I helped this mining operation in Western Australia recently. Their safety meetings were going nowhere fast. The team would sit there blankly, say nothing, then continue with doing what they’d been doing before.

Leadership kept having a go at the staff for “not listening.” But when I observed these sessions, the real problem was obvious. The managers were preaching to people, not talking with them.

I’ll never forget when I was working with a small company in South Australia that was in serious trouble. Revenue was dropping, customer complaints were up, and team changes was out of control.

The turning point came when we completely changed the complete system. Instead of presentations, we started creating actual dialogue. Team members described scary incidents they’d been through. Supervisors paid attention and asked follow-up questions.

The change was instant. Workplace accidents went down by nearly half within a quarter.

It became clear to me – proper education isn’t about perfect presentations. It’s about authentic dialogue.

Proper listening is likely the most important thing you can teach in communication training. But the majority think listening means nodding and giving agreeable comments.

That’s not listening. Proper listening means keeping quiet and genuinely grasping what someone are telling you. It means making enquiries that prove you’ve understood.

What I’ve found – the majority of leaders are terrible listeners. They’re thinking about their answer before the other person stops speaking.

I tested this with a mobile service in down south. During their team meetings, I monitored how many times managers talked over their employees. The usual was under one minute.

Of course their worker engagement scores were rock bottom. Staff felt unheard and disrespected. Communication had turned into a one-way street where leadership talked and everyone else pretended to pay attention.

Digital messaging is also a mess in countless businesses. People fire off emails like they’re texting their mates to their friends, then are surprised when misunderstandings happen.

Message tone is especially difficult because you miss how someone sounds. What appears clear to you might appear aggressive to someone else.

I’ve observed many team arguments escalate over badly worded digital communication that should have been resolved with a quick conversation.

The worst case I saw was at a government department in Canberra. An message about budget cuts was composed so unclearly that 50% of employees thought they were being made redundant.

Chaos spread through the workplace. People started preparing their CVs and calling job agencies. It took three days and several follow-up discussions to fix the confusion.

All because someone failed to write a straightforward communication. The irony? This was in the media division.

Meeting communication is where many companies throw away massive volumes of resources and energy. Poor sessions are common, and nearly all are bad because nobody knows how to run them properly.

Good meetings need clear purposes, structured plans, and someone who can keep discussions on track.

Cultural differences play a huge role in workplace communication. Australia’s multicultural staff means you’re dealing with people from dozens of diverse communities.

What’s seen as honest speaking in Anglo culture might be interpreted as aggressive in various communities. I’ve witnessed countless problems develop from these multicultural variations.

Education must cover these variations honestly and practically. People must have practical tools to navigate multicultural interaction successfully.

Good development programs recognises that interaction is a skill that improves with practice. You cannot develop it from a one-day course. It demands regular practice and feedback.

Businesses that put money in proper communication training see real improvements in efficiency, employee satisfaction, and customer service.

Main thing is this: interaction isn’t brain surgery, but it absolutely requires serious attention and good education to be successful.

Investment in forward-thinking staff education constitutes an important benefit that permits businesses to excel in quickly evolving business environments.

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