mistakes of communication

Avoid These 10 Mistakes in Your Internal Communications Strategy Stop Sabotaging the Way You Communicate created by The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. ~ George Bernard Shaw FACT Without effective internal communication, your business is doomed. Without good communication methods, companies fall behind in productivity, profits, and employee satisfaction. What a good internal communications strategy should do: ? Help team members fully understand the company's objectives, values, and culture ? Turn your employees into brand ambassadors ? Build a company culture of honesty and trust ? Improve employee retention, engagement, and productivity ? Provide easy access to important information so everyone can perform their jobs well Mistake #1 Letting information just trickle down from the top ? The traditional "hierarchy" model of communication in which information trickles down from top management to front-line workers is fraught with problems. Slow distribution, misplaced data, and lost information are common issues. Assume nothing. ? Just because the CEO told the executive manager a piece of news doesn't mean it reached everyone that needed to hear it. ? And when important information and ideas actually do get passed along the chain of command, they often get distorted and misunderstood before they reach their final destination. ? Speed up the flow of information with a good communications strategy so that everyone stays on the same page. Mistake #2 Not asking for feedback Really, the only way to measure the effectiveness of your message is if the other person understood it. Here's a great definition of effective communication from ask.com: "Effective communication is a two-way process that includes sending the right message that is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s who is receiving it on the other end." You need two-way dialogue. ? Information is the simple sharing of facts, but communication implies a two-way dialogue. ? This is a really important distinction that can transform both your current and future communication strategies, so let's say it again: information and communication are not the same thing. Ask yourself how you communicate. ? Do you feel like you do communicate with your employees on a regular basis, but they're still "not ...