Communication is essential in every aspect of life. In our daily lives, we often need to communicate with others to get things done. This includes communicating with other employees, customers, suppliers, and even our families.

This post discusses three different types of communication techniques used in organizations. These include top-down, bottom-up, and horizontal communications.

Top-Down Communication

Top-down communication is a form of communication where the leader or manager communicates information to their subordinates. This type of communication aims to convey important messages that are required for the organization’s success.

The most common example of top-down communication is the boss telling an employee what they need to do. Top-down communication can also be seen when managers give instructions to their subordinates about how they should perform their jobs.

Bottom-Up Communication

A top-down approach to management is one in which the manager makes decisions and communicates them to subordinates. The opposite of this is a bottom-up approach, in which managers ask subordinates what they think should be done and then decide together how to proceed.

Bottom-up communication involves including everyone who works for an organization in making the most informed decisions. 

 The bottom-up approach to communicating with employees is very effective because it helps employees understand their role within the larger picture. It allows them to feel connected to the company mission and vision as well as each other.

There are three main reasons why bottom-up communication is so powerful:

It builds trust – Employees know that their leaders will listen to them if they have questions or concerns. They know that their opinions matter.

It creates loyalty – Leaders create an environment where people want to work. When employees believe that their ideas are valued, they become more loyal to their employer.

It increases productivity – When employees share information, they feel like they own part of the whole process. They feel empowered by knowing that they have something valuable to contribute.

Horizontal Communications

Horizontal communication is the practice of sharing knowledge between employees, departments and divisions within the same level of the organization. This type of cooperation helps employees from different departments to collaborate by allowing them to share information.

Organizations use horizontal communication to help make better decisions.

For instance, when two teams of software developers are working to develop a new product, they may rely on horizontal communication to find out which features the users would prefer. The development team might ask questions such as “What features are you looking forward to having? What suggestions do you have? How could we improve the current design?”

Conclusion

As you can see, communication is key to any successful organization. These three forms of communication allow us to achieve different organizational objectives.