None of the associations, personal or professional, are immune to communications. It’s how we express ourselves, our wants and desires to the world outside. Words are a somewhat blunt instrument to do so, but they’re the most effective tool we’ve got with us.

So, how do we use them better? If you can increase how well you articulate your ideas and directions better, think about how that will impact the progress and potential success of a particular project that you are working on. It’s the technique and strategies that’ll get those gears spinning.

What are effective communication strategies we can use at work to increase productivity? Well, glad you asked! Here are a dozen ideas that can jumpstart your communications and in so doing make you’re a more productive and effective project leader.

1. Have More Open Meetings

Have we lost you before we even got started? Meetings!  the bane of work. You’ve obviously sat through many mind-numbing ones and maybe even lead a few. Be honest. It’s okay. They’re just a tool, and a tool can be handled effectively or dangerously. The lead is in your hand how you want to take it.

 

2. Emails Have a Use, Too

Really. They do. Hear us out. Like meetings, emails, once the guard of the electronic revolution, now seem like an old man shouting on a road, ignored in the park. It’s true, people take advantage of emails and use them when other channels would prove a better means of communication.

However, when you want to pass on some official news, such as a meeting time and place or policy issue, there are few better vehicles to deliver it than email. You can target just the people you want, share the pertinent information and, if it is a meeting, they can simply click and add the schedule to their calendar.

3. You Must Talk One-on-One

Communication strategies aren’t one-size-fits-all. You communication takes leadership, and to be effective, your communications should be adaptive. There comes a time when you might have to disseminated sensitive information to one person or perhaps you need to speak about a private matter that is of no concern to others on your team or in the office.

That’s when the classic one-on-one communication comes in. It’s also a great way to communicate because you can look someone in the eye, read their body language and respond to cues that aren’t communicated verbally, which is important if you’re discussing something that might be uncomfortable.

4. Training as a Communication Tool

You might not think of training as the right vehicle to share information, but what else is it? Teaching someone something is communicating ideas and making sure they get them. In fact, how more effective can you get?

Sometimes, consider disseminating key communications as a “training” event, rather than an info meeting. People put on different hats, so to speak, when they’re in learning mode. They’re more likely to retain the info, too. While it doesn’t work for everything you need to convey, it’s a great tool for certain things, especially of a technical or procedural matter.

There are a few more communication strategies and techniques that might interest you.