As someone whose job entails helping companies and their employees grow, I’ve seen how good communication can make a big difference in how well a company does. Let’s talk about why talking and listening well at work is so important, what happens when we don’t, and how we can make it better.
What Happens When People Talk and Listen Well?
Studies show that talking and listening well at work is key to doing a good job. When people don’t communicate well, things go awry. For example, according to a 2013 study by the Project Management Institute (PMI), poor or lack of communication is responsible for one-third of project failures and more than half of all project budget risks. A culture of open communication can prevent this. If everyone in the team talks and listens well, it helps everyone understand what needs to be done, keeps everyone working together, and makes people feel more connected to their work. By talking and listening, I do not mean speaking eloquently, I mean speaking empathically with the intent to be understood. By listening, I don’t mean hearing, I mean having the intention to understand and ask questions when one doesn’t until things become clear.
Bad Communication is a Big Problem
Many organizations invest heavily in improving processes, innovating, and adapting technology to get ahead, only to be hindered by a bad communication culture, a huge problem that many companies fail to pay attention to. Many workplaces struggle with bad communication, which can lead to big problems. Another study found that companies where people talk and listen to each other well tend to keep their employees longer. Often, the problem isn’t that people can’t understand or share information. It’s not about IQ or comprehension skills. It’s more about how they feel about talking to each other. Some bad habits include jumping to conclusions, pretending to understand, being scared to ask questions, getting upset over questions or disagreements, and letting bossy behavior stop teamwork. Add to that the creation of territorial boundaries that hinder effective communication among departmental silos.
Asking the Hard Questions on Communication
So, what should the bosses and leaders do to make talking and listening better at work? How should they go beyond just teaching how to write emails, give presentations, and negotiate with suppliers better? What can they do to help people get better at working together? Organizational managers from top leaders to ground leaders must start asking honest questions and demanding honest answers about how they affect organizational communication. I get so frustrated training individual contributors on Assertive Communication while the Leaders fail to recognize how badly they contribute to the quality of communication in their teams.
Start at The Top and Don’t Stop
To create a place where people talk and listen well, we need to focus on basic skills like understanding emotions, being kind, speaking up confidently, and handling disagreements productively. It’s also important to set norms on how we should talk and listen to each other. Leaders play a big role, especially in the Philippines where bosses have a lot of influence. Leaders need to show that they’re real people, be open about their own mistakes, and encourage everyone to do the same. Many leaders won’t accept that they are bad at these. They fail to recognize that these are their biggest weaknesses, not their technical or analytical skills. Leaders need to recognize that they are bad at talking and listening, and then resolve to improve these skills before addressing others’ needs.
From my experience, when bosses help their teams get better at these skills—not just the technical ones like writing or speaking—the company starts to do better. People are happier at work, projects go smoother, fewer people leave, and the company can face challenges better.
Improving how we talk and listen at work isn’t a quick fix, but it’s worth the effort. By focusing on understanding and respecting each other’s feelings and by having bosses who lead by example, companies can see big improvements. As we move ahead, being good at talking and listening will continue to be important for companies that want to succeed in today’s fast-moving world.
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