When was the last time you got your whole team together? Entrepreneurship is very challenging most, if not all, of the time, and taking the time out to communicate effectively across your business can seem like one extra chore you don't need on your to-do list. When you take a close look at just how much effective communication can boost your business growth, however, you'll think twice about pushing back that all-hands meeting another week.
You can have the best team, the brightest brains and the latest technology, but none of this matters if internal communication isn't strong. Your team is there to meet your business goals - if you're seeing low output in a group that should be super productive, it could come down to something as simple as a communication issue. If projects aren't being completed on time and processes are taking longer than they should, your business growth isn't moving at the pace it could be.
Studies have shown that companies with effective communication are three and a half times as likely to outperform their industry competitors with ineffective communication strategies - that's a statistic you shouldn't ignore. Having regular touch points across your business from the ground up is essential for business growth. It's no secret that collaboration opens doors to increased productivity and efficiency, and no collaborative effort is complete without strong communication skills. Your business is built and propelled forward by great ideas, and great ideas are born and developed in the most effective way with a team. Nurturing a collaborative environment is key to encouraging effective communication.
Let's take a look at your creative brainstorms. Done right, these team sessions open up channels of communication for your team to nurture bright ideas for business growth. The key to a successful brainstorm is respect and effective communication - no amount of shouting across a room will bring about a successful ideation session. If your brainstorms aren't up to scratch, the ideas that power your business won't be either, something that will stump the growth of your business.
Aside from the creative side of your business, communication is really important for employee productivity across all teams. Transparency is something your employees will value greatly - if they feel included in the impactful conversations around the everyday running of your business and its growth plans, they're a lot more likely to feel invested in its success. Inclusion goes a long way to upping the morale of your team and ensuring everyone is aligned on what they're working towards. Your business won't grow if nobody knows what's going on.
Happy employees will stick with you. Employees who feel included will feel valued by your company are less likely to jump ship if things get tough - teams that are encouraged to share the weight of their tasks and collaborate on projects are less likely to feel overwhelmed by their workload. Today's businesses simply can't underestimate the importance of company culture, and by communicating effectively with each member of your team you'll cultivate a culture to be proud of. Culture will boost your company - invest in it today.
We live in the age of the remote office - not every member of your team spends the nine to five cooped up in your physical premises - and that's a very good thing. Flexible working makes for much happier employees. Thanks to technology, this flexible working pattern won't stop your communication efforts - team members can collaborate on projects in virtual environments and actively communicate across automated platforms. Take Trint, for example - team members can collaborate on transcription projects within the platform, making edits, comments and reviews all in one place.
Investing in a platform that allows your team to chat in real time - both through video and chat software - lays the groundwork for strong communication across your business, no matter where everyone's based. Take a look at some of our top picks for collaborative software today by exploring this blog post.