Thriving Organizations Reflect On And Improve Their Internal Communication

Communication connects every interaction within our organizations. It’s easier than ever to share information, chat, ask questions, give directions or argue our points by email, team messaging, video conferencing, social media, phone calls and face-to-face conversations.

However, despite the swell of communication options and interactions, it isn’t leading to higher productivity. It isn’t creating better employee engagement or discouraging turnover, either. In fact, according to Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace” report, “active disengagement costs the U.S. $450 billion to $550 billion per year.”

How does poor communication happen in the age of hyperconnectivity? We’re getting more messages than we can absorb in more ways than we can keep up with. We’re spending hours dealing with low-priority communication. Growing workplace diversity, individual communication preferences and an increasingly mobile workforce further complicate workplace communication.

There’s ongoing work to be done at all levels of organizations. Kara Cowie, Vice President of Corporate Communications for SkillPath, shares how to break habits and improve communication.