Examples of poor business communication skills

Good work place communication skills enhance employee productivity.

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Poor communication in the workplace can lead to poor relations between employees and an unfriendly work atmosphere in general that renders workers inefficient and ineffective. This leads workers to reciprocate their feelings to the customers. Rather than dealing with the effects of poor communication at a small business, it is better to know the causes and deal with those instead.

Unclear Goals

An employer provides the description of a job when it advertises a position. This, in itself, is not enough. When you select a person to fill the position, take the individual through the job description face to face. People have different ways of interpreting a job posting. If the company does not communicate its expectations, the new employee gets confused and ends up underperforming. Unclear goals lead to poor communication and frustration.

Cultural Diversity

The world is turning into more of a global village. It is common to find people from different backgrounds and locations converging in the same workplace. This diversity, encouraged in businesses, still can prove a cause of poor communication. Different cultures have their own way of interpreting things, especially with nonverbal language. For instance while pointing with the index finger is normal to Americans, the Asians consider it rude. If the company does not bridge the differences, there is a danger that misunderstandings will arise.

Related Reading: Communication & Diversity in the Workplace

Poor leadership

Employees look to their leaders to provide direction in the workplace. If the people at the helm have poor leadership skills, the chances of having poor communication are high. Incompetent leaders exhibit indecisiveness and fail to inspire confidence in their subordinates or over-exert control and pass on poor communication to their employees. They may also be unable to answer queries raised by the employees, leaving subordinates in the dark over what to do.

Personal Issues

Though you encourage employees not to let personal matters interfere with their work, there are times when it is hard to divorce a person from situations the individual may be facing outside of work. A distracted employee is irritable and may wrongfully communicate disrespect and lack of interest in the job. Give distracted employees some time off, where necessary and possible, to allow them deal with a personal matter.