Communication – Business Building Relationships

Building strong working relationships both inside and out of your business does not happen overnight. In fact, it takes a concerted effort on your part to ensure that you are connecting with clients and co-workers in a meaningful way. Here are a few tips for encouraging positive communication in the workplace to enhance your business relationships.

Make Time to Communicate

Everybody is on a schedule and productivity numbers are always at the forefront of your mind, but if you don’t make time to communicate with people, you can hardly be surprised that your relationship has stalled. Effective communicators set aside time to talk one-on-one with the people around them. It is important to note that this doesn’t mean that you should call more meetings to talk about work. Instead, focus on stepping out of your office, meeting people on their turf, and talking about big ideas.

Offer Solutions

When clients and co-workers come to you with a complaint, the best thing you can do is show them that you are really listening, and help them find a solution. Asking targeted questions and offering potential solutions shows them that you are engaged, which in turn builds trust in your relationship.

Understand Your Own Needs

The flow of communication needs to work in both directions. If you have a problem that needs to be resolved, you can use it as an opportunity to work on your communication skills as well. Consider using non-violent communication methods to identify your needs, ask for your needs to be met, and ensure that the other person is able to assist before you start complaining that nothing gets done.

Stay Focused on What Matters

Gossip is one of the hardest things to manage in the work environment, but it does need to be controlled. Adding more gossip has never been shown to solve a single problem. If you are faced with issues, make sure to address them head-on by clearly naming the issue and how it affects those in the office, rather than naming names and avoid talking behind the backs of people involved at all costs.

For those who want to build strong business relationships, communication is the key. The only way to get better at communicating is by setting some ground rules for yourself, assessing where you currently are, and making time to practice in everyday scenarios.