Communication plays a crucial role in problem-solving and decision-making processes within teams. More than 70 percent of leaders feel that effective communication skills boost their team’s productivity. So what is the correlation between strong communication and a high-quality job performance? And how can you develop this trait to bolster your own career success?

Wonder no more—our latest installment of The Productivity Box is all about improving those communication skills.

What are communication skills—and why are they important?

In the most basic terms, communication skills empower you to share thoughts, ideas, feedback, or information with others in a clear, efficient manner. This can help lower the risk of confusion, ambiguity, conflict, and errors, while boosting team collaboration and streamlining performance outcomes. According to a recent report, there are some compelling benefits of effective communication in the workplace, including increasing:

• Employee confidence by 60%
• Job satisfaction by 56%
• Colleague relationships by 54%
• Quality of work by 48%

On the flip side, however, the ramifications of poor communication skills can be costly. In fact, many people agree that poor communication leads to negative consequences:

• 68% of surveyed workers agree it wastes valuable time
• 42% agree it causes burnout, stress, or fatigue
• 35% agree it results in lost files or documents
• 12% agree poor communication loses customers to a business competitor
• 10% agree poor communication influences employee turnover

How will streamlining your communication boost productivity?

As this data shows, communication skills are extremely beneficial—but let’s delve further into the impact that effective communication has on productivity.

First and foremost, communication ensures mutual understanding, clarifies expectations, relays mission-critical updates, reinforces shared goals and values, promotes a smooth exchange of ideas, and fosters team cohesion. You need all these components to do your job at the highest level.

96 percent of surveyed business leaders think effective communication is essential for delivering maximum results, and another 95 percent agree that communication skills dictate how well their teams perform.

It’s not hard to see why. Streamlining communication means that everyone has what they need to complete each task with accuracy and efficiency. You’re all on the same page with access to the right information and resources—productivity can flourish.

Five actionable ways to improve your communication skills at work

According to another report, communication is the number-one soft skill that differentiates high performers from other employees. In fact, hiring professionals consider communication vital for workplace success.

If you want to improve your own communication skills, follow these action steps.

Connect your message to the common goal

Before you enter into a conversation (whether it’s verbal or written), determine the result you want to achieve. You should also establish how this preferred outcome fits into the common goals of your work project and organizational mission.

This will help you formulate, organize, and ultimately, deliver the main talking points to lay the groundwork for a fruitful discussion.

Strive for a balance of thorough and concise

As a recent survey found, the average employee will spend almost 60 percent of their time communicating via emails, chats, and meetings. With so many outlets competing for your coworkers’ attention, be sure to keep your message as succinct as possible. Include all the necessary details, so there is no room for miscommunication, but keep it concise.

Create an open, collaborative feedback loop

Building effective communication skills is not just about articulating your own point—it’s also about actively listening to input from others. Dialogue in the workplace should be collaborative with space for everyone to ask questions, brainstorm ideas, share feedback, offer unique perspectives, or seek clarification. This nurtures a productive team culture.

Examine the tone

Words convey just 7 percent of the meaning you want to get across, while your tone of voice is responsible for 38 percent.

Don’t only focus on what you’re communicating—consider how you express it. You’ll have more success if you aim for a non-confrontational tone. Present the information in a straightforward but respectful and thoughtful manner.

Be aware of the communication channels

Just because you can send any and all information via your team collaboration platform, doesn’t mean everything is best shared in over chat.

Here are some tips for effective employee communication especially for those working in hybrid environments due to the unique challenges faced by team members.

Sharpen your communication skills for maximum productivity

Whether you’re working on a collaborative project, discussing with a team member over chat, talking with a customer, sending an email, or delivering a presentation, strong communication is one of the most valuable skills in your arsenal. Regardless of your position within the company, whether you’re a manager, a C-suite executive, or an entry-level employee, this aspect cannot be underestimated.

Consider how you can improve your communication to not only boost your own productivity and work, but to make the lives of everyone around you easier and more efficient as well.