Business Management communication skills

Business managers should be able to communicate in a number of styles.

Images

A skilled business manager must be able to manage — she must also be able to delegate, spearhead new ideas and assess business successes and failures. However, to be able to do any of this successfully, a business manager must be able to communicate. According to the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, "Communication plays a key role in the success of any workplace program or policy." Business managers who know how to communicate successfully may improve the chance of success of the program/area that they're managing.

Types of Communication

According to the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, two types of communication are important for managers: top-down communication and bottom-up communication. In other words, managers should be able to communicate policies, procedures and instructions clearly to their employees; however, they should also be able to listen to communication from employees and make changes based on issues that the employees face. Business managers also need to be able to communicate in a number of different ways, including in large groups, face to face, online and in writing.

Frequency of Communication

Managers not only need to be good communicators, they also need to communicate with their employees frequently to stay abreast of changes and assess new programs and policies. Business managers need to set up regular opportunities for communication through online forum discussions, comment boxes, individual meetings with employees or group discussions with specific committees. Further, the Management Skills Advisor website suggests that managers have an "open door policy" by which they encourage employees who need to communicate with them to do so often.

Related Reading: The Importance of Telephone Communication in Business

Audience for Communication

It's important that managers have a keen understanding of what subjects need to be communicated to which people in an organization. Withholding information that's appropriate for the entire organization to know may be detrimental to that organization's success. For example, if a new policy affects shipping clerks but also affects the days on which executive assistants can reach shipping clerks, these groups and those involved with them need to know about the policy. In addition, even when the entire organization doesn't need to know the information but knowing the information will help the organization be successful, the manager should know when to communicate that information. For example, if knowing about a recent award may motivate workers, the manager should share news about this award.