Communication

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said”. – Peter Drucker

Communication is like the oil that stops the engine from seizing up. So, do you have a good quality communication oil? It’s likely to be a daily interchange, whilst still ensuring the business works for all of us. Of course, you know what you’re doing, or you wouldn’t still be there, but how useful would it be, to be able to involve an experienced and  confidential outsider to join you in exploring the “music behind the words.” It can be immensely powerful and that’s why we do what we do.

 

Requirements

The Quality Management Standard has an internal & external communication requirement to consider the following:

• What will you communicate;
• Who will communicate;
• When will they communicate;
• How will they communicate;
• With whom will they communicate?

That all sounds very mechanistic, whereas communication is about humans. So, whilst the above may be the steps you need to have in place, what does the Standard say about any outcomes? There is a requirement to make people working for the organisation aware of the Policy and objectives, their contribution to the effectiveness, the benefits of improved performance, and the implications of not conforming to the requirements of the system. All very straightforward and with sensible applications on your communication technology and regular briefing groups or team meetings, the awareness and internal communication aspects should be covered, and some evidence generated at the same time.

 

External Communications

Tackling the external communication requirements could be a bit trickier depending on what you already do and any unforeseen challenges that may arise. An assessment of issues that might arise to determine the risks & opportunities may prove worthwhile? You will probably be safe to conclude, that as long as you can produce the records of evidence, to meet the requirements, then your certification is secure (see Percy – Keeping Them Happy on our website).

 

Your Messages

Nevertheless, just like some people think they are good drivers, so many people think they are good at communication. It is perhaps interesting to reflect on how we learnt to communicate? How many of us have a degree in ‘Communication’ or even an NVQ? If communication is the oil that stops your business engine from seizing up do you need to spend more time improving it? Communicating your Quality Policy to people working for the organisation will be of little use if they do not understand it. In fact, it will be of little use if, as it were, they gain a different perception of the Policy than you intended. The message is important and so is the conviction with which it is delivered. Are your messages clear and convincing?

 

Would more effective communication improve the business performance and if so, can you do anything about it? Could you become an exemplar business in effective communications? I am sure you could, but would it be worth the effort, only you can decide. 

 

Work with Us

If you would like to externally communicate some more, then contact us on:

Tel:                    01284 330400

Email:               info@performanceplus.co.uk

Web:                 www.performanceplus.co.uk

We work with small to medium size businesses across the East Anglia Region.