Although you may have thought of every possible outcome for anything that could go right or wrong with your business, if you cannot communicate effectively with staff, customers, and potential clients, your business will not do as well as it should. Here are some of the essential communication skills you need to run your business successfully.
Manners
Manners go a long way in both your personal life and in business, and if you want happy staff and customers, having good manners is essential. Despite cultural differences, manners are taught by everyone and help people to feel more comfortable with each other. This doesn’t just simply mean saying please and thank you, but also addressing clients and staff appropriately, including via emails or texts.
Starting an email with a friendly hello and goodbye is much better business practice than simply getting straight to the point. Going out of your way for someone and being polite may be the difference between a client choosing you or a competitor. In our personal life or business, being polite and having good manners can make every interaction so much smoother.
Non-Verbal Communication
Most communication is done non-verbally and although you may not even realise, even something as simple as the way you are standing can leave an impression. Understanding non-verbal communication and how to portray yourself is very important, just as it is to understand others and how they express their selves non-verbally.
The way you portray yourself can either make you ooze confidence or have clients not take you seriously. Even if you are giving an insightful and amazing speech, if you are just standing there, not maintaining eye contact and constantly running your hands through your hair, you will not give the impression you want to give. It is essential that you improve your non-verbal communication skills in the workplace to get the best out of every situation.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a vital skill needed in the workplace, especially for those in charge. This is the ability to understand how others are feeling and being able to communicate with them effectively depending on their feelings. This skill helps teams to work better together and can diffuse bad situations before they worsen. This may be as simple as noticing a staff member is not their usual self and having a chat with them behind closed doors. This can improve your business relationships and may resolve a problem before it becomes detrimental for you and your business.
Effective communication skills, such as emotional intelligence, are so important, and if you want to learn more about how to communicate with others or learn to give and receive feedback whilst utilising your emotional intelligence, professional training might help. Training courses can help you improve emotional intelligence and other vital communication skills. Whether you struggle with your presenting skills or communicating at a senior level, these courses may benefit you and your business. Improve your essential communication skills with a course today.
Listen
Communication is as much about listening as it is talking. When you listen, you are receiving vital information that can help you with any situation, whether this is listening to complaints from a client or having a discussion about a topic in a staff meeting. If you constantly shut people down when they are speaking, they won’t speak in front of you, and this can make for a bad work atmosphere.
Clients want to think they are special to you. Therefore, showing you are listening to them at all times will help to build up a good rapport. The difference between a good boss and a bad boss is one listens and the other does not. It may be your job role to tell others what to do, but this does not mean you shouldn’t actively encourage others to speak up and talk to you.
Be Assertive
When running a company, you need to be nice enough and have good manners, but this does not mean you can let others walk all over you. In business, is it good to find a balance between being nice and knowing where to be assertive. This can be a struggle, especially if it isn’t in your nature to do so.
There is also a difference between being assertive and being aggressive and this is where non-verbal communication comes back into communicating effectively. If you are struggling to be assertive enough in your role, here are some tips from a successful business leader who used his assertiveness to get to where he is today.
To run a successful business, it takes more than just a passion for your product and know-how. Communication is essential in understanding what clients want and being able to address situations to get the best possible outcomes