Communication in the workplace

Communication has a significant impact in the workplace in terms of how things are done, when and by whom.

If we don’t communicate appropriately, issues can arise which affect performance, culture, teams, relationships and leadership capacity.

Poor communication within organisations is particularly evident when change processes are occurring. For example, when people are not informed about changes taking place, a lack of trust can influence performance, culture and relationships.

Communication styles

The following communication styles provide a starting point to better understand workplace communication:

People tend to have a preference for one style over the other.

Using different styles in different contexts requires a high level of self-awareness and is known as assertive context specific.

Open vs closed

Open Communicators

Closed Communicators

Direct vs indirect

Direct Communicators

Indirect Communicators

Aggressive vs passive

Aggressive

Passive

Assertive Context Specific

This is an adaptive communication style that balances the needs and respects the rights of your own, the organisation and other people.

Identifying and understanding the communication styles that you, your colleagues and your manager use can provide a starting point to improving your communication in the workplace.

If you’d like to better understand and harness your communication skills, Caraniche offers a range of training courses to support the professional development of frontline workers, clinicians, supervisors, team leaders and managers, Assertiveness and Communication Skills.

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