Answer:

effectively.

The importance of communication in the workplace

Communication is considered a soft skill. Soft skills include such notions as social learning and emotional intelligence. They account for 85% of a person’s success over hard skills, which are things like IQ, training and academic level.

Not only may this stat surprise you, but it should prove how crucial the value of communication is, not only to a person’s success but ultimately to a business as a whole.

In our digital world, there is more emphasis than ever on being able to showcase the critical skill of communication. It is becoming increasingly difficult for new-age workers to know how to reach out to others, connect with them, work as a team and eventually become leaders.

Woman having a phonecall

The 5 different types of communication

There are many levels and combinations of communication, especially in the workplace with a myriad of hierarchies that seem to differ office-by-office and team-by-team. This being said, when broken down to its most basic form, there are 5 modes of communication. Here they are with examples of how you would see them in the workplace:

1. Listening

This is known as the aural mode. Listening is not just hearing. It focuses on the level of engagement and the amount of attention you’re paying to the speaker.

If you don’t listen properly and show a genuine interest in what the talker is saying, they can feel unheard and this can be disheartening. Not least, it can encourage them to never want to engage with you again.

It’s surprisingly easy to not listening properly. If no eye contact is made, the speaker is interrupted and no follow up questions are asked, this will indicate that you’ve not given them your full attention.

2. Verbal

This is also known as the linguistic mode. It is not as simple as just talking, but rather the choice of words used and their delivery. This means that how a thought, opinion, or action is verbalised is important. If words are mumbled, garbled and complicated, or don’t carry the proper tone, this could result in a lack of communication.

3. Nonverbal

This is all the parts of communication that are not spoken, or gestural communication. Nonverbal communication is vital. It encompasses first impressions. Before a person has even spoken, they’ve already communicated something to you through their body language, posture, and facial expressions. A person’s nonverbal communication has to match up with the context and tone of what they’re saying, or the interpreter may become confused and read the social cues wrongly, thus resulting in a communication breakdown.

Man signing a document

Read next: 9 signs that your employees are disengaged (& how to re-energise them)

4. Emotional awareness

This type of communication is one that is rarely taught. It is the ability to be mindful of the recipient’s emotions and respond in the appropriate way. Reading the room and recognizing when there are conflicts will stand you in good stead. As will empathy, consideration, and building trust.

5. Written

Due to our reliance on email, Slack, and other messaging services, this form of communication will be the one you use the most.

If you didn’t pay attention in English class, this may be your communicative downfall in this category, as grammar and punctuation are expected to be correct when communicating in writing.

It’s hard to show emotion in writing unless the excessive use of smiley faces, exclamation marks, and emojis is acceptable in your workplace. Clarity in the message and interpretation by the reader are both key here.

What is a communication breakdown?

A communication breakdown is defined as a failure to exchange information, resulting in a lack of communication.

How would a communication breakdown occur?

The above definition is quite ambiguous. How does it lack? What information wasn’t exchanged?

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