Family communication in business can be challenging.
Communication within a family business is challenging, whether the communication is within the same generation or different generations. It is critical for the longevity of the family business to work on communication.
Within the same generation, the things that negatively affect communication include egos, emotions, fear or distrust.
A family business should have regular meetings, one or two times a year, run by a facilitator. Egos or emotions are frequent challenges. A facilitator for a family business meeting will identify these challenges and will work to mitigate them. The same holds true when the other factors are impacting communication.
Outside of the same generation, the same factors come into play as well as issues relating to terms used to communicate.
A facilitator will assist in clarifying meaning to what is said, and will also clarify what is not said. Communication will be improved with regular meetings and follow up action plans. Review the action plans with a process that is consistent with the schedule of the meetings.
The more challenging the issues, the more regular the meetings, once a quarter or twice a year.
A good facilitator is trained to understand the emotional aspects of the family business. There are many types of business coaches.
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