Have you ever been caught out for not listening? Or worried that you’re not getting your message across? Easter is a time for reflection so why not spend some time thinking about how well you’ve been communicating lately.

I have to confess that I have been caught out for not listening on more than one occasion, much to the frustration of my dear wife. My usual explanation is that I had something else on my mind or I was distracted because of some noise in the background e.g. the television. But the effect is the same. It appeared that I wasn’t interested or that what was being said wasn’t important. Has this ever happened to you?

Communication breakdowns are one of the biggest causes of disengagement in the workplace and with the increasing use of electronic media such as email, facebook and texting as preferred methods of contact, are we starting to lose some of those basic interpersonal skills such as active listening and getting your message across?

According to a 2015 Harvard Business Review poll of 1,000 US workers, 91% cited poor communication as a source of dissatisfaction with their leadership. The top three issues that prevented effective leadership were: Not recognising employee achievements; not giving clear directions and, not having time to meet with employees.

So while you are reflecting over Easter, here are three areas that you can focus on to make you a better communicator:

Practice your listening skills.

Start by removing distractions. If someone is trying to communicate with you let them know you are listening by making eye contact and removing any distractions such as putting down your mobile phone or turning away from your computer and closing your laptop. And if it’s not a convenient time, let them know that their communication is important to you and when a better time will be for you to focus on them.

Think about how you frame your message.

If your intentions are being misunderstood or you don’t feel you are getting your message across, it could be due to your delivery. Any aspect of your body language such as if you are stressed or angry can quickly override the message you are trying to deliver. So, bear in the mind the saying that “The meaning of my message is the response that I get” and plan important communications in advance noting how, where and when you will communicate and what outcomes you hope to achieve.

Make time to communicate.

We are all busy and our days tend to be consumed by the urgent and demanding tasks. But if you want to be a better communicator you need to make time to practice by setting aside time each day to interact with others. A colleague of mine would make it a daily routine to get out of his office and visit staff in what he called his ‘rounds’ so he could talk with and listen to what was going on with his team. These rounds were much more effective than any meetings!

We all have different communication styles and how well we interact with others can depend on their needs. Behavioural profiles such as DiSC® can help us understand our strengths and weaknesses and show us how to adapt our style to become better communicators. If communication is an issue for you or your team talk to us about how we can help improve engagement and productivity as well as bring greater harmony and alignment to your workplace.