Information vs. Communication

Employee to manager: “I’m starving!” Some food for thought on the difference between information and communication: employees are bombarded with information but starved for meaning. 

Communication only occurs when an exchange results in shared meaning. Communication is all about facilitating dialogue. To build a successful team, you need to create a culture where it’s safe to dialogue about issues to ensure the smartest decisions possible.

Here are 6 suggestions to consider as you build a workplace culture with more open communication:

1. Ensure you have regularly scheduled opportunities to dialogue with your work group, in smaller teams, and with individuals.
2. Engage people openly and fully by asking open-ended questions: “What do you think?” “How do you react to that?”
3. Listen to what employees have to say and paraphrase to ensure you understand their comment.
4. Listen for various points of view and encourage others to express them: “The fact that you and I disagree on an issue is a good thing.”
5. Listen more than you talk if you want to know what’s in your people’s heads.
6. When asking for input, be prepared to act on it. Otherwise, employees will be less likely to give you input in the future.

Which of the suggestions above could have the most positive impact on how you communicate?

—David Grossman

Plan your communication—whether it's to a colleague, your team or company-wide—in as little as 5 minutes. Click the image below to download your copy of this free tool—Take 5™ Planning Template.