Staff who get their message across can save retailers time and money, finds Rebecca Thomson

Better communication is something almost every business could do with, and in a fast-paced retail environment it’s crucial. Not only does it mean problems are solved more quickly, staff members with strong communication skills are often the ones who get promoted and help take the business to the next level.

Communication for managers is more important than for most, as they can hold key positionslinking senior directors with staff further down the ladder. Online fashion etailer Asos is one company that is working on the issue, saying it helps the business to run. It believes its business can run more smoothly and grow quicker if managers are confident and have good communication skills.

“Some people can go to jelly talking in front of other people, but in our business it’s something you need to do all the time - in meetings, in presentations and when you meet with people externally. Staff need to have impact and gravitas,” says Asos learning and development adviser Neil Andrew.

Asos has run five sessions with eight people attending each time, focusing on how to help people improve their confidence and get their message across. The retailer worked with Lindsay Maclean, founder of training company iElevate, and says the sessions were helpful. “It’s hard to put a tangible figure on it in terms of measuring the business impact of the training,” says Andrew. “But the feedback we’ve had from managers is very positive. We’ve noticed them coming out of themselves more, speaking up more in meetings and contributing more.”

Make Yourself Heard

Tips for greater confidence:O

  • Bosses can have many options when choosing people for promotion. Use your personality to become visible
  • Use nervousness positively- channel it outwards rather than letting it go inwards
  • There will always be other people who you consider to be better than you, but focus on being the best you can be
  • When you feel you have something really important to say, speak out

Maclean, who has also worked with Aurora Fashions and Arcadia, says higher confidence levels in staff can improve a range of situations. A junior store manager might be fearful of a senior visual merchandise manager, for instance, and not flag up a problem that they might otherwise raise because of a lack of confidence. Or a staff member wanting to leave the company because of a problem with another manager could use the skills to establish a productive relationship with them. “It improves talent retention and reduces costs and money wasting, because you are tackling problems that wouldn’t be solved otherwise,” Maclean says.

Asos staff were taught how to get someone’s attention, keep the person engaged and deliver the message they wanted to get across using a variety of exercises.

It may be a difficult thing to quantify, but having more confident staff has obvious benefits. The aim is to instil confidence and communication skills in managers, and the benefits will speak for themselves.