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Just like relationships, workplaces thrive on clear team communication (paired with strong doses of honesty and respect for the best results!). So, how is communication between you and your employees lately? If it's inconsistent or ambiguous at best and outright nonexistent at worst, then this is something you need to fix, asap. By simply improving overall communication in your team, you’ll improve collaboration and workplace morale, which translates to higher customer satisfaction and a more efficient, profitable business overall. Assuming you have channels for workplace communication available—a text messaging app in your booking software, for example—that’s half the battle. The other half involves tone, consistency and communication styles, which we’ve covered for you below. Read on for actionable tips that will help you improve team communication.

Why Team Communication Matters

Effective team communication isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity to communicate effectively.

Improving communication skills within a team is crucial for better collaboration, team building and employee engagement.

Moreover, it:

Improves Productivity & Performance

Clear team communication eliminates confusion and wasted time spent clarifying instructions or chasing down missing information. Moreover, good communication fosters collaboration, reduces misunderstandings, improves task management and provides opportunities for feedback. Feedback, particularly of the negative variety, is vital for improving employee performance. In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, this is something your employees want from you.¹

Enhances Problem Solving

Open team communication allows diverse perspectives to surface, leading to more creative and effective solutions. Remember that “open communication” means a two-way communication. Your communication channels are for more than just dishing out information, or orders. Demonstrate that everyone is welcome to speak their minds, and voice ideas, opinions and solutions to problems without the fear of being criticized or shut down.

Strengthens Relationships

When a team member feels heard and understood, trust and camaraderie develop, leading to a more positive and collaborative work environment. Regular one-on-one meetings and clear communication in team meetings are essential for ensuring team members interact effectively, building trust and camaraderie. Poor communication leads to mistrust of both leadership and fellow team members².

Increases Employee Engagement

Employee buy-in is central to team communication. Feeling part of a team with clear goals and open, good communication channels fosters a sense of ownership and engagement among employees. Encourage team members by promoting engagement, communication, and collaboration, which helps maintain their focus and positively impacts the overall quality of their work³.

Reduces Conflict & Employee Turnover

Better communication minimizes misunderstandings and allows you to resolve conflicts quickly, preventing issues from escalating. Failure to do this negatively impacts employee retention. In fact, according to some research, inconsistent team communication can increase turnover by 50%!⁴

Improves Client Satisfaction

Strong internal communication helps ensure everyone is on the same page, leading to a more positive and cohesive client experience.

Understanding Different Communication Styles

Verbal communication can be tricky. Salons, spas, fitness studios and many other businesses employ a range of personalities, who likely communicate in diverse ways influenced by personality traits and cultural backgrounds, to name a few factors.

Recognizing that not everyone communicates in the same way is crucial. In fact, employees often cite conflicting communication styles as a major reason they don’t jibe with their boss, or don’t “fit” in a certain workplace.

Here are some of the most common communication styles:

Assertive: Assertive communicators speak directly and confidently, expressing their thoughts and needs clearly without being aggressive.
Analytical: Analytical communicators focus on facts, data, and logic. They usually prefer a well-structured conversation and written communication.
Friendly: Friendly communicators value relationships and foster a positive, collaborative atmosphere. They will often use humor and storytelling to engage others.
Dominant: Dominant communicators take charge and direct the conversation. The difference between these folks and assertive communicators is that they can come across as forceful or insensitive.
Reserved: Reserved communicators prefer to listen and observe before contributing, often processing information internally before speaking up.

Tips for Engaging With Different Communicators

Which communication style above best describes you? What about your employees? Knowing your communication style enables you to tailor your communication approach to each team member, ensuring your message is received clearly, effectively and respectfully. In this way, they are more likely to accept feedback.

With Assertive Communicators: These are the confident types who aren’t afraid to offer input or speak their minds when it’s necessary. Provide clear and direct communication and be confident in stating your own opinion.

Ex. " Sarah, we appreciate your dedication to your clients, but running late disrupts the schedule for everyone. Can we discuss adjusting booking times to allow for more realistic buffer periods between clients?"

With Analytical Communicators: Present evidence to support your ideas, and ensure your communication is well-organized and logical. You should be able to pull data related to appointments, product sales, and many other things from your booking software’s Reports to back you up.

Ex. Jake, your product usage tracking is insightful. I'll pull inventory & sales reports and investigate further. Then we can start suggesting products best suited for clients’ skin types and needs.

With Friendly Communicators: These guys prefer good vibes, and work to keep them in conversations. Focus on building rapport and create a lighthearted atmosphere while still addressing the issue at hand.

Ex. Mary, your friendly personality always puts our patients at ease. However, we do need to maintain professional boundaries. Let's make sure that all conversation is professional and focused on patient care.

With Dominant Communicators: Ah, the “big” personalities. Allow them space to express their ideas, but respectfully interject to present your own perspective.

Ex. Darryl, your passion for fitness is inspiring. But criticizing colleagues’ methods in front of clients is unprofessional. Let's discuss constructive feedback methods and how we can create a supportive team environment.

With Reserved Communicators: It can take a bit of coaxing to get these folks to Create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Use open-ended questions to encourage their participation.

Ex. Jasmine, client feedback for your services is always incredible. That’s why I think you should start suggesting added services like deep conditioning during consultations. Are you comfortable engaging clients in this way?

Remember that nonverbal communication plays as significant a role as verbal communication. Maintain eye contact, project confidence through body language, and use a positive tone of voice to ensure your message is conveyed effectively.

7 Tips for Improving Team Communication

Now that we understand the importance of team member communication styles, let’s explore practical tools and communication practices that help foster a positive work environment:

1. Active Listening

Effective communication involves truly paying attention to what a team member is saying, both verbally and nonverbally. To actively listen means to acknowledge their points, ask clarifying questions, and avoid interrupting.

Demonstrate active listening by summarizing key points and reiterating what you’ve heard.

2. Regular Team Meetings

Establish regular team meetings with clear agendas that cover project updates, brainstorming sessions, and addressing any roadblocks. Get these meetings on the calendar well in advance and be sure to send reminders to required attendees via your team chat channels.

How often should you hold these meetings and how long should they be? Well, some things to keep in mind:

Meetings tend to average 30-60 minutes...⁵
...but the average adult attention-span caps at about 20 minutes
Needlessly long meetings negatively affect employee production...
...and make them miserable⁶

In other words, don’t keep employees longer than necessary. Unless otherwise necessary, keep meetings to 30 minutes or less, with 25 minutes being the sweet spot. Some argue for weekly meetings, though bi-weekly or even monthly should suffice.

Beyond this:

Set clear expectations that are communicated to your employees.
Come prepared with any data you need, if necessary. Again, your booking software should have a Reports feature that paints a picture of just about every aspect of your business.
Ask open-ended questions and encourage open dialogue and participation from all parties involved.
Stay on track and avoid going on tangents for the sake of clarity and time. Consider appointing a team leader that other team members respect to keep the meeting on point.
Try to get feedback from your employees (via your team leaders) occasionally on how helpful these meetings are. You can do this easily by creating anonymous surveys with your custom form creator

3. One-On-One Meetings

Scheduling one-on-ones with individual team members is great for discussing their goals and challenges and gives you an opportunity to get important feedback on how your business is running. Conflicts between one team member and another can be resolved in one-on-one meetings. These sessions also strengthen relationships and promote open communication.

The same rules of meeting preparation above apply here. How often you schedule your one-on-one meetings depends on the size of your team, though once a month should suffice.

Remember, though, that a one-on-one isn’t always necessary. Sometimes it’s best to simply answer a question or two directly on your employee chat channel than schedule a meeting to address it.

4. Multiple Communication Channels

Utilize a variety of communication channels to promote effective team communication. Using multiple communication channels can significantly enhance team communication skills. That means in-person, virtually, and everywhere in between. We suggest leaving personal email for things like formal documentation only for the sake of boundaries, work-life balance, professionalism and organization. Avoid overusing your personal phone (calls, texting) for the same reasons.

Just as big companies have project management software for team collaboration, service-based businesses should be able to use their booking and management software to the same effect. Robust platforms come equipped with dedicated instant messaging capability, and other features through which to communicate with employees (More on these below)

5. Use Clear & Concise Communication

Some of us are more prone than others to sending novella-length texts and emails to friends, family and co-workers. If this is you, and you’re the boss, strive instead for clear, concise communication whether you’re addressing an employee one-on-one, sending a message to a whole group, or providing feedback to team members. Use plain language, avoid jargon, and ensure your message is well-structured and easy to understand.

Encourage team members to use the same team communication skills that you display. Getting the point across quickly isn’t the only thing that’s at stake here. You may need to parse through a conversation history to find some valuable information about a client, or another employee’s schedule. The less you dig through, the better.

6. Create a Culture of Feedback

Foster a culture where feedback is encouraged. Create guidelines for providing and receiving feedback to ensure that it's delivered respectfully and helps individuals improve.

Make feedback a regular practice: Make it a natural part of performance reviews, one-on-one meetings, and even daily interactions.
Focus on both positive & constructive feedback: Positive reinforcement acknowledges achievements and motivates employees. Constructive criticism delivered with respect, helps them find areas for growth. These are the keys to giving effective feedback.
Focus on behavior & actions, not a personal attack: Negative feedback should be specific, actionable, and directed at a specific behavior or skill, not the individual themself.
Encourage Two-Way Communication: Open the door for employees to provide feedback on leadership, processes, and the overall work environment.

7. Embrace Communication Technology

Utilize project management software and other technology to promote effective communication and boost team productivity. Team building activities can also be facilitated using communication technology, enhancing teamwork and productivity. Here are some examples:

Project Management Tools: A booking platform like Vagaro is a project management tool that offers a centralized hub for schedule management, client information sharing, payroll, resource use, inventory management, discussion threads, and real-time updates. These tools promote transparency, visibility, and foster collaboration across teams. Let’s talk about one in particular…
Instant Messaging Tools: A dedicated instant messenger for your business, Vagaro Connect enables quick and informal communication amongst team members. Communication tools like this can be used for quick updates, brainstorming sessions, and fostering a sense of camaraderie.
Video Conferencing Tools: Video conference Platforms like Zoom and Google Meet enable face-to-face interaction regardless of location. Video calls are particularly beneficial if you need to meet with an employee(s) on an off day. Businesses may also have a livestreaming tool built into their booking/management software (like Vagaro Live Stream, for instance), which negates the need for a third-party program.

Good team communication is a journey, not a destination. By acknowledging the importance of communication styles, using the right communication tools, and fostering a culture of open dialogue, you can transform your employees into a high performing team. Vagaro empowers your entire team to reach their full potential with an array of features that promote effective communication, transparency and organization. Make your business the kind of place where the best employees want to work. Start your FREE 30-day trial and start achieving extraordinary results.

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