20 Tips for Effective Employee Communications

Evan Magner April 22, 2022

A good communication strategy is essential if you want to achieve success within your company. 86% of employees and executives blame the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the leading causes of errors in the workplace. Effective employee communication is your key to promoting a peaceful and successful work environment. All you need are the right communication channels and communication tools such as social media (including LinkedIn), intranet, and memos to have good communication.

Below are the top 20 effective employee communication tips that you may use to engage your staff members.

a group of employees communicating with each other

1. Use of Open Team Meetings

The open team meeting is one of the best employee communication strategies that you can rely on in the workplace. This internal communication approach can help you communicate your passion, feelings, and satisfaction to your staff members easily. Your employees will clearly get what you are passing across to them and see or feel it especially when you choose face-to-face communication methods.

2. Communication Through Emails

Email communication in the workplace remains potent. This communication channel enables you to pass important messages to your team members without forcing them to abandon their positions. Through email communication, you can reach out to different workers, including those on remote work. Furthermore, email communication is a turning for those working from home during this time of the pandemic. With that being said, make sure to include the right address of the email recipients before pressing the “send” button on your smartphone, laptop, or desktop.

3. Choose a One-On-One Communication Approach

According to communication experts, a significant number of people understand some concepts better when subjected a face-to-face communication. You may take advantage of this form of open communication to deliver vital company news to your staff members in real-time. Maintain eye contact every time you engage your employees. After all, face communication uplifts employee morale creates a memorable employee experience and upholds your company culture.

4. Promote a Receptive Atmosphere

For you to communicate with your employees effectively, you need to provide a receptive atmosphere. Poor communication can create a tense environment, making it impossible for your target audience to get your message clearly.

5. Take Training Seriously

Your workforce will take training seriously especially if it involves their appraisal. For that reason, make sure the training helps employees communicate certain information that is of great importance to the company.

6. Show Some Confidence and Seriousness.

Devise a communication plan that will display your seriousness and confidence whenever you are addressing your team members. If your employees notice uncertainty and lack of confidence in you, they will likely disregard your information.

7. Use Simple Vocabulary

one employee talking and helping the other employee

Whether it is one-way communication or two-way communication, use simple words. This is because not every staff member or human resource in your organization can be on the same page with you when it comes to the use of some words. Keep everything simple and straight to the point to avoid unnecessary confusion.

8. Take Advantage of Visuals

Using visuals is part of effective employee communication tips. In fact, approximately 93% of effective communication is nonverbal. Place visuals at different strategic locations around your workstations for your team to access information in real-time. Visuals in the form of digital signage can help your team members see and hear information at any given time. This gives room for positive employee feedback and better comprehension.

Some advantages of digital signage in the workplace:

Digital signage enhances internal communication, which leads to 25% higher employee productivity.
In fact, companies that communicate effectively are 4x more likely to report high levels of employee engagement.
Digital signage helps in the workplace with employee recognition. Employees who feel appreciated are 60% more inspired to work harder.
Visuals get 94% more views than text-based information.

9. Lend Your Ear to the Team Members

Communication is key to interacting with your team of employees. Besides, communication is two-way traffic. Don’t take advantage of your position to talk without listening to your employees’ feedback and suggestions. Instead, encourage them to freely express themselves, ask questions, and discuss important points that can positively impact your business.

10. Use Body Language

When it comes to communication, your body language plays an active role. As a matter of fact, body language will undoubtedly pass your message better and faster. For instance, you may stand, sit, smile, maintain eye contact, and handshake. Using gestures is also important, especially for business communication when presenting an idea to your workers or audience.

11. Choose the Right Tone of Voice

The tone of voice you choose can affect your communication. The tone can also alter the meaning of one or several words. In this sense, use the appropriate tone to communicate your message to avoid being misunderstood.

12. Avoid Repeating Yourself

For your team members to take your message seriously, avoid repeating the same words or phrases. This creates monotony and boredom among your employees.

13. Use Presentations

If you carry out a successful employee survey, you discover that some get messages quickly when sounds and pictures are used. Using presentation tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Sheets on digital signage can make the communication between you and your employees effectively.

14. Apply a Sense of Humor

employees laughing in a meeting over a joke

You may include a few friendly jokes in your communication to create a lighter moment when the situation is intense. Humor helps your employees feel relaxed because it douses tension.

15. Try as Much as Possible to be Articulate

Communication is a skill that you should learn if you want to lead others. So, being articulate while communicating with your staff members can make it easier for everyone to understand your messages.

16. Learn to Be Appreciative

Being appreciative is an effective employee communication tip that encourages employee retention in most companies. Once you make your workers feel appreciated through communication, you can always count on them when it comes to performance.

17. Implement Intranet Software

You may improve your workplace communication by implementing intranet software. This software solution comprises tools that streamline day-to-day business processes. It is also a robust internal communication platform that comprises easy-to-use collaboration tools. Intranet software will empower your team members to connect and share information among themselves.

Social media is a powerful tool for business communication. You can virtually meet and interact with your customers and prospects in real-time. Apart from that, social media can enhance internal collaboration between you and your team members.

19. Assess Your Internal Communication Strategy

Communication methods such as messaging, phone calls, and videoconferencing are ideal for various forms of communication. Slack is another tool that can effectively make your internal communication efficient and effective. On that note, make a complete list of your existing internal communication methods to determine what is effective and what is not.

20. Consider the Anonymous Suggestion Forums

Even though suggestion boxes may sound old school, they are a great way to enhance communication in the workplace. Through suggestion boxes, your employees can effectively share their concerns regardless of whether they are major topics or trivial. Remember, some employees may not be comfortable being too vocal on public platforms, so consider a top-down approach by offering an accessible anonymous option to them.

Effective Communication = Higher Productivity

group of employees joining hands in teamwork. — Group of Asian team creative business people join hands partnership teamwork concept

Take a moment from your busy schedule to learn and practice effective employee communication tips such as those highlighted above. Also, evaluate different communication tools, like digital signage, to implement to make your employees feel involved and engaged. Doing so will certainly help everyone in your company avoid confusion and miscommunication.