Recently I was promoted, from my position of Sr Software Developer and team lead, to Director of Customer Experience, directing a team of 15 people at ClubReady, Inc. I have 4 software developers that work for me, and 11 customer support and training personnel. One thing I've noticed, not just at ClubReady, is that people often times have a hard time communicating with others, be that in person, or electronically. Over the years I've learned a thing or two about communicating, so I wanted to put together a list of ways to help people communicate better in your professional career.
I don't think I've always been a good communicator, so I do believe it is something that anyone can work at, and improve. As a kid, I was pretty shy, I didn't like getting up in front of people and speaking, and I clearly remember missing out on a holiday concert in preschool when I cried my eyes out because I didn't want to sing in front of a crowd. At some point though, that changed, I really don't know when that was? If I could attribute it to one thing, I guess it was likely my 6 years of band (saxophone) in middle/high school. In College I managed to be a DJ on the college radio station after interviewing for the program multiple times, though it wasn't really until after college that I started doing any public speaking.
As a software developer I somehow managed to start presenting at user groups, which led to presentations at conferences, and then full fledged training courses and travelling all over the world showing people how to use DotNetNuke. So I've learned a thing or two about communicating with people over the years.
I'll go ahead and state that I am not perfect in my communication, but I do believe that I communicate better than most people, though they can easily improve their communication by following some of these simple things.
Here are 5 easy things you can do to communicate better. The overall theme is simply Communicate More.
1. Ask Questions
A great way to communicate more is to ask questions. If you have a problem that you need help with, and you've spent time trying to figure out, reach out to a peer, or even your boss, and ask them for help. In doing so you make other people feel valuable, and you also show that you are willing to ask for help when needed, they might do the same back to you. That doesn't mean for everything you need to do you should ask for help, do your due diligence when trying to solve a problem, put some effort into it, but don't sit and spin your wheels over and over, ask for help. Often times another set of eyes will find an answer to a problem that you've overlooked.
2. Don't Assume
Do not assume that your coworkers have the same understanding of something as you do. If you're asking for help, or asking someone to do something, be sure to bring that person up to speed on whatever the topic is. Be clear, and provide the information without being prompted. Example: If you are bringing someone into a chain of emails, asking them to do something that has come up in that chain, provide a summary of the issue, and be very clear as to what you need from that person. If you include multiple people on an email. be sure to call out the individual tasks you need and who you need to complete them.
3. Over Share
One of the best things you can do as an employee is to make sure that your boss, and other members on your team, know what you are working on. Communicate the status of your tasks or projects, be open about what you are working on, what struggles you are having, and when something will be completed. If you can prevent someone from having to come to you to ask for an update on the status of something, that is one less thing they need to worry about during their busy day. It also helps to ensure that people know you exist and are providing value to the team/company.
4. Be Honest
Often times when you do something wrong, in business, or in life, other people are going to know. Even if they don't know up front, they ultimately will figure it out. It is far better for you to tell them, than for you to dance around the issue. If you screw up, own it, understand how you screwed up, tell the appropriate people, and come up with ways in the future to prevent the same thing from happening. Being honest goes a long way to building up trust in business, and personal relationships.
5. Ditch The Email
When it comes down to it, email itself is a pretty poor way to communicate. It can be useful, but it is also a great way to convey the wrong message. It is very easy to misread an email, or read it with a tone that the author didn't intend. To avoid some of these common problems, simply ditch email. If you're in the same office building as the person you need to communicate with, go to them and have a face to face conversation. If you can't do face to face, pick up the phone, give them a call.
As with anything in life, the best way to improve with something is to practice. Start communicating more with your coworkers tomorrow.