Types of Workplace Communication
Just say Hello

There are many different types of workplace communication, but the simplest of all of these is to just say hello!

It sounds so simple but it is truly successful.

I try very hard to do this everyday to my staff.

Yes, one of the simplest things you can do in a leadership role is to simply just say hello to your staff, and mean it! The key here is to really Mean It!

Whether you take time to make a tour each day to greet your staff or you do this only on occasion, take the time to do this!

Be careful to include everyone and not just those you like or get along with. This is a big mistake a lot of people in a leadership role make. Think about it for just a moment what you would do if the supervisor came by and spoke with only a few select individuals each time and ignored the others.

You would quickly begin to lose respect for them and maybe even the ones they greeted, helping to break down the team a little at a time. Over time you would have staff members arguing over something not directly associated with this, but take my word that the original root cause began with ignoring them and not others.

When you greet your staff make sure it is sincere. Nothing worse than a fake greeting that has a halfhearted smile and a weak hello barely looking at the individual at all.

The other mistake a great number of individuals do in a leadership role is make these rounds almost like a robot, taking the same route and giving the same greeting every time they go around.

One day, take the time to speak a little more with one or two individuals and then the next time someone else, making sure over time to include everyone.

Get to know them by asking how there family is. If you do ask, make sure you listen. Pay special attention to anything specific that is going on in their life so that you can follow up later on. Maybe it is a relative that will be having surgery or a child in a sporting event. Pay attention and then follow up by asking how it went.

This is not just an exercise, but a real attempt to get to know them.

Think about who you responded to in your life. Without question I am certain that it was someone that you cared about. Someone that took the time to get to really know you!

Now I am not suggesting that you get too involved in their lives, just care about them. They will be able to tell if you do or not very easily.

The investment in time will pay huge dividends in productivity, in attendance, in work related accidents, and in loyalty.

Other things you can do, depending on how large your organization is, would be to have an area where they can bring in home made items for consumption by everyone during breaks. This has to be voluntary. I will cover this in greater detail in another article.

Good luck and invest the time as a leader to just say hello!

Thank you and May God Bless!

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