Workplace Communication Mistakes

7 Workplace Communication Mistakes That Can Damage Your Career

(Last Updated On: June 15, 2020)

There is a saying “Think before you speak“. It is very true and necessary for good communication. Avoid communication mistakes for maintaining healthy relationships in the workplace. Your one word or sentence can affect your career. Let’s find what are the common communication mistakes that should be avoided at your workplace.

What Are The Communication Mistakes That Will Make You A Fool?

Communicating effectively at work is very important. Some people make different communication mistakes or communication errors in their workplace. That affects their professional image and respect.

At the workplace, you have to deal with a different type of people. You have to communicate with your subordinates, managers, colleagues, customers and others. Sometimes you have to communicate with people whom you have never seen before.

Their language or slang may be different than you and that also create communication mistakes.

You should learn HOW TO

  • Improve your communication skills
  • speak effectively at work,
  • Respond to a situation
  • Say No in sticky situations

Do you like to read How to speak well with others or the audience?

7 Communication mistakes that should be avoided

7 Workplace Communication Mistakes
7 Workplace Communication Mistakes
  1. Sending e-mails without a review
  2. Delivering sensitive news by email
  3. Saying YES for everything instead of NO
  4. Delaying difficult conversations
  5. Making Assumptions
  6. Crossing the privacy line at workplace
  7. Reacting instead of responding

1. Sending e-mails without a review

In the present world, e-mails have an important role in communication. Why e-mails have become very popular? Because e-mails are an easy way of communication. Within seconds of hitting the send button, the e-mail is being delivered to the recipient anywhere in the world. He can read and reply immediately.

If you send an e-mail without proper review, a single word not used at the proper place or misspelt can completely change the meaning of the matter. You may lose your valuable order or that word can hurt the recipient.

Ensure even by mistake you have written none rude words. Make sure the e-mail is conveying the proper message that you are trying to convey to the recipient. Review everything including grammar, punctuation, and spelling before you hit send. Remember, once you hit the send button, you cannot edit it. Hence, before hitting the SEND button always make sure everything is OK.

Sending e-mail
Image by Muhammad Ribkhan from Pixabay

2. Delivering sensitive news by email

Some employees send their resignation letter or their problems through e-mail to the boss sitting in the same office. The same way some employers send a suspension, a dismissal or a promotion letter through e-mail.

It is always better to avoid communicating such matters through an e-mail. Because there is a possibility of using the wrong language in the e-mail by the sender. It is also possible that the recipient gets shocked while reading an unexpected matter.

It is always better to communicate good or bad news in person and not through an e-mail. While delivering such important news through an e-mail the human touch is missing out in the message.

If you are resigning from the job, meet your boss and discuss the matter with him. Explain to him the reasons for your decision. Sometimes he may solve your problems and you change your decision.

If you are an employer, call the concerned employee and discuss the matter with him. Listen to his explanation because everyone has the right to speak. If not satisfied, you can inform him about your final decision and wish him the best for the future. If he has not done something very serious, there is no meaning in shouting on him.

If you are promoting a person, call him to your table and convey the good news and congratulate. The joy and excitement on hearing the good news on his face will make you feel happy.

Try to avoid communicating any sensitive news through e-mail. Human touch is good for such news.

3. Saying YES for everything instead of NO

It is very important to have clear and assertive communication. There are occasions you need to say ‘NO’, but you hesitate to say ‘NO’. You feel pressurised to say ‘YES’ instead of ‘NO’. Some people do this to please their boss and colleagues.

Is it a good method? No, not at all. No reason is good enough to say ‘YES’ when you should say ‘NO’. Because if you continue saying ‘YES’ to everything you may get overburdened affecting your productivity. So it is better to be assertive and say ‘NO’. You must have a valid reason to justify why you are saying ‘NO’.

4. Delaying difficult conversations

Some matters require immediate information and attention. If you take it easy and delay the communication that can cause problems and the outcome will not be positive as you expected.

You should not delay in pointing out the poor performance or mistake of a person. If he is your friend, you may find it difficult to talk. But have the courage to discuss the matter with him and find a solution to the problem. Never delay or avoid any such difficult conversation which can affect the productivity or cause damage to the future.

5. Making Assumptions

Some people do not explain the matter but give an outline or image expecting that subordinate will understand everything. Later they call the concerned person and ask for the result. When he finds the person has not completed the job as he expected he take action against him.

It is not a good procedure because it is not necessary that everyone will understand the matter without clarification. When you give a job to a person convey to him the requirement in detail. Don’t assume that he understood what he needs to do and how to do. Ask him for any doubts and make sure he understood well. Avoid making assumptions because assumptions can create confusions.

6. Crossing the privacy line at workplace

Everyone has their own personal life and hence it is important to respect their privacy. While communicating with colleagues be careful not to cross the line and talk something related to the privacy of others.

The workplace is meant only for work and engages with colleagues and customers professionally. Communicate nothing against professional etiquette which can affect the harmony.

Do you like someone to attack your personal space and privacy? No. The same applies to others also and hence never cross the line of the privacy of others at work.

7. Reacting instead of responding

Some people react to everything instead of responding. Disagreements at work are common because people have different opinions.

Reacting instead of responding - communication mistake
Image by ashish choudhary from Pixabay

Do you get annoyed and just react to colleague’s disagreements? It is easy to react, but that can affect your professional relationships and even your career. Hence respond respectfully and avoid reacting unnecessarily.

Your reaction can create things worse, but your good response can benefit others and direct towards resolving the difficult situation. Try to respond rather than react impulsively.

6 Phrases smart people don’t say

There are certain phrases that smart people do not use.  You need to drop out certain English phrases from your vocabulary while communicating with others.

People will interpret your words in their own way and showcase your negative attitude.

It is important for you to use phrases that would make you sound confident. Click To Tweet

1. It’s not fair

Life is not fair. We want our life to be just perfect, but that’s not reality. Life is never fair. But you can’t use this phrase in front of people. Because when you use this phrase people would think you are immature or naive. It’s important for you to stay constructive. So stop using the phrase that’s not fair.

2. This is it how it works always

Are you very lazy? Do you reply to anyone “This is it how it works always”? Your words will show you are way too lazy and your attitude.

Don’t you want to improve on things? All you need to is work on yourself. You need to bring in new things to improve your work. So stop using the wrong phrase and look forward to changing your work style.

Read How To Tap Into Character Strengths To Change The Life?

3. A silly question

Another commonly used phrase is ‘I will ask you a silly question’. This is a sure shot career killer. Many people use this phrase. You should remember that there is no silly question.

All questions have their own value. When you say this is a silly or an idiotic question that shows you are not confident about yourself. Do not judge yourself. You should be always self-confident.

If you would like to share a question, any kind of information or any idea with your team members, clients or with your boss, just go ahead with full confidence.

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4. He is such a jerk/incompetent/lazy

Do you ever use this phrase about others ‘He is such a jerk, he is incompetent, he is so lazy.’  If yes, stop doing this. Avoid announcing or form opinions about others. When you judge others that shows how insecure you are about yourself.

Do you have the power to improve them? If not, then what’s the point of announcing them as lazy, incompetent or jerks.

What benefit do you get by judging others? It is important for you to understand that on some occasions you have to live with difficult people, work with lazy, incompetent jerks.

There can be many reasons behind their that attitude. Without identifying the exact reason there is no point in announcing them as lazy, jerk people. Never Judge A Person Without Knowing The Truth

5. It’s not my fault

Some people never accept their own fault and love to play the blame game. They use the phrase ‘it is not my fault, it happened because of other persons’.

If you have this bad habit, stop doing that because it shows your lack of accountability. People will build a negative image of you and avoid working with you.

You should have the courage to admit your fault. If it is someone else’s fault, you should inform the concerned higher authority about the faulty person. You should not point out fingers and say hey it’s not my fault.

6. I hate this job

Do you know what is the most important phrase you need to drop from your vocabulary? That phrase is “I hate“.

You may find many people around you often using this phrase. Some people have a bad habit of complaining about everything.

They hate everyone such as their boss, colleagues, friends, family and even their job. If you hate anything, quit instead of spoiling the work environment.

Try to find people who want to feel motivated and encouraged. Try to find and work on things that would improve your life and bring success in your life.

Learn How to concentrate better and focus on work?

Speaking out and keeping silent

  1. Speak up at work when it is for the greater good.
  2. Test out your environment and ensure it is safe to speak out. If not safe, consider carefully what you speak out about.
  3. Whatever the environment, speak up for your rights and justice.  Sometimes it can be very hard.
  4. Your values are a great harness to test out what you speak up about. Weigh up the pros and cons of speaking up.
  5. Some people will only learn from experience. Know the person who you are dealing with. Keep silent if what you say is falling on deaf ears.
  6. Speak only when you have something of substance to say. Never speak for the sake of impressing.
  7. Some smart people may be bamboozling you with sweet or devious talk. You have to develop the gift of the smart comeback to counter them. Nip it in the bud.

If you are an introvert, you may find silence very attractive.

But you have to avoid communication mistakes to strike the right balance.


If you want success and happiness in your career and life, avoid communication mistakes and control your life. Communications mistakes can make misunderstanding and you may lose your job. Communication mistakes can make your customer angry and you will lose them forever.

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2 thoughts on “7 Workplace Communication Mistakes That Can Damage Your Career”

  1. Using foul and vulgar words is a sure way to an argument, so never take this lightly. Even if it is just a form of expression for you and you do not mean anything by it, others might find it offensive.


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