Activities to improve communication skills in the workplace

The current blogpost will be based on the question “What are the activities to improve communication skills in the workplace?”. We will discuss the various activities to improve communication skills in the workplace. We will also learn various strategies to improve communication skills in the workplace settings.

What are the activities to improve communication skills in the workplace?

Improving communication skills in the workplace settings is crucial to effective team building and increased productivity. Communication is a crucial part of team building and knowledge transfer among the employees. Effective communication is not only learning to voice your concerns rather it is based on learning to listen actively, responding, managing emotional regulation and giving positive feedback.

Inorder to improve communication skills in the workplace settings, there are various games and activities that aim at developing interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships. Through these activities the communication skills can be effectively modeled and practiced.

Following are some of the activities to improve communication skills in the workplace settings :

• Working on emotional perception
• Practice self awareness
• Back to back drawing
• Mimes
• Concentric circles 
• 3 minute vacations

Working on emotional perception

Emotional perception and emotional expression are two key aspects of our workplace communication.Emotional perception and emotional regulation helps us to achieve the intent behind the message being conveyed in its purest form without being critical or judgmental about it.

Practicing self awareness

Practicing self awareness involves being aware of the message being conveyed through the words and the message being conveyed through our body language. It happens that at times the message we intend to communicate is different from the message being conveyed through our body.. Learning self awareness in communication helps us to carry out our communication at the workplace effectively.

Back to back drawing

This activity of communication developing is done in pairs. Both partners sit in a group so that one member draws on the back of the person and that person draws on the paper the same thing that is being drawn on his back. In this way the employees learn to observe the non verbal messages and also attend to each other’s needs.

Mimes

Mimes activity is an exercise based on improving and expressing non verbal communication. The employees at the workplace learn to observe and  learn the non verbal cues of the people around them . They also pick up the meaning of the noon verbal cues being done through mime by one group.

Thorough miming the employees at the workplace learn that non verbal communication is an effective part of the effective communication at workplace.

Concentric circles 

The concentric circle exercise is conducted in large groups.participants are divided into two groups one group sits in the outer group and the other group sits in the inner group. Both groups sit in  the circles in the form of a circle inside a circle. The outer circle is for the speakers whereas the inner circle is for the listeners.

Both groups take turns and discuss on the given topic, the outer group speaks and inner listens while the inner group speaks and the outer listens.

3 minute vacations

A 3 minute vacation is based on a talker and listener exercise. This activity is conducted at the ning those vacations, describes the places he would like to visit during the vacations and share their feelings. 

Similarly the other person who had been only listening to the first speaker will then start speaking about his own dream vacations and how he would like to go to the places he has wished to go to and with whom he would like to go.workplace in pairs. Both members take turns being listeners and talkers. The speaker discusses his dream vacation with the partner for 3 minutes. He discusses the excitement he has imagined.

Personal storytelling

Personal storytelling games at the workplace is an effective communication strengthening activity. Through personal storytelling at the workplace setting the colleagues learn and practice communication. Story telling not only involves speaking but also involves attending to the other person, develops listening skills of the individuals and also allows the audience to provide constructive feedback.

Personal storytelling also helps in building relationships and developing empathy among the employees

I am listening

The listening activity is based on practicing to provide positive feedback.The aim behind this activity is to propose that learning and productivity increases in a supportive environment. When the feedback is provided in a way that is constructive and in the best interest of the receiver, the output of the communication process is more effective.

This activity is played by providing a talking scenario and a listening scenario.a talking scenario is based on describing a bad day at work by calling your colleague.Whereas a listening scenario will contain a scenario where a colleague will be reached out by a person who is filled up to his ears with bad experiences. The listener will portray that he is far too busy to listen to him.

Following points will be discussed at the end of the activity :

• As a Talker, what feedback did your Listener appear to give?
• How did you feel about the feedback you received?
• How might you create some listening and feedback approaches based on this?

Conclusion

The current blog post was based on the question “What are the activities to improve communication skills in the workplace?”. We enlisted various activities to improve communication skills in workplace settings. We also discussed each of the listed activities that facilitate improving communication skills in the workplace settings.

Frequently asked questions : activities to improve communication skills in the workplace

What are the 12 ways to improve communication at work?

Following are the 12 ways to improve communication skills in workplace : 

• Listen well and avoid interrupting
• Practice paraphrasing
• Be Mindful of minor details in the content
• Note the quality of your voice, tone and pitch
• Always use accurate words to express context
• Learn to spot the most important part of the message
• Use the right speed or pacing when you talk
• Practice appropriate gestures
• Ask questions
• Avoid beating around the bush. Get to the point
•  Have a full grasp of who you are talking to

How can employees improve their communication skills?

The employees can improve their communication skills through :

• Having everyone “speak the same language” 
• Implementing Management Communication Skills
• Training across the organization
• Giving periodic reminders of effective communication skills
• Coaching team members on their communication skills when the opportunities arise

Citations

https://positivepsychology.com/communication-games-and-activities/

https://www.vital-learning.com/blog/how-to-improve-workplace-communication-skills-a-guide-for-managers

https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/11-best-practices-to-improve-team-communication/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/communication-team-building-activities