Personal Productivity
5 Ways to Develop Your Communication Skills to Boost Productivity at Work
AUTHOR: Chris Richardson
In its simplest definition, productivity means using all available resources for producing work of highest quality.
Being more productive is not the same thing with working more. When people want to boost their productivity levels, they tend to force themselves to work. They cut on sleeping, exercise, and relaxation. When the stress levels increase, the productivity levels drop. Harvard scientists found that U.S. companies lose $63.2 billion per year due to sleep deprivation of their employees.
How do we find that perfect balance between working and achieving great results without getting too tired? Communication may be the answer. We’ll suggest 5 productivity tips related to your communication skills.
1. Create a Distraction-Free Working Environment
Distractions are productivity’s worst enemy. A report from a global outplacement consultancy showed that U.S. employers lost more than $14 billion through the typical 15-week season of fantasy football. Fantasy football is a great thing. At the workplace, however, it’s a dangerous distraction. So is Facebook. So are Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and all other sites employees are spending time on. If you’re relying on these tools to communicate with the outside world during work, you’re undermining your results.
To eliminate the distractions, start with your phone. Use it only to answer important calls. Do not use distracting apps like Messenger!
As for the browser, install extensions that create a distraction-free online environment. They will prevent you from accessing the websites that are taking your time and energy away.
Limit the small talk at work, too. You can do it during breaks, but avoid getting into irrelevant discussions when you work.
2. Take Breaks
You can’t work for eight hours straight without getting mentally and physically exhausted. Short, frequent breaks are important! Whenever you feel too tired, get up and get yourself a cup of coffee. You’ll meet a colleague, you’ll have a nice talk and you’ll support each other. That’s how you’re creating a supportive office culture. Don’t make these breaks too long!
According to the Pomodoro Technique, you should take a 5-minute break after each 25-minute working session. After four working sessions, you should take a longer break of ten minutes.
3. Motivate Your Colleagues to Exercise
Researchers showed that employees who exercise for 2.5 hours a week are more satisfied with the quality and quantity of their work. They took less sick time than the workers who didn’t engage in any physical activity. What does this tell us? Exercise makes us more productive at work!
Motivate your colleagues to engage in some kind of physical activity together. It may be basketball during the weekends. It may be cardio training every day. Physical activity will make you all feel healthier and more energized. It also creates a bond and boosts the vibe within the team.
4. Don’t Take the Back Seat at Meetings
Are you that silent person at the corner of the room? You have ideas. You know they are worthy of attention. Somehow, you’re afraid to expose them in front of all those people.
It’s time to face this fear, which is blocking your productivity. You’ll become a way better achiever when you start expressing your thoughts and ideas. Engage in discussion. When the boss asks for presentation volunteers, sign up!
If your presentation skills are not that good, it’s time to start practicing them. Getting help from professional writers from services like Essay Geeks will help. When you have spot-on slides and content to present, it will be easier to get in front of that audience.
It’s time to break the multitasking myth. That’s not a productivity technique. It’s a time-wasting technique. When you develop a schedule that allows you to complete the tasks one by one, you’ll be more focused on each of them.
5. Use Different Types of Communication
You have to meet some clients or partners, but you realize that face-to-face meetings are taking too much time? They are killing your productivity. You have to prepare for them. Then, you have to leave the office early, so you’ll be at the meeting spot waiting for the client. They might be late. Then, you’ll waste time on small talk before you get to the point. By the time you wrap up this kind of meeting, you’re mentally exhausted and unable to proceed with the remaining tasks of the day.
You can replace face-to-face meetings with conference calls. You can use tools like Trello to boost the collaboration within the team. Don’t be afraid of technology. When used properly, it will only make you more productive.
Your communication skills make a real difference in the way you work. You can use them to boost your overall productivity. Try the methods we discussed above and tell us what you think.
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