---
title: 'Workplace Communication'
disqus: hackmd
---

Professional Communication
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## Table of Contents

[TOC]

## Beginners Guide

Effective communication in the workplace is what separates high performing companies among the rest. A company that has strong relationships established at its foundation not only drastically reduces employee turnover but dramatically increases production and efficiency.

As an individual, whatever job you have or aspire to, good presentation skills are a key to success.Hence, mastering the art of presenting and communicating in a convincing, credible and persuasive manner is an asset that will be of benefit to you.

At the workplace, you will majorly communicate in professional language under various rules or policies created by the organization.
There are different types of communication patterns depending on the origin of the message:

* Upwards communication
* Downwards communication
* Lateral communication
* Diagonal communication

Upwards Communication
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One of the most noticeable changes in the business communication environment in the past few years has been the increased emphasis on upward communication.
Upward communication refers to the flow of communication from the lower level to the upper level. This type of communication is normally observed when low-level employees communicate about themselves, information related what’s happening in an organization, about the reaction of certain policies and other thoughts that came across their minds as well as others to their superiors. They communicate directly with management, often to provide:

* Suggestions
* Complaints
* Feedback

This encourages a participative work culture where management can make decisions that positively impact employee's work environment.
Some of the most common methods of upwards communication are:
* Official emails
* Employee satisfaction surveys
* Company meetings e.g. in an end of project meeting, or end of a sprint
* Focus groups during team building exercise
* Performance reports during employee performance reviews
* Suggestion boxes

Pros & Barriers of Upward Communication
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**Pros of Upwards Communication**

* Increases mutual trust
* Employees feel included and that their opinions are taken seriously
* Encourages employees to provide honest and valuable suggestions
* Improves strategic decision making that improves the way things are done to bring fulfillment to both the employees and the business
* Helps managers identify areas of self-improvement
* Creates a sense of ownership in employees which improves overall performance
* Encourages employees to take on stewardship in projects which dries growth
* Reduces employee turnover since employees are not afraid of performing to their full extent, seeking help, or making mistakes

**Barriers to Upwards Communication**

* Filtering valuable information in a bid to impress management or avoid conflict with them. This gives management an inaccurate picture of the problems that employees face
* Lack of active listening on the management's side. E.g. Ignoring employee input during decision making. This creates mistrust and employees may be discouraged to speak up in future
* Failure to take action on the communication done by employees
* Cultural differences between management and employees e.g. Japan and America have different cultures that decide how employees interact with each other and with the management.

# Tips for Smart Communication with Senior Management

* Link communication with the firm's mission, goals, and strategies will result in better relations
* Listen and adapt. Scan the environment and adapt your tone, attitude, and words to the current situation.
* Communicate with clarity
* Understand the management style of your organization
* Don’t take personal opinions to heart
* Be calm and keep your emotions in check
* Be the first to deliver bad news to your immediate boss. Don't let them hear from others mistakes that you made or delays to projects.
* Know the limits of your decision making and what is for the management to make. Don't wait for management to make your decision and don't overstep your boundaries. In some situations it is best to approach your boss with a suggestion and ask for their insight.
* Observe and learn from other team members that have been in the company longer than you. You can even consult them on how to go about a situation before approaching your boss.
* Know your KPIs and speak the language of your business/industry/department. For instance, if you are in sales speak about new customers, number of sales made. If you are in risk talk about the incidents identified and stopped, emerging risks in the company or industry, etc.
* Have a high level summary then key data points to justify your suggestion or statement
* Timing is key make your presentation short and straight to the point. Ask older employees who have communicated with the boss before how long it takes, how is their attitude?
* Make sure your communication adds value to the management

###### tags: `Communication`