We’ve all been to that one meeting that should have been an email. We’ve witnessed a shouting match over some detail that could’ve been worked out in mere minutes. We’ve had that big project stuck in the pipeline because of so much unknowable delay.
Miscommunication is a pain in the bum, and for something so common in the workplace, it remains incredibly frustrating and hair-pulling simply because it shouldn’t be so difficult to talk in the first place. So what do we do to get everyone in the office to talk to each other better? Here are some great reminders to keep your team collab dreams intact.
First Impressions Last
When welcoming new members of your team, it’s worth remembering that garish parties aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea, and long-winded orientation seminars do little to help people settle more comfortably into their new offices. Office welcomes don’t have to be grand, and it certainly should never be a boring eight-hour talk.
The devil, as always, is in the littlest details: Show them around, let them ask questions, give them a proper walkthrough of office areas and amenities, and set aside a few minutes for a quick and easy hi-hello session with the rest of the team.
Never underestimate the power of first-day impressions.The way your office presents itself to a new teammate can quickly set the course for how they’ll work with you from that point on – and how open they will later be when it comes to talking things through!
Tone It Down
In these last few decades we’ve seen great companies keep stiff top-down managerial lingo to a very strict and bare minimum, for good reason: Except for the really formal things, modern workplaces now strive towards friendlier, more casual language. To nobody’s surprise, conversational tones take away a lot of the unnecessary tension and vagueness that comes with very old (and boring!) corporate speak.
It’s simply easier to collaborate with and talk to people who come off as friends rather than cold and impersonal colleagues, so toning it down and keeping everything light and easy makes for the smoothest-sailing work conversations you could ever hope to have.
Openness in (Nearly) Everything is Everything
A crucial detail in having and maintaining a healthy working environment is to keep (most) things open: Open minds, open floor layouts, open meetings, open (and well-stocked!) pantries — any effort that goes into making sure nobody is left out is a big fat “yes” on the list of things that help foster healthy communications in the office.
Hire good people who know how to listen well. Choose see-through walls and tear down literal barriers between office sub-spaces. Rope everyone in on the tasks each team is working on (15-minute scrum meetings are particularly effective!). Define proper channels for airing grievances and concerns and remind people about it every once in a while. Nurture a culture of openness and sharing— whether it be stories, life problems, or even just drinks and snacks.
Of course, an office can be too open: The caveat is that you need the wisdom to discern when and where privacy and confidentiality are necessary. Toeing this fine line shouldn’t be a problem, though, because you know what the solution is? That’s right: Talking it out with your team, asking them for their opinions, and being open to their suggestions about dealing with sensitive matters.
(Yes, it really do be like that: A too-open office is also remedied by the openness to figure out what “too-open” means for everybody. Go figure.)
Don’t Go It Alone
A quick and easy way to get your team talking to each other is through a messaging platform for your company. Nifty chat apps - especially tailor-made ones like Campgrounds - give your team versatile spaces where they’re free to pitch in on anything from funny memes and cat videos to complex work concerns and real-time project updates.
Dedicated platforms also make it easier for management to check in on everyone without having to resort to time-consuming meetings and one-on-ones with each team member – so you all get more time to focus on work and productivity instead.
So much rides on a company’s healthy communication habits, from your employee’s happiness to the quality of work being put out and the overall success of the team, but it doesn’t have to be tedious. The goal, ultimately, is to let them know that their thoughts matter to you and to the rest of the team as a whole.
It all boils down to one thing: if you want everyone to start talking, you have to first let them know that the people around them will always, always listen.