Poor Communication Skills Costly to Businesses
I often talk about the importance of effective communication and presentation skills. I usually focus on what the benefits are for your business. Today I realized that perhaps some companies aren’t aware of the cost of poor communication skills. I believe that this must be the case – a general unawareness – because businesses are not focusing enough (or any) of their development efforts in this area.
Today, allow me to make it very clear how your business suffers because of underdeveloped employees and poor communication skills.
Lost Business: When things go wrong, how your team handles the situation will determine whether or not your client will stay with you. In our “flat world”, you are replaceable. If your employees don’t handle a crisis situation with strong and effective interpersonal communications, all your client has to do is hop onto Google and contact your competitor.
No Business Growth: Without good interpersonal communication skills, networking efforts are futile. New connections will not be made. Discussions with the decision maker will never happen. Phone calls will not be returned. You may have a good product or service, but if it is not presented well, it won’t get bought.
No Advocates: If your people can’t clearly communicate what your business does and how it can help, how can you expect outside people to turn around and tell their friends, family, coworkers, and others? It won’t happen. The message needs to be clear, concise, and presented effectively. With a strong message, outsiders will be able to spread the word and drive more business to you. Without it, you’re on your own – literally.
Personnel Issues: 80% of office complaints are a result of communication misunderstandings. Think of the time and money that could be saved without the distraction of inter-office communication problems. Plus, people who are happier in their work environment are more productive. With communication training and development, you will not only save money, but also increase revenues.
Underdeveloped People = Underdeveloped Business: Training and developing your people to become highly effective communicators is one of the best investments for your business. How we communicate with the rest of the world directly determines the outcome. Strong communications equal strong relationships, which result in a strong business.
These are only a few of the costs you will be incurring if you allow poor communication skills to fester in your organization. Communications training and professional development are a critical element to the future and continued success of your business. Without improving this crucial area and allowing the communication skills of your employees to stay stagnant, you are choosing to let your business lag behind.
Find resources and training programs that will help you develop your employees, and therefore increase your business success.
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Hi Sharí,
Wonderful article about the costs of poor communication in organizations. Negative outcomes to all of these costs are lack of trust and respect among employees and leaders… which makes for a very strained work environment.
I wholeheartedly agree, learning how to honestly feedback and communicate is a skill everyone can get better at!
I recently stumbled upon the following article that states that Communication Skills is the #1 skill sought by employers (especially for GenYs). Top Skills Employers Want and New Graduates Lack http://www.resumebear.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/21/top-skills-employers-want-and-new-graduates-lack/
Thanks again for a great post!
Sonia Di Maulo