Effective communication

Communication

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date

Communication

Introduction

Effective communication is essential to the success of any organization. The Virgin Group realizes the essence of communication, and therefore the company’s founder spends time inventing ways to improve communication in the organization. The founder believes that communication is an essential skill that any business leader should possess. Communication in the workplace is vital as it improves the relationships between employees, thus enhancing business performance. Consecutively, business managers that communicate with stakeholders can provide and receive essential feedback. Feedback is critical to the success of an organization as managers and employees realize the improvements that need to be made while appreciating achieved success. The Virgin Group is one of the organizations that pay attention to innovating new methods of encouraging internal and external communication.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson, a British business magnate and the founder of Virgin Group, is the business leader that we admire for his communication skills. Richard considers communication with the essential skills that any leader should possess. According to the investor, if a person can speak well, he can outshine his competition in various ways (Gallo, 2015). Branson indicates that communication is more than just talking and reading. It is about understanding the information being relayed.

One of the communication skills that Branson encourages among his employees is face-to-face communication. Branson’s organization, Virgin Airlines, implements this strategy by turning off email access from 10.00 a.m. to noon every Wednesday (Powell, 2016). This strategy intends to limit the use of emails while encouraging more face-to-face communication among the employees. During the period with no email access, the employees are required to leave their desk and conduct other activities. Although access to emails is restricted, other forms of communication are not; therefore, employees can still respond to urgent messages. According to one of the company’s executives, the technique aims to enhance employees’ excellent work-life balance to ensure they are happy.

Ben Watts, Director at Wattsnext HR, indicated that Branson’s idea is good, but it cannot be applied in every organization (Powell, 2016). He mentioned that the concept could not be applied to organizations that heavily rely on the internet to conduct business. However, he indicates that ‘digital detoxing’ is essential to encourage more one-on-one communication in the workplace. Encouraging such interactions benefits the employees as they get to know each other better, helping the organization through stronger workplace relationships. Consecutively, it provides employees with an opportunity to be flexible and creative rather than following a routine every day.

According to Richard Branson, mobile technology should enhance communication between individuals rather than replace them entirely (Clarkson, 2015). Branson indicates that it is essential to have the ability to make a confident and strong first impression on potential business partners. This skill can be learned by focusing on engaging in face-to-face conversations rather than mobile-based communication. However, it is essential to improve on phone conversations as they are used to assess an individual’s character.

Besides oral communication skills, writing skills are also essential, especially for people that intend to apply for jobs. Richard indicates that individuals seeking meetings with the organization need to write proper emails and presentations. Therefore, they should have excellent writing skills. Also, applicants have to ensure that their written documents, such as resumes and application letters, should stand out from the rest to pass the recruitment process. Applicants can achieve this aspect by improving on their nonverbal communication skills such as writing.

According to Viktoria Tegard, Head of Internal Communications at Virgin Atlantic Airways, internal communication is essential to developing a corporate culture that encourages innovation. This innovation is used to develop internal digital messaging techniques and face-to-face channels (Gras, 2015). Consecutively, Viktoria indicated that open conversations about change and findings are essential in both success and failure. The company encourages contributions from all stakeholders, including employees and customers. Feedback is critical to the organization as it provides them with an opportunity to understand the areas that need improvements while also realizing the success areas. Also, communicating feedback to employees is essential as they feel appreciated, thus improving their morale and workplace performance. Even the employees can understand the improvements that they need to make to meet organizational goals. These aspects show why communication is essential to Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Conclusion

Richard Branson’s belief that communication is an essential skill one should possess led him to develop an innovative idea that promotes internal communication. His approach encourages employees to engage in more face-to-face communication while abandoning emails for a specified period. This idea is essential as it fosters employee interactions and consequently improves business performance. Consecutively, non-verbal communication is also necessary especially when writing application letters as recruiters pick the notes that stand out. Also, communication is encouraged between managers and all stakeholders, such as employees and customers, as it allows the provision of feedback. Feedback provides both employees and managers an opportunity to improve, thus enhancing business performance.

References

Clarkson, N. (2015). Richard Branson’s Thoughts on Communication in Business. Retrieved from: https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/richard-bransons-thoughts-communication-business

Gallo, C. (2015). Richard Branson: ‘Communication is the Most Important Skill any Leader Can Possess.’ Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2015/07/07/richard-branson-communication-is-the-most-important-skill-any-leader-can-possess/#51fae6cc2e8a

Gras, H. (2015). How Virgin Airways Connects Employees with Innovative Internal Communication Tools (Interview). Retrieved from: https://www.orteccommunications.com/how-virgin-atlantic-airways-connects-employees-with-innovative-internal-communication-tools/

Powell, D. (2017). Virgin Airlines “turns off” Email to Get Staff Away from Screens-How to Digital Detox at Work. Retrieved from: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/virgin-airlines-turns-off-email-get-staff-away-screens-digital-detox-work/