As a manager, effective communication is a necessity in this competitive corporate world. A good dialog among the employees and managers can alone ensure the success of employee manager relations. Before communicating with any group, it’s important to get a sense of its current level of understanding. Knowing the gaps between their understanding and what the organization would like them to understand is pivotal in bridging the gap. Only then should communication tools and messages be identified to convey messages designed to close that gap. Keeping an open line of two-way communication with my employees and management team makes them more comfortable approaching me with issues and concerns. Establishing effective communication is key. As a manager I try to make sure that my message is accurate, concise, and understandable so my employees are able to receive and interpret my message accurately.
The communication process is a dynamic process that begins with the conceptualizing of ideas by the sender who then transmits the message through a channel to the receiver, who in turn gives the feedback in the form of some message or signal within the given time frame. As in most organizations there are barriers that can come in between having effective communication between employees and managers, called process barriers. These are issues that can hinder the communication process. When sending email communication to my team I always check to make sure that my email has been delivered and or received. Emails are a very useful and effective communication tool but there are times you will encounter user or system errors.
In the organizational context, both the superiors and the subordinates have their personal barriers that impede them to communicate effectively. Personal communication barriers such as stereo types and prejudice in an organization can be very damaging to the success of your employees and the company. Stereo types and prejudice have no place in the company. Every employee comes from different ethnic backgrounds and their level of understanding is going to sometimes be different than mine. As a manager I have to have excellent communication skills to communicate with my employees. My company is very diverse and not everyone speaks good English. Being an attentive listener and asking questions helps me to overcome personal communication barriers.
Eliminating as many physical communication barriers as possible well help to ensure your message is conveyed properly. When starting a conference via phone or skype, I check several different things before it begins. For instance, making sure the room is free of background noise, checking my phone or computer batteries and making sure that there is a good connection is helpful.
When communicating with my employees it is imperative that they understand what it is I expect of them. My messages tend to be very concise and with directions and expectations so that my employees know exactly what it is I want. As a manager my employees will never have to guess when a report should be turned in or how it should be formatted. It’s habit for me to establish guidelines and deadlines, while making it simple for them to understand exactly what I need and want. This will ensure that there are no semantic communication barriers. These tactics will help your employees be able to receive an assignment in different ways, with the same optimal results and understanding.