The Truth About Communication Between Departments

As a content producer, I take complicated ideas and repurpose them with clear, effective messaging. To do this, I rely on collaboration with different departments. Over time, I’ve realized one thing:

People don’t always communicate the same way I do.

From graphic designers to web developers, sales representatives, and everyone in between, we all have different professional perspectives. Executive leadership personnel and managers are no exceptions either; they have specific criteria they must follow to lead their teams to success. In the professional realm, everyone has deliverables and obligations. Teamwork and open-mindedness are invaluable, regardless of your area of expertise.

Conflicts stem from misunderstandings that have gone unchecked. Somewhere along the way, communication fell apart, leading to tempers flaring and ultimately productivity suffering. Effective communication takes self-reflection, understanding, and a willingness to step away from your own perspective. When you realize that every coworker you have operates as an individual part of a greater whole, the differences in information processing becomes apparent.

So how do you crack the code of communication between departments?

Well, it starts with you and active listening.

• Active listening- A communication technique used in counseling, training, and conflict resolution. It requires that the listener fully concentrates, understands, responds and then remembers what was said.

Personally, I try to keep this in mind as I work with other departments:

Listen to understand, rather than listening to respond.

I’ve trained myself to tune out the noise of my own interpretation. The following are some tips I stick to when it comes to active listening:

• Keep an open mind
• Face the speaker and maintain eye contact during the conversation
• Be attentive and focused, but not overbearing
• Listen to the words you hear and try to envision what the speaker is saying in your mind
• Don’t force your solutions into the conversation. Save solutions for the end of the dialogue, once everything has been expressed
• Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions; conversations have a rhythm

Doing these things has made it easier for me to understand people who process information differently than I do. With the proper understanding, it becomes easier for me to deliver their message the way they relate to it.

Actsoft provides the software needed to facilitate communication between departments. Once the directives are established (with active listening), Wireless Forms can be used to send information back and forth (with a host of additional features like photo attachment) to give personnel back at the office the data they need, so they can format it accordingly.

Regardless of the department you work in, communication is key. Active listening is a direct path to achieving clear, consistent understanding. We all have different target audiences that our product or service is geared towards. It’s our responsibility in the workforce to do our research when interacting with different departments so we understand exactly what the goal is.

Have any questions on how Actsoft can help you?

Call (888) 732-6638 or Receive a Live Webinar