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Communicating Effectively on the Farm

 by Amber Roberts, Extension Educator, Ag Business Management

Communication Word Cloud
We spend 70% of the time that we are awake engaged in some form of communication.  Effective communication is the groundwork for having proper leadership and employee management. If you can't communicate effectively with your employees and tell them what you expect of them, tell them what they should be doing on a day-to-day basis. How do you ever expect them to do so and how can you more effectively communicate?

Communication needs to be open and honest. When possible, effective communication is a two-way interaction that involves bothparties talking and listening. Everyone needs to be willing to start the discussion and allowed to honestly share their thoughts without fear of repercussions or retalation. 

Good communication can improve relationships on your farm and help you achieve your goals. With strong communication, employees are more willing to give feedback on how to improve an area of your farming operation, or they may have feedback about another employee. Effective communication can help employers identify thier employees wants and needs. Open communication encourages employees to share thier wants and needs, helps to minimize unmet expectations, and enhances conflict resolution.

There are several behaviours that can enhance farm communications: 
  • Build mutual trust
  • Have respect for all viewpoints
  • Listen with sincerity and an open mind
  • Act with integrity, be fair and ethical
  • Do well for everyone

Listen to the entire podcast for more information and examples on effective farm communication. 
 

Episode 6 Transcript

Episode Content:

00:45 - Communication Statistics
03:10 - Improving Relationships with Communication 
07:06 - Effective Communicators Treat Others Well
08:02 - Communication through Text Message
10:05 - Setting Expectations and Boundaries


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