Pansage

Communication gap in the workplace is the misinterpretation of information or the complete lack of communication within the company. Some communication gaps might be technological in nature and some might arise due to personal problems or personality types. Such a phenomenon can occur between employers and employees or between employees of different ranks.

Reasons

Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. It is as much important to bridge the communication gap between employees, to maintain effective communication in the work place. Thus, identifying as to how the communication gaps emerge in the workplace and taking the necessary steps to maintain effective communication at work will be of great benefit to a business organization. Not only so any communication gaps between employees also can create enormous issues between employees which not only hamper their image also it hampers office work. There might be several reasons for communication gaps to arise in the workplace.

Mistrust – If there is mistrust between two employees or groups, communication gap emerges, because either of them does not either want to convey proper message or does not convey the message at all.

Body language and tone – Maintaining body language as well as tone is very much important in the workplace. Improper body language or tone not only creates communication gaps, but it also leads to aggrieved feelings. As a result of this, there develops an unhealthy competition between employees.

Sustaining an attitude of utters disgust or hatred – This attitude is bad for employees and damaging interrelation to the organization. What could happen in such situations is that this sort of attitude reflects in words leading to dirty conversations among employees. It might go to an extent of physical fighting sometimes. Thus, emerging communication gaps can cause these types of instances.

A channel or system of communication – The means of transmitting information between a sender and a receiver is one of the most important factors to affect the communication process. Sometimes there is an urgent need to communicate the information on phone, while it’s needed sometimes to convey it via emails. Whatever be the way, the correct choice of channel in accordance with the need and importance, it is important to convey the information at the right time, else, it could lead to create communication gap in the workplace.

Fear – The communication gap is when there is fear among employees, especially, when an employee is engaged in communicating with other employee who has higher position.

5 Steps to preventing communication gap at workplace…

Be Focused

When we communicate with others, the communicator bears much responsibility for whether the message delivered as intended to. So before sending your messages focus on your audience and consider their receptivity. In a face- to[1]face communication we should choose right language before constructing and transforming message to your targeted audience. In an email communication, it could mean being very clear on what we need to convey to the reader and considering how they’re likely to interpret it before we ever start typing. So, we need to be focus before communicating anything to the open ground.

Frame the Message

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw

This is extremely important, though it’s not performed as often as you might expect. Framing the message consists of simply stating upfront what you want to talk about and why. In an email message, it could be a clear subject line. In a face-to-face conversation, it could be telling the other person what the topic is and why you want to discuss it. It might be funny, but it is true framing message can crystallize the topic and set the table for the discussion and the best way to avoid calamity in real life. In our busy roles, we are typically juggling many issues and projects simultaneously, so it helps to get the topic straight at the outset.

Avoid Assumptions

This is the fact that we all have different sets of information and understanding because we all have varied experiences and knowledge. When explaining something to another person, you can’t assume they know everything you know. This is especially important when the people involved have dissimilar levels of technical experience or aren’t working in the same field. If you’ve ever tried to teach a nontechnical person how to use a laptop or a smartphone, you know that you can’t assume they’ll understand your instructions without extra help. To avoid these gaps, you need to drop down to “meet them where they are,” rather than assuming they have a significant base of knowledge. In fact, you may need to establish what their knowledge is on the subject or concept before diving into any of the details.

Use the Right Medium

There are so many ways we can communicate with each other, and many of them work well when applied appropriately. However, using the wrong medium in a given situation can lead to miscommunication, confusion, or even damaged relationships. For example, email is a fine choice for an official message that is easy to understand, but if you’ve ever used sarcasm or dry humor in an email message, you probably know how easily it can be misinterpreted. Electronic messages, like email or instant messaging, lack the tone and inflection of the human voice, so sarcasm and humor often don’t translate well. So, choose the right medium for communicating your voices.

Leader’s Communication

When you are communicating as a team leader always focus what you are trying to speak and also make sure to choose proper language to be accepted by your team members and every communication must have clear information and right medium to covey thoughts. Be upfront and shares information to your team members to make information useful to them. Be a good listener to bridge the communication gap.