The consequences of poor communication are so serious that no one can ignore them. They not only impact an individual personally but also professionally. For example, increased misunderstandings, mistrust, and motivation level. According to recent statistics, it was found that more than 85% of workers and top executives feel that poor communication and uncooperativeness are the major causes behind any organizational downfall. Whereas team members who practice effective communication skills with each other boost their productivity levels by 25%. Within a home context, poor communication results in weak relationships, more frustration, and low life satisfaction. 

Fortunately, effective communication is a skill that means it can be developed with practice. Why should anyone invest their time and energy in improving their communication skills? It is because it has several benefits that effectively facilitate tackling the above issues (e.g. low life satisfaction and constant stress). 

Courses offered by the online platform “Sureself” can considerably help in developing effective communication skills “3 Steps to Improve Your Communication Skills”.

Importance of Effective Communication

Effective communication impacts all areas of an individual’s life such as better relationships, increased productivity and improved mental and physical health. Moreover, it leaves a positive impact on others both in a social circle and a professional setting. 

1. Develops Clear Understanding

Within a workplace setting, a lack of effective communication makes expectations and goals unclear and the employees can feel confused. It means that they will not know about their responsibilities, the criteria against which their progress will be evaluated, and the acceptable code of conduct. 

When leaders and top management professionals talk to their employees about their responsibilities and expectations, they make matters extremely easy for the candidate. It means that the candidate will not stay confused and stressed the whole time. In this way, the candidate will be able to perform better. Therefore, good communication develops a clear understanding. 

2. Brings Desirable Results

People should not expect desirable results if they keep using ineffective styles of communication in their daily lives. On the contrary, individuals who work on their communication abilities reap several benefits. For instance, an author wants to write a book in the near future. The writer should communicate the goal with the team so that they can work on their responsibilities. In this way, the writer will be able to achieve the goal in a timely manner. However, in the case of a lack of good communication, the author will never be able to attain the target. 

It becomes more clear in a therapeutic setting where a therapist communicates with a client and helps them get better. So, psychologists have a big responsibility to work on their communication skills and facilitate healing (the desirable result). 

3. Enhances Conflict Resolution Ability

Effective communication helps in efficient problem-solving. It should be noted that conflict is not always bad because it encourages creative thinking to resolve it. However, only a poorly managed conflict through poor communication creates discomfort for people. In this way, effective communication is crucial to enhancing conflict resolution ability. 

4. Builds Trust Levels

Good communication raises trust levels between people. It happens when people listen to each other with undivided attention. It makes the other person feel valued and appreciated. Thus, trust develops considerably. Imagine a situation where you are trying to communicate with an individual and the other person constantly looks at their phone. In this situation, nobody can feel valued and appreciated. So, the speaker leaves the situation with a negative influence. Consequently, good communication is required to build trust. 

5. Improves Relationship Quality

Unfortunately, the relationship quality declines because of poor communication styles. As per Dr. John Gottman, there are four types of destructive communication styles i.e. contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling. From all of them, contempt is the biggest destroyer of personal relationships. If poor communication styles are used in a professional setting, they will seriously decrease the working morale.

The quality of relationships increases in both personal and professional relationships. It happens because everyone who engages with a good communicator knows that they will be heard thoroughly, and responded with care. They also know that their needs will be considered kindly. As a result, a strong connection develops and improves the quality of relationships.

6. Boosts Productivity

In an organization where the quality of communication is low, it faces issues like demotivation, low productivity, and absenteeism. Imagine a scenario where employees do their work wholeheartedly but the leaders check it critically. What do you think will happen to the motivation level of employees after receiving critical feedback repeatedly? It is clear that the above issues will arise. Thus, poor communication negatively impacts productivity.

On the other hand, effective communication enables employees to understand each other and their working styles. It becomes easier to accomplish desired goals timely. Moreover, effective communication creates a culture of accountability. Hence, it boosts motivation and productivity. 

1. Reduces Mistakes

Poor communication results in a lot of mishaps that can be demotivating and in some cases fatal. It reduces productivity at work and increases the communication gap. For example, within an organization, the recruiters hire a new employee and provide training. The training allows the candidate to improve their skills and understand the company culture better than before. The new candidate is also provided constructive feedback on the performance which empowers growth and progress (and also reduces mistakes). 

In another example of a school setting, the teacher wants students to improve their presentation skills but the feedback given to them does not make it clear. The teacher said something general like “You need to improve your presentation skills”. Notice that the feedback is not clear because it does not explain how and it does not show the exact areas of improvement. Consequently, it is difficult for students to improve themselves. On the other hand, when the instructor carefully points out areas of improvement as well as strengths of given presentations. It will help students improve and minimize their mistakes. 

2. Boosts Creativity 

Good communication gives rise to divergent thinking. Divergent thinking means that a person brainstorms ideas about a specific problem. It is a kind of approach that encourages multiple solutions to a problem. For example, in a professional setting, there are times when people solve problems as a team. In such scenarios, good communication with the team helps with finding pragmatic solutions to the problem. As a result, it boosts creative problem-solving ability.

3. Creates a Motivating Environment

Motivation within an organization drives productivity and increases employees’ morale. This is why a leader’s communication style highly impacts the working culture. It empowers the team members to take responsibility and be more engaged with their work. 

Consequently, a leader who treats others poorly considerably demotivates the juniors and team members. In extreme cases, employees leave the company. Hence, the organization loses its top talent.

4. Minimizes Stress

When a person uses poor communication styles like mentioned above, they leave a bad impression on the other person. It means that the person left the interaction with high-stress levels. For example, an individual wanted to meet with their parents and discuss something important. When they engaged with their parents, the person got yelled at badly. Do you think the person will muster up the courage to talk again? Of course, it will not happen. 

Now, visualize a different scenario where the parents engaged with the individual kindly and validated their needs and feelings. What do you think the result is? No doubt, it results in a massive decrease in stress. Therefore, good communication practices leave a positive impact on others.

Final Thoughts

Good communication skills take consistent effort to develop. It means that it is not a one-time activity. Furthermore, It has several benefits for the body and mind such as lowering stress levels, boosting relationship quality, and minimizing stress hormones. There are numerous online courses present on the platform of Sureself that can facilitate personal development i.e. improve effective communication skills. 

Read More: Top 10 Communication Skills And Personal Development Strategies