Communication is essential, but many organizations struggle to do it well. When communication breaks down, the business suffers. From a financial hit to a decrease in employee productivity and morale, miscommunications are expensive. One study found that it costs large businesses $62.4 million per year, while another report found that it costs small businesses an average of $420,000 per year. This week, we look at different types of workplace miscommunications, examine the implications, and explore ways to avoid poor communication.

Five Sources of Miscommunication in the Workplace and How To Mitigate Them

Effective communication is imperative to an organization’s success. When there is a breakdown between individuals, it’s usually assumed that a communication breakdown is part of the root cause. While communication workshops and training are important tools, they typically deal with the communication symptoms rather than the sources of miscommunication. Learn the five sources of interpersonal conflict that occur in organizations and how to alleviate communication issues when they arise.

The Hidden Costs of Poor Communication

The workplace communication landscape is more complex than ever before due to increased digital communication channels and the shift to remote work. Unless everyone is on the same page, this is a breeding ground for miscommunications. Miscommunications are expensive, costing companies through loss of revenue, impacting employee morale and engagement, decreasing productivity, and increasing stress. This article dives into a few approaches that businesses can take to curb the consequences and avoid the costs while promoting clear, compliant communication and a positive, productive culture.

The 5 Costs of Miscommunication

Whether you send an angry email to a boss or use harmful language in a meeting, miscommunicating in the workplace can have damaging and undesirable costs. Poor communication comes in various forms: messages that are too complicated, lack sufficient details, are poorly structured, are hard to understand, or have no clear task or action. To prevent miscommunication, organizational leaders and employees need to work on their verbal, nonverbal, written, and virtual communication skills. Here are five costs of miscommunications and an overview of how each harms an organization.

13 Ways to Ensure Regular, Effective Communication Between Departments

While it’s clear that there are costs to miscommunications, there are many benefits to having strong communication. When departments of a company work and communicate well together, setting and meeting a more comprehensive set of goals happens naturally. When operations flow smoothly from one department to the next, most issues can be avoided. For this to happen, departments must master clear and regular communication. Hear from 13 department leaders on how to ensure their respective team is communicating issues regularly and clearly with other departments.