More Dialogue, Less Interrupting

All significant things that happen in an organisation are underpinned by, and reliant on, communication or dialogue.  Recruiting and training, performance management, purchasing, finance, logistics, dealing with customers, deciding strategy, holding each other to account, providing direction or support, and problem-solving are all examples.  And yet organisations systematically inhibit communication through hierarchical structures, power and status differences, the physical layout of working places, rules, an inability to truly understand and value difference, and many leaders view communication as a major problem.  Some go as far as to say that poor communication is at the heart of all organisational problems.

In a period where employee experience is ever more important and linked closely with organisational output and productivity, where hybrid and virtual working is stretching the workforce in new ways, where staff well-being, and particularly the issues of maintaining positive mental health, is much more widely recognised and managed as a key organisational responsibility, the ability to communicate well is critical.

How can we communicate more effectively?