Overview
According to Work911.com, managers spend between 50 and 80 percent of their time communicating in some way. This increases the necessity for managers and small business owners with staff members to develop their communication skills. A few approaches may help you in your mission to enhance communications within your company.

Assess Communication Level

Ask your staff for input on how well you communicate with them and if they have any suggestions for how to do it better. Opening the channels of communication can be as easy as scheduling weekly one-on-one meetings with your staff.

Communicate Directly

Should you need to tell one of your employees something crucial, make sure to do it personally rather than entrusting a third party with the task. Delivering the information yourself will prevent misconceptions and provide the employee the chance to ask questions, for instance, if you're unhappy with an employee's behavior or need to give him explicit instructions on how to finish an assignment.

Say It Clearly

Do not assume that just because you are aware of something, the entire organization is aware of it or shares your understanding. For instance, if you provide a top customer with special pricing but fail to inform the salesperson who manages the account, it may result in a humiliating situation for the salesperson who learns the information from the customer rather than from you.

Establish Job Descriptions

You still need to give documented job descriptions even if your company isn't a major organization. By outlining the duties and demands of each employee in your organization, a written job description removes any room for misunderstanding. By removing the "I thought you were supposed to do that" issue, it can also enhance staff communications.

Require Status Reports

You may not always have the time to monitor your employees' everyday actions as a manager or owner of a small firm. You can learn what they accomplished throughout the week as well as what they have planned for the upcoming week by mandating that they give you a written status report every week. This helps you track their progress on any open projects and provides a starting point for conversation during your weekly one-on-one meetings.