You and your team may communicate in all kinds of ways, from in-person chats to emails to texts. All these different communication channels can lead to improved collaboration, but they may also present some unique challenges.

Bruna Martinuzzi, the founder of Clarion Enterprises, says it’s important to uncover some common communication problems at work so you can not only keep information flowing, but boost employee productivity and retention as well.

In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we highlight Martinuzzi’s thoughts on some typical communication issues, along with ideas on how to overcome them.

Challenge 1: Information silos. How often do your organization’s different departments communicate? If they don’t often collaborate, you might be missing out on valuable insights. Information silos can also cause conflict across departments, Martinuzzi says.

Solution: She recommends encouraging team members to make connections with all employees and putting openness first. Try creating a rallying mantra to motivate staff and show a commitment to a no-silo environment.

Challenge 2: Inconsistent channels. If your team members don’t know which channels they should use for different types of information, you’re going to run into some problems.

Solution: According to Martinuzzi, you should choose a consistent method and inform people where to find important information, whether you use email, chat platforms or the intranet.

Challenge 3: Not enough communication. A lack of communication can lead employees to feel in the dark about what’s happening in their company. As a result, they may begin to distrust leadership and turn to rumors to fill the information gaps.

Solution: Martinuzzi likes communicating via company newsletters or town halls to keep employees current on what’s happening with the company and the promo industry as a whole.

Challenge 4: Too much communication. Some teams don’t communicate enough, while others overcommunicate. Martinuzzi says overcommunication might mean excessive meetings or overdoing it with various pings, chats and calls.

Solution: She recommends reducing daily information volume to give employees time to concentrate on their work.

Challenge 5: Sloppy onboarding communication. When you hire new staffers, they may be left adrift if there is no formal communication training.

Solution: Aim to share your communication policy with new employees as soon as they join your promo company, Martinuzzi says. You may even want to consider mandatory communication training to ensure that all employees work under the same guidelines.

Better communication in the workplace starts by understanding the issues your team may be facing. Whether you’re dealing with information overload, a lack of information or another challenge, try implementing one of the solutions above to improve your team’s communication.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Bruna Martinuzzi is the founder of Clarion Enterprises Ltd. She specializes in presentation skills training and leadership communication coaching.