Communication Gap

Communication is an essential skill in business and in life. It’s important for employees to be able to clearly send and receive messages with one another to work efficiently, reduce misunderstandings and meet business goals. Businesses should diagnose communication problems, reduce the barriers to effective communication and create an environment where open communication is valued.

Identify the Barrier to Effective Communication

If your employees are having issues communicating with one another, it’s important to figure out the root cause of the problem. By doing so, you will be better equipped to outline the solution and prevent such miscommunication from taking place.

There are several different kinds of barriers that lead to a communication gap in an organization:

• Physical barriers. Cubicle walls, closed doors and geographic distance can make it difficult for employees to communicate.
• Perceptual barriers. People’s experiences frame the way they perceive the world, which means employees may perceive certain elements differently. This can lead to misunderstandings.
• Emotional barriers. Employees may be fearful, nervous or distrusting of other employees, and as a result may not communicate clearly.
• Language barriers. Language applies to both the language spoken in the workplace, as well as to the terminology used by certain groups of people. Technical terminology may sound like jargon to someone who is not familiar with that industry.
• Cultural barriers. Cultural norms of behavior affect the way people speak, both verbally and with body language. Employees may not be familiar with other cultural norms.
• Interpersonal barriers. The way an employee feels about herself may affect how she interacts and communicates with colleagues.

Set Employees Up to Communicate Successfully

After identifying the cause of the communication breakdown between your employees, it’s important to set up infrastructure within your organization that enables them to succeed. In many organizations, communication training can help employees to work better with each other and with customers. If the marketing department and the product development department are having communication issues because of the use of jargon, for example, communication training can show employees how to use words that both groups will understand.

A communication gap in the organization may exist because employees don’t know which communication method is right for the task at hand. An employee might set up a face-to-face meeting when the message could be sent via email, for example. Or an employee may send an instant message when a phone call would have been a better choice. It’s critical for the organization to coach employees to use the right communication method for the messages they want to send. This way, employees can reduce miscommunication and increase productivity.

Prevent the Communication Gap in Your Organization

To reduce the number of communication gaps in the organization, it’s important for employers to create and enforce communication policies. These guidelines help employees understand what is expected of them in the workplace. Communication policies should cover how to use the various methods of communication available, what kind of language to use in the workplace, how often to communicate on specific kinds of projects and who to communicate with.

Your workplace culture can help to reduce the communication gap in the organization as well. If the company invites open and honest communication between employees, and the leadership team leads by example, then the front-line employees may feel more comfortable and empowered to communicate effectively with each other.

Employers should consistently monitor the effectiveness of employee communication and develop strategies to improve upon it. For example, if the sales department often has issues with people missing targets because they weren’t aware of the specific goals, it could be there is a gap in communication. As a result, the management team should sit down with the department members to assess their communication protocols and channels and provide processes to improve the situation.