Have you heard the old idiom, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”? Probably so. When it comes to work, I’d reposition that to say “If there’s smoke, investigate.”
As a team, if there’s smoke — frustration, miscommunication, or missed goals — it’s time to investigate. Communication issues can wreak havoc on high-performing teams. If you prioritize improved communication, be on the lookout for these warning signs.
signs Your Communication needs improved
Effective communication isn’t just about talking or listening. It’s about CONNECTION. Without connection, all the words, effort, and energy you spend communicating are wasted if they don’t create a shared understanding and forward momentum.
To help you accurately reflect on your own performance, consider these common signs – the smoke – revealing it might be time to fine-tune your communication skills:
- You have to repeat yourself constantly.
- You have to show someone how to do something or where to find something multiple times.
- People misunderstood what you said.
- After communication, you think, “That went in one ear and out the other for them.”
- Others seem uninterested in what you have to say or think.
- You don’t see the action or behavior you expected after giving instructions.
- People say, “I never heard that you never said that, etc.”—but you know you said it in the past.
- You’re asked, “What do you mean?” more often than you’d like.
- Among your team, deadlines are missed, and goals slip through the cracks.
- People leave conversations or interactions with you feeling frustrated or defensive.
- There’s persistent confusion within your team or across departments.
- People don’t get back to you when you wish they would.
Who’s Responsible for Improved Communication?
Here’s the truth: the person initiating the communication is ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE for making sure the message is received and decoded correctly. Great team members don’t place blame — they take ownership, especially when it comes to their ability to communicate well in today’s diverse, high-pressure workforce.
Whether you’re communicating face-to-face, over email, in Slack, during a meeting, and so on, it’s on you to:
- Have a clear end result in mind before you ever initiate communication.
- Choose the right words and phrases that will connect with people. Don’t forget that you must be able to think like them and speak their language. You must understand them first because that understanding informs exactly how to communicate with them.
- Pick the right time and place for them to reduce distractions, and stress, and increase focus.
- Evaluate their understanding, action, or behavior after the initial communication is over. If you don’t get the result you want, go back to the words and phrases you used. It might need some editing.
- Check the time and place you delivered the message. If you sent a millennial a voicemail, they likely haven’t checked it in six months! (Kidding, kind of.)
- Ask them to repeat back to you what you said so you can make sure you communicated effectively. Once you’ve worked through that, if you still don’t get the result you want, the issue might be something other than communication, and it should be handled accordingly.
When your message connects, it’s not just heard — it’s understood. And when it’s understood, people take meaningful action that reflects commitment and alignment and earns success for all!
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If These Signs Hit Home, Here’s Your Next Step
Start with yourself. Ask your individual team members in private, “What’s one area of my communication that I could improve on in order to be a better teammate to you?”
They may give you incredible insight you need and want. Or, you may not like their answer at all. However, seeking out this kind of feedback fuels growth…and every single person on your team should be focused on continuous improvement for themselves, their team, and the company.
Great leaders know this: to be understood, we must first seek to understand. It’s by knowing the stories and perspectives of others that we find the right words, timing, and delivery that equip us to communicate AND connect.
In an evolving workforce, communication isn’t a “learn-it-once” skill — it’s a lifetime practice. The best teams thrive because of strong relationships, and those relationships are built on trust, fueled by great communication.
Rooting for your success—always!
Transform Your Communication! Ask About Our Training Session: “Communicating for Authentic Connection”
Additional resources:
How Leaders Can Effectively Communicate In Today’s Workplace
