver. For communication to occur, information must be communicated via effective decoding by the receiver.

Communication in an organization can be viewed in a number of perspectives one of them being a medium via which group interaction in an organization occurs (Martinsons & Davison, 2007, p.287). Alternatively, communication can be considered to be the essence of decision making. This makes communication to be an essential element in the success of an organization.

The aim of the report is to analyze the importance of decision making in organizations

The report is organized into a number of sections. The first section entails evaluation of how communication aids firms’ management teams in the identification of complexity of the decision to be made. The role of communication in enhancing problem solving is identified in the second section.

The third section gives an evaluation of the role of communication in reducing resistance as a result of the decisions made. An analysis of the role of communication in enhancing research and development decision is conducted in the fifth section. Finally, a conclusion of the entire study and a set of recommendations are made.

Communication and Decision Making: Decision Complexity

In the operation of an organization, the management teams undertake various functions such as decision making. Lack of communication may limit the management teams’ capacity to make rational decisions. This arises from the complexity of the decision to be implemented.

In addition, the decision to be implemented may involve huge risks which might affect the firm’s operation as a going concern entity. This means that communication must be conducted prior to making any decision.

For example, considering the dynamic nature of business environment, it is paramount for firms to develop a high competitive advantage. There are various avenues via which this can be achieved. One of them is formation of mergers and acquisition. The core objective of formation of mergers and acquisition is to attain synergy in the new entity (Cartwright& Cooper, 2006).

However, there is a high probability of the new entity not attaining the intended synergy. One of the reasons which might result in this is lack of effective communication between the two firms involved. Undertaking a merger and acquisition requires incorporation of a comprehensive collaborative decision making.

This will ensure that all the parties involved have similar information regarding the impact of the decision on each firm. In addition, communication prior to implementation of the decision will aid in the determination of the existing degree of fitness between the two firms.

Ensuring prior communication prior to implementation of the decision will aid in minimizing chances of the merger failing (Cartwright& Cooper, 2006, p.65). This arises from the fact that it will be possible to determine the existence of goal congruency between the two firms. A considerable amount of resources are involved in the process of conducting a merger and acquisition.

If there is not sufficient communication, determination of the fit between the two firms may be hindered. Upon implementing such a decision, there is a high probability of the firm failing leading into enormous financial loss. Ensuring communication prior to undertaking such decision enables the firm’s management team in determine the most effective way through which the decision will be implemented.

Communication and Decision Making: Problem-Solving Effectiveness

In the operation of an organization, there is a probability of conflicts occurring amongst the employees. This arises from the existence of differences between employees. Inevitability of conflicts also arises from the fact that employees interact regularly in their duties (Coombs, 2010, p.340).

Conflicts may result into increase in the level of stress amongst the employees. This has the effect of reducing the employees’ productivity and hence the firm’s performance. It is the role of a firm’s management team to solve the conflicts amicably. This can only be attained via making an effective decision.

When a conflict exists in organizations, there is a high probability of it being suppressed. This worsens the situation by increasing the level of stress amongst the employees. Communication can help the management in understanding the nature of the conflict (Coombs, 2010, p.350). In addition, the degree of certainty regarding the problem is improved.

This arises from the fact that the management team is able to obtain numerous facts regarding the problem (Politi & Street, 2010). In order to solve the problem, a comprehensive decision making process should be undertaken. The first step entails identification of the existing problem.

Problem identification ensures that the decision made will result into a solution of the identified problem (Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly & Konopaske, 2009, p.36). At this stage, effective communication is paramount in helping the manager identify the problem. There is no need of the decision process progressing if the problem is not well identified.

There are a number of alternatives available to the management team in solving the problem. In order to identify the available alternatives, managers are required to gather sufficient amount of information. This will serve in increasing the validity of the decision made. According to Coombs (2010, p.360), conflicts within an organization may affect employees within various departments.

Various employees working in different departments have got different ways which they can consider most effective to solve the problem. By ensuring that there is an effective communication between the various groups, it is possible for the management to organize discussions so as to solicit the views of the employees.

Despite disagreements arising during the discussion, there is a high probability of the employees cooperating with the decision made since they were given an opportunity to express their views (Joanne, Dulek & Hale, 2007, p.68). The resultant effect communicating via group discussions when solving problems in an organization is that the quality of the decision made is high.

This increases the effectiveness with which the existing problem is solved. After identification of the various alternatives, the management team should evaluate the alternatives to consider the most effective to consider when making the decision. The model below gives an illustration of the decision making process in an organization.

The dynamic nature of external environment has an effect on a firm’s operation and long-term survival. As a result, it has become vital for firms to undertake various changes on their operations so as to align themselves with the external environment.

Some of the changes to be undertaken are aimed at improving an organization’s operation efficiency. The intended change can either be major or minor. Despite the magnitude of the intended change, it might result into employee resistance.

In order to undertake the intended change, a number of decisions have to be made. The change resulting from the decision made by the management team affects the entire organization. Therefore, it is the responsibility of a firm’s management team to ensure that all the members of the various departments cooperate.

This makes the implementation process to be efficient by eliminating employee resistance (Richardson, 2008.p.2). The decision to make a change should not be imposed to the subordinate members of the organization.

It is important to ensure that all the employees are conversant with the decision to undertake the change prior to its implementation. In addition, the employees should be aware of how the decision to undertake the change will affect them.

This will increase their commitment in the process of implementing the decision. Therefore, ensuring effective communication within the organization will ensure that the firms’ management team understands the employees’ perception regarding the decision.

Communication and Decision Making: Research & Development

Considering the dynamic nature of business environment, conduction of research and development is vital if the firm is to survive as a going concern. The importance of research and development has further been enhanced by the current rate of globalization. This is mainly so for firms which are in very volatile economic sectors such as those which deal with software development.

Decisions relating to research and development may emanate internally or externally. According to Hirokawa and Marshall (2008, p.53), creating a rapport between the organization and the various parties involved via communication helps in identification of the necessary research and development. In addition, communication helps in the identification of the changes occurring in the business environment.

This arises from the fact that the organization is able to obtain market feedback via communication (Martinsons & Davison, 2007). The resultant effect is that the firm is able to undertake modifications to its research and development thus increasing the chances of attaining a high competitive advantage.

The success of every organization depends on the effectiveness of the decisions made by the firm’s management team. From the analysis, it is evident that the quality of decision made is dependent on the effectiveness of communication within the organization.

These sentiments are underscored by Aaron (2006, p. 32) who asserts that despite the vision statement that a firm has, lack of effective communication can result into failure in their attainment. The decisions to be implemented may affect the employees’ negatively thus limiting their productivity. Imposing a decision on the employees which they are not aware of may result into resistance.

Through effective organizational communication, the employees become aware of the decision prior to the change. This increases the probability of them cooperating during the implementation process. In addition, communication helps in effective decision making via identification of the existing problem. Problem identification is the first step in the decision making process within an organization.

Effective communication increases the degree of certainty with regard to the problem being solved. For example, the existing problem may relate to conflicts between the firm’s employees. Without effective identification of the problem, there is a high probability of the decision made not solving the existing problem. This means that the entire decision making process was a mere waste of time.

Through communication, it is possible for the management team to determine the complexity of the intended decision with regard to its effect on the employees. The management team may consider involving the employees in finding a more optimal solution by communicating the intended decision. The resultant effect is that the firm is able to identify the appropriateness of the decision via identification of various alternatives.

In order to ensure that the decision made is effective, it is paramount for firms’ management teams to enhance effective communication. In order to achieve this, firm’s management teams should consider the following recommendations.

There should be free flow of information within organizations. This will ensure that all the stakeholders are conversant with the organization’s internal environment. This will culminate into minimization of the probability of resistance occurring.

In order to achieve this, firm’s management team should consider incorporating a bottom-up organization style. This will ensure free flow of information from the employees in the subordinate level to the top management.

All the stakeholders to the decision should be involved. This will ensure that a sufficient level of awareness is created thus increasing the probability of participation during the implementation process.

In order to ensure effective communication within the organization, firms’ management team should incorporate information technology so as to effectively manage information flow within and without the organization.

Firms’ management teams should ensure that the organization has got an effective team dynamics. One of the ways through which this can be attained is by ensuring that there is effective communication within the organization. The resultant effect is that the degree of collaboration in decision making will be improved.

Aaron, S. (2006). Effective communication helps business run more smoothly. Journal of management. Vol. 4, issue 5, pp. 23-34. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cartwright, S. & Cooper, C. (2006). Managing mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances . New Jersey: Butterworth Heinnemann.

Coombs, T. (2010). Impact of past crises on current crisis communication: insight from situational crisis communication theory. Journal of business communication . Vol. 412, issue 4, pp. 390-419.

Ellen, M. & Almonte, R. (2009). Essential of business communication. New York: Cengage Learning.

Gibson, J. L., Ivancevich, J. M., Donnelly, J. H., & Konopaske, R. (2009). Organizations: Behavior, structure, processes. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Hirokawa, R. & Marshall, P. (2008). Communication and group decision making . New York: Sage.

Joanne, E., Dulek, R.E. & Hale, D. (2007). Crisis response communication challenges: building theory from qualitative data. Journal of Business communication. Vol. 41, issue 3, pp. 112-134.

Martinsons, M. & Davison, R. (2007). Strategic decision making and support systems: comparing American, Japanese and Chinese management . Journal of management . Vol. 43, issue 1, pp. 284-300. Amsterdam: Elsevier Communication.

Politi, M. & Street, R. (2010). The importance of communication in collaborative decision making: facilitating shared mind and the management of uncertainty. International journal of public health and policy. Vol. 3, issue 5, pp. 26-45. Washington: Blackwell Publishers.

Poole, M. & Ahmed, I. (2008). Decision making process in organizations. Journal of Communication Studies . Vol. 4, issue 3, pp. 45-54.

Richardson, J. (2008). Management of conflict in organizations: effective communication in conflict resolution. Journal of health. Washington: Bnet.

• Poor Interoffice Communication
• Communication Gaps in the Organization
• The Complexity of Management
• Communication in Business Affects Probability
• The Crusades That We Undertake: A Retrospective Into the History
• The Importance of a Two-Way Business Communications Procedure
• Galveston Independent School Effective Leader
• Business Communications – Individual
• Detecting Lies in Negotiations
• The Uses of Company Websites
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, June 7). Importance of Communication in Decision Making. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-communication-in-making-decision-in-organizations/

"Importance of Communication in Decision Making." IvyPanda , 7 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-communication-in-making-decision-in-organizations/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Importance of Communication in Decision Making'. 7 June.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Importance of Communication in Decision Making." June 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-communication-in-making-decision-in-organizations/.

1. IvyPanda . "Importance of Communication in Decision Making." June 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-communication-in-making-decision-in-organizations/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Importance of Communication in Decision Making." June 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-communication-in-making-decision-in-organizations/.

Essay on Importance Of Effective Communication

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance Of Effective Communication in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance Of Effective Communication

Understanding each other.

When people talk and listen well, they understand each other better. Just like friends sharing secrets, clear talking and careful listening make sure no one gets confused or upset. It’s like playing catch – if you throw and catch well, the game goes on smoothly.

Getting Things Done

Good communication is like a key that opens doors. At school or at home, when you explain what you need clearly, it’s easier for others to help you. It’s like giving clear directions to someone so they can find the way without getting lost.

Building Relationships

Talking and listening to each other is the glue in friendships. When we share our thoughts and feelings, we grow closer. It’s like building a bridge between two islands, making it easier to meet in the middle.

Stopping Arguments

When we talk clearly and listen to what others say, many fights can be avoided. It’s like seeing a stop sign before a crash happens – it keeps everyone safe from misunderstandings and hurt feelings.

250 Words Essay on Importance Of Effective Communication

Why good communication matters, learning together.

In school, if a teacher explains lessons in a way that’s easy to get, students can understand and remember things better. If students ask questions and give answers clearly, everyone learns more. This is why being good at talking and listening can help in getting good grades and knowing more.

Work and Teamwork

At work, if a boss tells workers what to do in a simple, clear way, the job gets done right. If team members talk to each other well, they can work together without getting mixed up. This means the work is better and everyone is happier.

Making Friends

With friends, talking and listening are keys to having fun and helping each other. When we share stories and listen to what others say, friendships grow. If we can’t talk well or don’t listen, misunderstandings happen, and feelings might get hurt.

Solving Problems

When there’s a problem, talking in a calm and clear way can fix things faster. If we listen to others and explain our side without getting mad, most problems can be solved easily.

In short, good communication is a superpower for learning, working, making friends, and solving problems. It’s a skill worth getting better at every day.

500 Words Essay on Importance Of Effective Communication

What is effective communication, why is talking well important.

Imagine you have a great idea during a class project. You share it with your friends, and because you explain it well, they all get excited and want to help. This is one reason why talking well is important. It helps us share our ideas and feelings in a way that others can understand. When we talk well, we make friends, solve problems, and get things done.

Listening is Part of Talking Well

Talking isn’t just about speaking; it’s also about listening. When we listen, we learn what others think and feel. This helps us to know them better and to work together well. Good listeners show they care about what the other person is saying. This makes the other person feel important and happy to talk more.

How Does Talking Well Help at School?

Talking well helps with problems.

Sometimes we have disagreements or problems with others. Effective communication helps us solve these problems. When we talk about what’s bothering us in a calm and clear way, we can find solutions faster. It’s like untangling a knot instead of pulling it tighter.

Talking Well is Important for the Future

As you grow up, you will meet many new people and do different things. You might work on big projects, help others, or lead a group. To do these things well, you need to talk well. People who communicate effectively are often chosen for important tasks and leadership roles because others trust them to share ideas and information clearly.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Organization and Structure

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

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There is no single organizational pattern that works well for all writing across all disciplines; rather, organization depends on what you’re writing, who you’re writing it for, and where your writing will be read. In order to communicate your ideas, you’ll need to use a logical and consistent organizational structure in all of your writing. We can think about organization at the global level (your entire paper or project) as well as at the local level (a chapter, section, or paragraph). For an American academic situation, this means that at all times, the goal of revising for organization and structure is to consciously design your writing projects to make them easy for readers to understand. In this context, you as the writer are always responsible for the reader's ability to understand your work; in other words, American academic writing is writer-responsible. A good goal is to make your writing accessible and comprehensible to someone who just reads sections of your writing rather than the entire piece. This handout provides strategies for revising your writing to help meet this goal.

Note that this resource focuses on writing for an American academic setting, specifically for graduate students. American academic writing is of course not the only standard for academic writing, and researchers around the globe will have different expectations for organization and structure. The OWL has some more resources about writing for American and international audiences here .

Whole-Essay Structure

While organization varies across and within disciplines, usually based on the genre, publication venue, and other rhetorical considerations of the writing, a great deal of academic writing can be described by the acronym IMRAD (or IMRaD): Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. This structure is common across most of the sciences and is often used in the humanities for empirical research. This structure doesn't serve every purpose (for instance, it may be difficult to follow IMRAD in a proposal for a future study or in more exploratory writing in the humanities), and it is often tweaked or changed to fit a particular situation. Still, its wide use as a base for a great deal of scholarly writing makes it worthwhile to break down here.

• Introduction : What is the purpose of the study? What were the research questions? What necessary background information should the reader understand to help contextualize the study? (Some disciplines include their literature review section as part of the introduction; some give the literature review its own heading on the same level as the other sections, i.e., ILMRAD.) Some writers use the CARS model to help craft their introductions more effectively.
• Methods: What methods did the researchers use? How was the study conducted? If the study included participants, who were they, and how were they selected?
• Results : This section lists the data. What did the researchers find as a result of their experiments (or, if the research is not experimental, what did the researchers learn from the study)? How were the research questions answered?
• Discussion : This section places the data within the larger conversation of the field. What might the results mean? Do these results agree or disagree with other literature cited? What should researchers do in the future?

Depending on your discipline, this may be exactly the structure you should use in your writing; or, it may be a base that you can see under the surface of published pieces in your field, which then diverge from the IMRAD structure to meet the expectations of other scholars in the field. However, you should always check to see what's expected of you in a given situation; this might mean talking to the professor for your class, looking at a journal's submission guidelines, reading your field's style manual, examining published examples, or asking a trusted mentor. Every field is a little different.

Outlining & Reverse Outlining

One of the most effective ways to get your ideas organized is to write an outline. A traditional outline comes as the pre-writing or drafting stage of the writing process. As you make your outline, think about all of the concepts, topics, and ideas you will need to include in order to accomplish your goal for the piece of writing. This may also include important citations and key terms. Write down each of these, and then consider what information readers will need to know in order for each point to make sense. Try to arrange your ideas in a way that logically progresses, building from one key idea or point to the next.

Questions for Writing Outlines

• What are the main points I am trying to make in this piece of writing?
• What background information will my readers need to understand each point? What will novice readers vs. experienced readers need to know?
• In what order do I want to present my ideas? Most important to least important, or least important to most important? Chronologically? Most complex to least complex? According to categories? Another order?

Reverse outlining comes at the drafting or revision stage of the writing process. After you have a complete draft of your project (or a section of your project), work alone or with a partner to read your project with the goal of understanding the main points you have made and the relationship of these points to one another. The OWL has another resource about reverse outlining here.

Questions for Writing Reverse Outlines

• What topics are covered in this piece of writing?
• In what order are the ideas presented? Is this order logical for both novice and experienced readers?
• Is adequate background information provided for each point, making it easy to understand how one idea leads to the next?
• What other points might the author include to further develop the writing project?

Organizing at the sentence and paragraph level

Signposting.

Signposting is the practice of using language specifically designed to help orient readers of your text. We call it signposting because this practice is like leaving road signs for a driver — it tells your reader where to go and what to expect up ahead. Signposting includes the use of transitional words and phrasing, and they may be explicit or more subtle. For example, an explicit signpost might say:

This section will cover Topic A­­ and Topic B­­­­­.

A more subtle signpost might look like this:

It's important to consider the impact of Topic A­­ and Topic B­­­­­.

The style of signpost you use will depend on the genre of your paper, the discipline in which you are writing, and your or your readers’ personal preferences. Regardless of the style of signpost you select, it’s important to include signposts regularly. They occur most frequently at the beginnings and endings of sections of your paper. It is often helpful to include signposts at mid-points in your project in order to remind readers of where you are in your argument.

Questions for Identifying and Evaluating Signposts

• How and where does the author include a phrase, sentence, or short group of sentences that explains the purpose and contents of the paper?
• How does each section of the paper provide a brief summary of what was covered earlier in the paper?
• How does each section of the paper explain what will be covered in that section?
• How does the author use transitional words and phrases to guide readers through ideas (e.g. however, in addition, similarly, nevertheless, another, while, because, first, second, next, then etc.)?

WORKS CONSULTED

Clark, I. (2006). Writing the successful thesis and dissertation: Entering the conversation . Prentice Hall Press.

Davis, M., Davis, K. J., & Dunagan, M. (2012). Scientific papers and presentations . Academic press.

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