{"id":37004,"date":"2021-05-23T09:07:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T13:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=37004"},"modified":"2021-06-02T10:09:38","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T14:09:38","slug":"open-communication-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/open-communication-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Foster Open Communication in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is it important to foster a culture of open communication in the workplace? What are some ways a lack of openness can compromise team spirit and sabotage performance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honest, authentic, and open communication in the workplace is critical for professional relationships and career growth. If you don\u2019t have authentic communication, bad situations (such as unfit managers) don\u2019t get better because what\u2019s really happening never comes to light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some pointers on how to cultivate a culture of authentic communication in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Open Communication in the Workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having open communication in the workplace is tricky. Adults have been conditioned to be appropriate and polite, protecting themselves. The hierarchical structure of a workplace means someone is always above you, watching and rating your performance, so people in low-power positions are less likely to speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For women in particular communicating honestly can be a landmine. They don\u2019t want to be seen as not<\/em> a team player. They don\u2019t want to appear negative or critical. Plus, women carry the fear of calling attention to themselves, which hearkens back to \u201cimpostor syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being Delicately Honest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best communication is where opinions are shared freely but feelings aren\u2019t hurt. It\u2019s being \u201cdelicately honest\u201d<\/strong> as opposed to \u201cbrutally honest,\u201d understanding that you have your truth and the other person has their truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One tool of effective communication is stating your opinion as opposed to stating a fact.<\/strong> For example, saying, \u201cYou never take my suggestions seriously!\u201d puts the other person on the defensive, triggering a disagreement. But saying, \u201cI am frustrated that you haven\u2019t responded to my last 4 emails, leading me to believe that you don\u2019t take my suggestions seriously,\u201d can spark useful discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using simple language is important when communicating hard truths. We hedge and add caveats when trying to explain a tough problem; often the message is lost. For example, when Mark Zuckerberg was learning Chinese he would spend time with Chinese-speaking employees. One tried to communicate a problem, but Zuckerberg couldn\u2019t understand and kept asking her to use simpler language. She finally blurted out, \u201cMy manager is bad!\u201d He got the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LIstening is as important as speaking; hearing and understanding what the other person is saying is critical to authentic communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Honest Feedback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a leader, you need others to tell you when something is going wrong — and when you\u2019re<\/em> wrong. Being aware of a problem is the first step to solving it. But getting honest feedback can hurt. To take feedback correctly, understand that it\u2019s not an absolute truth — it\u2019s one person\u2019s perception based on what was revealed to them.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s critical for leaders to solicit and accept feedback well<\/em>, be open to hearing the truth, and take responsibility<\/a> for their mistakes. Persuading people to share their honest views leads to improvement in yourself and the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since no one wants to offend the boss, leaders can encourage authentic communication by speaking openly about their weaknesses<\/strong>. Another way to foster authentic communication is to publicly reward the honesty of others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotions in the Workplace Are OK<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes honesty in the workplace can give way to emotion, which has long been considered taboo. But sometimes emotions do<\/em> show up in the workplace, and that\u2019s OK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honest, authentic communication means bringing our whole selves to work, not having a professional persona and a real persona.<\/strong> Sometimes professional decisions are emotionally driven, and it\u2019s important to be honest<\/a> about this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shift toward accepting emotions in the workplace<\/a> is good news for women because it means they don\u2019t have to try so hard to come across as stereotypically male. It\u2019s good news for men too, because it also releases them from the stereotype. Perhaps the compassion and sensitivity that have held some women back will make them better leaders in the future. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why is it important to foster a culture of open communication in the workplace? What are some ways a lack of openness can compromise team spirit and sabotage performance? Honest, authentic, and open communication in the workplace is critical for professional relationships and career growth. If you don\u2019t have authentic communication, bad situations (such as unfit managers) don\u2019t get better because what\u2019s really happening never comes to light. Here are some pointers on how to cultivate a culture of authentic communication in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,14,30],"tags":[302],"class_list":["post-37004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-management","category-work","tag-lean-in","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Foster Open Communication in the Workplace - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Open communication in the workplace is critical for professional relationships and career growth. 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