The Art of Workforce Communication
by Donna Sweede
I have siblings, parents, and friends. I was a student then taught in a foreign country. I have a boss and coworkers. Through all my experiences in these different facets of life I now understand that the most valuable knowledge is that of the art of communication. As I consider the four topics of this magazine—Workforce, Performance, Training, and Development—I see that effective communication is the foundation upon which success in all areas must be built.
The most important element of any business, company, or organization is the Workforce. People can accomplish a great deal when they work together for the benefit of the company, but working together does not always come easily. Stressful environments, failures, and strained coworker relationships often undermine the success of projects that feed into the overall development of any organization. How does this happen and how can it be stopped?
To begin with the basics, there are two forms of communication: verbal and nonverbal. Actors spend hours upon hours mastering these techniques for each character they become. An actor can say “it’s good to see you!” at the sight of an entering actor, but if his hands ball into fists and his teeth clench the audience assumes the entering actor should leave before a fight breaks out. The audience did not need to take the same classes as the actor in order to understand that his body language shouted his irritation louder than what his mouth actually spoke.