Why Communication Breakdowns are Costing Companies – and How to Fix Them

$1.2 trillion — that’s the price of miscommunication that American businesses are paying due to miscommunication. Employees’ inability to communicate with each other or clients effectively leads to low productivity, missed deadlines, squandered business opportunities, and frustrated employees heading for the exits.

If your team can’t communicate, they can’t perform. Here’s how to build a culture where clarity, connection, and impact drive results.

Assess your organization for possible communication challenges

Do managers at your company blame the strategy, execution, or culture for failure? Those are often signs that indicate communication problems. Identifying these misdiagnoses is crucial to addressing the true underlying problem.

Additionally, many business leaders make the mistake of assuming everyone on their team gets along fine when no one complains about miscommunication. In my experience, however, the silence could be another indication of further communication problems. Staff might not trust leadership enough to speak up, which can lead to ruptures in communication between leadership and employees.

Leadership must take active steps to proactively encourage a culture of open, honest communication.

Addressing miscommunication

Leadership is responsible for creating an environment where employees can freely share their concerns. The best way to do this is for leaders to lead by example. Founders, CEOs, and other members of the leadership team must be present in the moment, listen effectively, and demonstrate their empathy and care for other team members. Communicating clearly and openly is another must, as is being able to receive constructive feedback without becoming defensive.

Many managers and business leaders have never developed these critical skills because they were never taught. That’s why investing in experiential, proven training programs in communication and leadership is indispensable to give business leaders real-world experience that enables them to communicate more effectively.

Inspire trust with every member of your organization. Prioritize communication.

Want to give your team an experience that inspires lasting change? See if Paul Bramson is the right fit for your next event.