Communicating effectively is extremely important for any business. If you have been struggling with communication for your business and it has been hampering the productivity of your employees and decreasing their motivation, there are some steps you can take to fix this issue.

There’s no need to struggle once you know exactly what you’re doing. You should be well on your way to communicating effectively and motivating your employees.

Listen Without Interrupting

Make sure that you are paying attention to what is being communicated to you. Make a conscious effort to stop your mind from wandering off and listen to what your employees are saying.

Make eye contact when you are speaking, so employees know that you are interested in what they have to say. This will motivate them to share more with you.

Watch Your Emotions

Sometimes when you are in a work environment it can be difficult to communicate without letting your emotions interfere with your conversation. Conversations that are charged with emotions, especially negative ones will bring a lot of animosity to the forefront. 

This can throw rationality out the window. When rationality is thrown out the window during conversations with employees then things can go haywire fast. 

If you must communicate with a particularly difficult employee try to speak clearly and objectively. Learning how to communicate with more challenging employees in the work environment is essential especially if they are top talent. 

Even difficult employees appreciate being listened to with fairness and this can motivate them to work harder.

Choose Your Words Carefully

Nobody wants to feel that they are always walking around on eggshells and they have to talk to their boss. Make sure that you use inclusive pronouns when you are tackling tough issues. 

Make use of phrases such as “all of us” and “we all should” when you are talking about ongoing issues in the company. These phrases will shift the mindset of the person you are talking with and make them an active participant in whatever you are discussing, this can make a lot of difference.

Change Your Office Design

The look and feel of your office can go a long way when it comes to fostering communication and employee motivation. One of the things you should be doing is making sure that employees have the tools they need to communicate effectively and that the floor layout of the office is conducive to good communication. 

Find ways to make the office aesthetically pleasing and reduce noise. It is especially important that you reduce noise in an open plan office, as noise can cause distractions that hinder productivity.

Start Communicating and Motivating

Running a business is not always easy and it can be difficult to communicate and motivate your employees especially when you are dealing with differing personalities. The way you communicate can dictate the culture of the workplace, so make sure you create a culture that fosters respectful communication as this will motivate your employees.