How Do Perth Businesses Ensure Effective Human Resources Team Communication?

Human Resources And Communication

Communication is normally one of the areas on any staff engagement survey that is highlighted as an area for improvement within Perth businesses, and whilst many companies put a lot of energy and effort into this, there is always room for further improvement.

As a manager of people how well do you think you communicate with your team? Very well I hear you say and on a regular basis but very well can be defined by all stakeholders differently. Your human resources may have different expectations to your own, which can lead to discontent and frustration.

In order to communicate effectively, Perth leaders need to have good interpersonal skills. These include verbal and non-verbal communication skills, listening skills, negotiation skills, problem-solving skills, decision making skills and assertiveness, which when combined, makes up interpersonal skills. Therefore effective Communication is a key competency which every Perth SME needs to develop and master when managing their human resources.

What are Verbal Skills?

Think about a team meeting you recently held. How did you greet the team on arrival, what did you initially talk about, what information was given to the team and how did you respond when team members contributed? Now think about a recent job interview you held. How did you greet the interviewee, what did you initially talk about, what information did you provide before proceeding with the interview and how did you respond to the interviewee's responses to questions?

Just comparing two different scenarios provides the opportunity to look at two different ways we use verbal Communication.

What are Non-verbal Skills?

Using the same two scenarios above, let's look at non-verbal skills and how these are likely to differ, especially where one is formal and the other less so. How might our tone and pitch, facial expressions, body language, posture and eye contact differ? We are likely to be more relaxed in the team meeting than the interview.

Our tone and pitch of voice is likely to be different in the interview where it will be calm and relaxed however in the team meeting we may be excited by a new project or showing our passion for our job. Eye contact should remain constant throughout all interactions. Maintaining eye-contact is very important as it helps us to focus and pay attention to the speaker.

Whatever scenario we are in, it is important to be aware of our non-verbal Communication as this sends a clear message as to how interested we are in the topic being discussed.

Listening Skills

Listening is the key to all effective Communication. Not listening effectively means messages are misunderstood and Communication breaks down. How many times have you been in a meeting and not listening attentively, only to be asked something and have a very blank look on your face? Is listening the same as hearing? The short answer is no, it isn't. Listening is a skill that needs to be developed and maintained. This means giving your undivided attention to the speaker, maintaining eye contact and not interrupting.

Effective listening is probably the hardest skill to master in Perth businesses today, however will pay dividends in the long run. Effective Communication has been found to increase productivity, improve feedback to employees that helps improve the quality of their work, reduce the management time wasted resolving interpersonal problems between individuals and increase effective problem solving as teams work well together. Perth managers' who master the art of effective Communication with their team, will reap the rewards for years to come.

Vitil's Human Resource Consultants are a boutique human resources consulting firm based across Perth, who offer flexible, reliable and affordable outsourced human resource support and recruitment services, where your team is the key focus. By outsourcing HR to an expert in Human Resource Services, our experienced professionals can objectively assess your environment, your human capital needs, and ensure you recruit to further develop your businesses performance.

Back to news headlines