Effective Communication in the Workplace

In the world that we live in, effective communication is the key to success in the workplace, and whether we like it or not, this applies to autistic people as much as anyone else.

Communication serves a number of essential functions for human beings. It allows us to express our thoughts and feelings in a clear and structured way, it facilitates the transfer of information, and perhaps most importantly of all, it helps us to establish and maintain meaningful relationships.

In the workplace, these factors directly influence our chances of career progression. I’d even argue that the ability to communicate effectively – particularly in a way that helps build relationships and trust – is more important than technical skill alone.

This might seem like a fairly straightforward concept, and many people take it for granted, I’m sure. However, for autistic individuals, workplace interactions that feel simple and natural to others can often seem complex and overwhelming. What comes effortlessly to many can be a real challenge for us to manage.

I remember when I first entered the workplace, a colleague of mine used the phrase, “Let’s circle back on this later.” At the time, I didn’t know I was autistic, but I can absolutely recall taking this literally, expecting a further meeting would be scheduled. When no meeting was arranged, I was left feeling a bit confused and started questioning whether I’d misunderstood or misheard them.

It was only as I gained more experience in the workplace that I realized that phrases like this are often used to signal vague intentions about future discussions, rather than a definite plan to revisit the matter. What I had interpreted as a clear commitment to meet again was, in reality, just a noncommittal way of postponing the conversation.

In this article, we’ll explore the nuances of effective communication in the workplace, particularly through the lens of autism. We’ll discuss why communication matters, how you can develop your skills in this area and strategies to steer you through workplace interactions more effectively.

Effective Communication in the Workplace: Why It Matters…

Since we spend up to a third of our lives at work, we mustn’t underestimate the significance of effective communication in the workplace and its role in both individual and team success.

Numerous studies highlight the impact of poor communication on businesses. A survey by Expert Market found that 28% of employees cited poor communication as the primary reason for missing project deadlines. Meanwhile, a report from the Harvard Business Review estimated that poor communication costs U.S. organizations up to $2 trillion annually in lost time and productivity.

On an individual level, effective communication in the workplace enhances productivity and efficiency, reduces misunderstandings, and helps build strong relationships with colleagues. When people feel comfortable seeking support and collaborating with each other, job satisfaction increases, and our stress levels decrease.

At a team level, strong communication reduces the likelihood of internal conflict which can otherwise create a toxic work environment, lowering morale and productivity. It’s important that people feel safe expressing their concerns openly and know that their opinions will be heard and respected. This creates a culture of openness where it becomes more likely that teams will work together to find agreeable solutions.

A workplace culture that’s built on strong communication also enables faster, more effective decision-making, ensuring that challenges are addressed promptly and that progress isn’t being stalled by misunderstandings or uncertainty.

…And What It Really Means

Taking it right back to basics, at its heart, effective communication in the workplace is any interaction you have at work, about work. This includes discussing tasks, providing project updates, and giving or receiving feedback. Sounds really simple, right?

Well, the way that we communicate at work has evolved massively over the years. When I first entered the workplace in 1999, we had the telephone and the fax and that was about it (simpler times, eh?).

Nowadays, we’re bombarded with countless and everchanging ways to communicate and it can sometimes feel like a struggle to keep up.

Conversations still happen face-to-face, but now they’re also happening via e-mail, over video calls, on social media, or in online group meetings. Some happen in real-time, like live discussions and the messages that pop up on the screen every five minutes (does that happen to you too?), while others are things we can respond to in our own time, such as emails, recorded videos, or updates in project management tools.

It feels like every few years, there’s another big shift in workplace communication. For those of us with autism, these changes can be a double-edged sword, sometimes making things easier, but sometimes making them more challenging.

For me personally, Teams has made effective communication in the workplace much easier. It allows me to appear as though I’m maintaining eye contact while actually looking elsewhere on the screen, something that really helps to reduce my anxiety and allows me to hear what’s being said and focus on what I want to say.

On the other hand, it’s also made things more difficult. Scheduling a meeting used to require quite a bit of effort, but now it happens at the click of a button.

A decade ago, gathering everyone together took a fair amount of planning – and quite often a secretary – but now it feels like meetings are being scheduled left, right, and center. I don’t know about you, but the number of meeting requests I receive seems to have increased exponentially post-Covid.

Developing Effective Workplace Communication Skills With Autism

For those of us with autism, we sometimes believe – mainly because we’re repeatedly told it – that developing workplace communication skills is impossible. That’s just the way we are, right? We’re wired that way, and that’s that.

Well, I disagree.

I believe that, like any other skill, effective workplace communication skills can be developed. We may have to work harder at it than others, and that’s where reasonable accommodations come in to level the playing field, but that doesn’t mean it’s unachievable.

Here are some simple but effective ways we can build and strengthen our workplace communication skills:

Learn About Different Communication Styles

Start by observing how your colleagues communicate. What strategies do they use that work well? What approaches seem ineffective? Pay particular attention to those who are especially effective at communication in the workplace – those who appear confident, command attention and engage others easily.

If you notice someone who consistently holds the room and communicates effectively, there’s no harm in learning from them. This doesn’t mean changing who you are, but rather adopting techniques that can help you improve your own communication skills.

People like this often have a strong presence. They appear confident, are respected, and are less likely to be interrupted, though it’s worth noting that, in my experience, interruptions tend to happen more frequently to women than men.

When interruptions do occur, strong communicators handle them politely but firmly. They might say something like, “Hold that thought for a second” or “I’d like to finish my point.” These phrases help assert their authority in the conversation while maintaining professionalism.

By studying different communication styles and incorporating techniques that work, you can develop a stronger presence in workplace discussions and improve your overall communication skills.

Learn About Non-Verbal Cues

This can be one of the hardest things for autistic people to master, but body language plays a crucial role in communication, often conveying more than words alone. Non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, posture, and personal space all help us to express emotions and understand those around us.

Facial expressions are among the most universal forms of communication. A simple smile can indicate happiness, while a furrowed brow might signal concern. Eye movements also reveal peoples emotions, with direct eye contact signaling confidence or interest and frequent blinking possibly suggesting stress.

Our hand gestures can often add further context, from a simple wave to folded arms and legs. Someone with an open body posture may be expressing their confidence and engagement, while a person with closed posture may be feeling discomfort or defensiveness.

It isn’t always easy to see these things with autism, in fact I’d go as far as to liken it to color blindness, but consciously looking at the way other’s present themselves to you and using logic to see the cues (e.g. literally seeing that the person has their arms crossed and putting two and two together and considering that they might be feeling defensive) can help to improve our communication and relations with others.

Practicing Active Listening

As I’ve grown older and wiser, I’ve come to realize that when it comes to effective communication in the workplace, sometimes less is more.

I used to feel the need to answer every question, believing it would make me appear credible. But over time, I’ve learned the value of giving space to my colleagues. Building strong professional relationships isn’t just about proving competence, it’s also about earning trust and respect. In many cases, social capital is just as important as professional credibility.

Think of it like a set of scales. Your professional expertise on one side and your social standing on the other. To be truly successful, both need to be in balance, and sometimes that means stepping back to allow others to rise.

This idea of speaking less and listening more is known as Active Listening. It involves making a conscious effort to truly absorb what’s being said rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak. Instead of thinking ahead to your response, you focus on visualizing the speaker’s point and ensure that you fully understand before formulating a reply.

When you engage in Active Listening, people notice. They start to feel heard, valued, and respected. In turn, conversations become more meaningful and the quality of workplace discussions improves significantly, leading to stronger relationships and better collaboration.

Ask for Feedback and Support

I know that I have a particular way of communicating. I tend to be direct and to the point. I’m comfortable getting straight into a meeting without warming up with small talk. My emails are structured, often filled with bullet points and minimal pleasantries.

I can be quite competitive and I’m not always the most natural team player. Some of this stems from autism, while some are simply my personality traits, but together, they can make me seem quite distant. I’ve even been described as cold in the past.

I describe these as my weaknesses, not because they’re inherently bad, but because they can make it harder to succeed in a neurotypical work environment. Personally, I’d be fine if everyone communicated the way I do, but that’s not the reality of most workplaces.

In the past, I’ve been fortunate to have line managers who were honest with me about how I was perceived by those around me. At the time, neither they nor I knew I was autistic, but their feedback was invaluable.

It allowed me to put checks and balances in place, like restructuring my emails to come across as more approachable, things that otherwise wouldn’t have naturally occurred to me.

Where things have gone wrong for me is when I’ve had managers who weren’t comfortable having those conversations. Without that insight, I haven’t always seen the problem coming.

My advice to other autistic individuals is to find someone – a manager, a trusted colleague – and be open with them. Explain that you see the world in a certain way and that their feedback would be helpful if they notice anything that might unintentionally upset others or be misinterpreted.

It takes courage to ask for this kind of feedback, but trust me, it will teach you a lot about how you’re perceived, help others understand you better and ultimately lead to stronger workplace relationships.

Use Assistive Technology

In recent years, I’ve found that assistive technology can be a real game-changer for effective communication in the workplace. Many of us process and express information differently and the right tools can help bridge the gap between our natural communication style and the expectations of a neurotypical workplace.

For example, if you find it difficult to communicate verbally, tools like speech-to-text software can help you to convert spoken conversations into written form, making it easier to process and respond at your own pace.

Similarly, note-taking apps or transcription tools can capture key points from meetings which reduces the pressure of remembering everything in real time.

If, like me, you struggle to write emails or written communication in a way that aligns with neurotypical expectations, AI-powered writing assistants like ChatGPT, Claude AI or Grammarly can help you to refine the tone and structure. I’ll often ask AI to re-write my e-mails in a friendly way and since doing this I haven’t had a negative response from anyone.

For those who find nonverbal cues difficult to interpret, tools like social skills training apps or even workplace coaching software can offer guidance on reading body language, tone of voice, and conversational flow.

Calendar and task management apps, like Trello or Notion, can also support executive functioning by helping to organize tasks, set reminders, and track deadlines, all of which helps to reduce stress and make us more efficient.

It’s important to remember that assistive technology isn’t a crutch, it’s simply a tool to help level the playing field. If certain aspects of workplace communication feel overwhelming then using technology to support those areas can make interactions smoother, boost confidence, and improve overall effectiveness.

Unfortunately, some workplaces are more accommodating than others when it comes to providing these tools, but don’t hesitate to use my free resources to help guide any discussion around them.

Conclusion

Effective communication in the workplace is an important skill that can influence your career success and overall job satisfaction.  

While communication challenges can be more pronounced for those of us with autism, I firmly believe that these skills can be learned and improved over time.

By understanding different communication styles, interpreting non-verbal cues, practicing active listening, seeking regular feedback and using assistive technology, your workplace interactions should become more effective over time.

Remember, effective communication in the workplace isn’t about changing who you are, it’s about finding strategies that allow you to build stronger relationships and succeed in your career.