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Increase Productivity, Morale, and Retention: They Key is Improved Communication

By Molly Epstein, Ph.D.

This article originally appeared in Competitive Edge Magazine

Imagine how much more profitable your businesses would be if you increased your productivity by seven weeks each year. You can dramatically increase productivity by improving the efficiency of communication. In a recent OfficeTeam survey, executives estimated that 14% of each 40-hour work week is wasted due to poor communication between staff and managers (Armour). That is the equivalent of losing seven weeks of every year due to poor communication. In addition to errors, missed deadlines, and lost opportunities, faulty communication can reduce employee morale and job performance, as well as leave your business at a competitive disadvantage. In addition to determining productivity levels for the entire organization, communication skills also determine executive success. Eighty-five percent of executive success is associated with the ability to communicate effectively (Tracy). The quality of a manager's communication determines the manager's success, which may, in turn, determine the organization's success.

While more effective communication is not a panacea for any organization's challenges, it can yield immediate results that will benefit both morale and the bottom line. Efficient communication minimizes frustration, increases confidence, and creates strong rapport among colleagues. Some people are naturally talented communicators, but even they will benefit from focusing on communication skills.

Listening

Peter Drucker has pointed out that "Communication is the act of the recipient." To receive communication, you must be a skillful listener. Everyone wants to feel as though their ideas are valued and that they are heard when they make a suggestion, no matter how minor. When employees don't feel heard, they begin to feel alienated from the organization. A recent survey conducted by Aon Consultant's Loyalty Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan asked employees what they valued. Respondents were divided into two groups - those who were committed to their jobs, and those who planned to leave the organization. Committed employees had a 30% higher level of satisfaction with two important aspects of feeling heard (AMA). Feeling heard can actually increase employee loyalty and employee productivity. By building better listening skills ourselves and encouraging our colleagues to build their listening skills, we can begin to lay the groundwork for effective communication.

  1. Stop talking - To be better listeners, we must listen more and talk less. Encourage employees to share their points of view and opinions.  To listen most effectively, clear your mind of any prejudice about the speaker and any preference for a specific answer. Open your mind to the possibility that the solution to the problem can come from any source.

  2. Provide feedback - Make an effort to provide feedback that lets the speaker know you are listening. Establish eye contact, nod your head in agreement or disagreement, take notes if necessary, ask questions at the appropriate time, and ask the speaker to clarify unclear points. This ensures that the speaker knows that you are listening and interested in the message. The more comfortable speakers feel, the more information they will share.

  3. Minimize distractions - When you are talking to others within your organization, increase your ability to listen by minimizing distractions. Hold your conversation in a place where you won't be distracted by your telephone, a stack of unopened mail, or any external noise. Multi-tasking decreases our ability to truly listen. In the long run, you'll save time by holding the conversation in a place where you and your colleague must focus solely on the conversation.

  4. Focus on ideas, not executions - People frequently present ideas in a fully executed format. Beware not to focus so strongly on the execution presented that you miss the idea behind it. For example, you manufacture widgets and an employee from shipping mentions that you could sell more widgets if your widgets were blue rather than red. The blue widget is not the idea itself, but an execution of an idea that involves color variations of your product. By focusing on the idea, you can determine if a product color change could benefit sales.

  5. Listen for main points - Not all speakers are as articulate as they would like to be. A rambling, repetitive comment has deep meaning to the speaker, even if it is confusing to the listener. However, we can be the best listeners possible if we listen for main points. Perhaps these points are repeated several ways, or perhaps they are never stated, but illustrated with several examples. The responsibility then shifts to the listener to clarify the speaker's message.

  6. Repeat or rephrase unclear points - Clarify unclear messages by repeating or rephrasing unclear points. For example, if an employee provides four illustrations of ways to more efficiently package your product, let the employee know you understand the concern: "What I hear you saving is that we could be packaging our product more efficiently.” The next step is then to solicit suggestions from this observant employee about how we could increase efficiency.

  7. Ask questions - When an employee discovers an area in which the organization could improve, make certain to use that employee as a resource for a solution. Ask, "Do you have any suggestions about how we could more efficiently package our product?" If the employee does not have any ideas at that time, ask him or her to continue thinking about it, and then follow up within the week. Even if this conversation does not yield a solution, you have heard the employee and let him or her know that you are interested in any solutions they may develop.

The ability to listen is as vital to your ability to communicate as is your ability to speak or write. Malcolm Forbes said, "The art of conversation lies in listening," and so does the art of communication.

Begin with a Strategy

No matter which form of communication you choose, you will be more successful if you begin with a communication strategy. A communication strategy encourages you to focus on the desired outcome of the communication, and then provides steps to ensure that you achieve that outcome. In her book Guide to Managerial Communication: Effective Business Writing & Speaking, Dartmouth College professor Mary Munter recommends a strategy that follows these steps:

 

  1. Determine your objectives. Before you begin, determine the desired outcome of this communication. Then, decide upon which communication style is most effective - direct, indirect, or collaborative.  Finally, decide on the degree of credibility you have with your audience. Your degree of credibility will determine how you introduce yourself and your topic.

  2. Analyze your audience. By understanding your audience, you can craft your message specifically toward them, choosing language and logic that is most likely to be meaningful. Your audience's attitude toward your topic and their pre-existing knowledge of the topic will determine how much information you should provide. Finally, what motivates your audience? By identifying what motivates them, you can position your message accurately.

  3. Determine your message. Structure your message strategically based upon your audience analysis. Use either the direct or indirect approach, depending upon your audience. Organize your message based on the audience's likely response to the form of logic you choose.

  4. Choose a channel of delivery. Determine if your message will be best delivered in the written or spoken channel. Then determine if the message is best delivered formally or informally, to individuals or to a group.  The delivery of your message is key - you cannot control how your audience receives the message, but you can strategically plan the delivery.

  5. Adapt for cultural context. Finally, remember to adapt your message for the audience's culture. Culture impacts how we view time, space, body language, and vocal intonation. Cultural differences can range from ethnic heritage to corporate cultural differences. You have the greatest opportunity for successful communication if you remember that your audience's cultural perspective greatly impacts how they receive your message.

Writing

It has been estimated that the average business professional spends almost half of his or her workday on written materials. Each businessperson spends 2.17 hours writing, and 1.62 hours reading, reviewing, and editing. That's 3.78 hours per day on written communication! Before you begin to write or ask someone else to write, determine if a written message is indeed the most effective way to deliver your message. The written format is the best choice when:

  1. The message is complicated and requires detailed information

  2. You and the reader require a permanent record of the communication

  3. You need time to precisely craft the message before delivering it

If the written format is the best choice, begin by committing to write in "Plain English" – or language that is free from jargon or highly technical terms. Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, recently joined the Securities Exchange Commission in their crusade to eliminate complex and confusing language and replace it with "Plain English." In the preface to A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents, Buffett says that if you write in Plain English, "you will be amazed at how much smarter your readers will think you have become." ( 1)

While the SEC's handbook presents a familiar message, it does so with new credibility and urgency. Here are some of the time-honored suggestions:

  1. Use Active Voice - Avoid passive voice and use active by choosing a basic subject-verb-object sentence structure. Active voice ensures clarity and conciseness.

  • Active: The investor buys the stock.

  • Passive: The stock is bought by the investor.

  • Passive with subject deleted: The stock is bought.

  1. Add Personal Pronouns - Pronouns improve clarity dramatically and enable you to write concisely. Most importantly, pronouns enable readers to understand what applies to them and what applies to the writer.

  2. Omit Superfluous Words - Superfluous words are those that can be replaced with fewer words that mean the same thing. Rather than using "because of the fact that," simply use "because." Whenever possible, use the language that allows you to convey your message in the fewest words possible.

  3. Use Short Sentences - Readers are busy and may be easily distracted. Keep your sentences short to ensure that your reader understands your message. First, eliminate any jargon or superfluous words. Then, break long sentences into two or more shorter sentences. Your reader will thank you!

The purpose of written communication is to effectively convey your message – not to establish your wittiness or command of industry-specific language.  By writing in the simplest language possible, you ensure that your reader successfully understands your message.

Electronic Communication

In many organizations, electronic messages have almost completely replaced hard copies of memos and telephone calls. Web sites provide the background information that was once presented in brochures and presentations. Electronic communication has become one of the most important and frequent ways of communicating today. Yet, we must remember that electronic communication, though immediate, is still written communication. Therefore, use care when you compose an electronic message!

  1. Correctness - Since e-mail has, in many cases, replaced hard copy memos, follow the same guidelines for correctness that you would if writing a paper memo. When writing the text for a web site, use the same attention to detail that you would use in creating a printed corporate brochure. If you would hire a copywriter for a corporate printed brochure, hire a copywriter for your web site. Compose your message using your communication strategy, taking into consideration your objective and audience, crafting your message carefully, and determining if the electronic channel is indeed the best channel choice for this message. If the electronic channel is the best format, apply the same rules you would with any written document. Use spell check, document design, and ensure that you have tailored your message to the audience. In web sites, have readers from your target audience navigate the site to ensure that it is set up logically and presents information in a way that is meaningful and helpful to the reader.

  2. Confidentiality - While it is highly unlikely that your organizational web site would be targeted by hackers, your site is vulnerable. Hackers can enter into your web site and add or delete text. Assign someone to monitor your web site each day to ensure that your site is sending the message you intend.

Remember that e-mail is forever - some computer systems keep a permanent record of all messages sent and received. E-mail, if sent from an organization-wide system, may be considered property of the organization. Therefore, say in e-mail only those things you would want known publicly. There have been several high-profile cases recently where personal messages sent via organizational e-mail systems have become public and used in legal battles.  The "forward" message function enables the receiver of your message to easily forward it to literally thousands of recipients. Avoid this potential tangle by writing in e-mail messages only that which you would say in a widely circulated paper memo.

Reaping the Benefits of Communications

Effective communication can dramatically increase your productivity, morale, and retention. But to encourage our employees to communicate, we must welcome employees' input on a variety of topics. The Workforce Commitment Index study identified five key factors that impact retention. The strongest influence on employee retention is a "Fearless Culture" in which an organization encourages employees to challenge the way things are done. In a fearless culture, employees are free to speak up and against the status quo without a fear of retribution. Therefore, to create a fearless culture, we must be willing and able to encourage open, honest communication between management and employees. In a fearless culture, employees are free to present ideas about ways to improve efficiency, and they are also free to voice their concerns. This does not mean that power shifts to the employees, but rather that there is free flow of information between employees and management. Through effective communication, we can embrace all the benefits of a fearless culture - including increased morale, efficiency, and higher employee retention.

Molly Epstein is Assistant Professor in the Practice of Management Communication at Emory University's Goizueta Business School where she specializes in communication skills training for MBA and BBA students.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

Communication Strategy

 Munter, Mary. Guide to Managerial Communication: Effective Business Writing and Speaking. Fourth Edition. Prentice Hall, 1997.

Writing in Plain English

Office of Investor Education and Assistance, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents. 1999. (To order, call l-800-SEC-0330.  To download a PDF file, go to the SEC Handbook web page)

Cross Cultural Communication

Kenton, Sherron and Deborah Valentine. Cross-Talk: Communicating in a Multi-cultural Workplace. Prentice Hall, 1997.

Correct Writing

Stoddard, Ken and Max Waters. Effective Writing: A Practical Grammar Review. Fourth Edition. McGraw-Hill, 1998.

American Management Association. Top Five Commitment Drivers. 1998

Armour, Stephanie. " Failure to Communicate Costly for Companies." USA Today, 09/30/98, O1B.

Munter, Mary. Guide to Managerial Communication: Effective Business Writing and Speaking. Fourth Edition. Prentice Hall, 1997.

Office of Investor Education and Assistance, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents. 1999.

Tracy, Brian. "Effective Communication." Executive Excellence. 10/0l/98, 13.