6 bad communication habits that are costing your organization

Being a communicator can be both a blessing and a curse.

It’s a fulfilling career path, but it can be endlessly frustrating to see organizations make mistakes that damage their reputations and risk sales—and not be able to do anything about it (except for your own organization, of course).

I got married last summer. In planning the wedding, I worked with more than a dozen businesses ranging from one-person startups to family-owned businesses to giant agencies. Each vendor had its own approach to communications and customer service, and though most were delightful to work with, others made grave mistakes that cost them my (and probably others’) business.

You know that skimping on communications will eventually hurt a company, but sometimes executives and co-workers outside the communications team need a friendly reminder.

Below are a few pieces of advice that organizations can’t afford to forget:

1. Don’t assume your customer knows as much about your organization/product/industry as you.

Planning a wedding is like beginning a new job in an industry that you know virtually nothing about, yet you are required to pull off a high-stakes project to perfection.