36 Workplace Communication Quotes to Inspire Your Team

There is no substitute for good communication skills in the workplace or life in general. These critical skills lead to all kinds of personal and career success. It may seem obvious, especially if you’ve ever worked in an environment with bad communication patterns, but statistics also demonstrate the importance of effective communication:

• 86% of executives and employees in a Salesforce survey say lack of team communication skills causes failed projects.
• On the other hand, a McKinsey survey shows that good communication leads to a 20-25% productivity boost.

As the pace of business is always rapidly moving, we’ve collected 32 great workplace communication quotes from successful leaders to inspire your team right now.

Collaboration and team communication quotes

Communication within teams means everything tohow well a team works and what they can accomplish.

1. “The kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of teamwork and communication.” — Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author and journalist
2. “Communicate in a respectful manner — don't just tell your team members what you want, but explain to them why." — Jeffrey Morales, Anheuser-Busch business development manager
3. "Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes." — Margaret Wheatley, management consultant, writer, and speaker
4. “Communicate in a respectful manner — don't just tell your team members what you want, but explain to them why." — Jeffrey Morales, Anheuser-Busch business development manager
5. “The business case speaks for itself — diverse teams are more innovative and successful in going after new markets.” — Inga Beale, former CEO, Lloyd's of London
6. “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” — Tony Robbins, author and speaker
7. “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint — and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” — Oprah Winfrey, TV host, actor, author
8. “I motivate players through communication, being honest with them, having them respect and appreciate your ability and your help.” — Tommy Lasorda, baseball manager
9. “Society in its full sense … is never an entity separable from the individuals who compose it. No individual can arrive even at the threshold of his potentialities without a culture in which he participates” — Ruth Benedict, cultural anthropologist

Effective listening

10. “Deep listening is miraculous for both the listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judgmental, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand” — Sue Patton Thoele, psychotherapist, author, speaker
11. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” — Ernest Hemingway, Nobel Prize-winning novelist
12. “There is only one rule for being a good talker — learn to listen.” — Christopher Morley, author
13. “Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn’t listening.” — Emma Thompson, Academy Award-winning actor
14. “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said." — Peter F. Drucker, educator, management consultant and founder of the Drucker Institute
15. “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." — George Bernard Shaw, Nobel Prize-winning playwright
16. “We never listen when we are eager to speak.” — Francois de la Rochefoucauld, French author of maxims
17. “Communicate unto the other person that which you would want him to communicate unto you if your positions were reversed.” — Aaron Goldman, author and founder of the marketing firm Connectual
18. “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” — Madonna, singer-songwriter and actor

On building trust

19. “If you don’t give people information, they make up something to fill the void.” — Carla O’Dell, author, management consultant
20. "Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” — Patrick Lencioni, business author
21. “Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don’t understand the language that you’re singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.” — Lou Rawls, singer, actor, producer
22. “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing." — Rollo Reece May, writer, psychotherapist and philosopher
23. "You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life." — Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker
24. "We can love what we are, without hating what and who we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings” — Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
25. “When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.” — Stephen R. Covey, author and businessman

On willpower and determination

26. "Communication works for those who work at it." — John Powell, author
27. “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” — Brian Tracy, motivational speaker
28. “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." — Ida B. Wells, journalist, civil rights activist, suffragist
29. "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery, aviator and writer
30. "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” — Maya Angelou, poet, and civil rights activist

On success

31. "Communication — the human connection — is the key to personal and career success.” — Paul J. Meyer, founder of Success Motivation Institute
32. "Communication is one of the most important skills you require for a successful life.” — Catherine Pulsifer, author
33. “I think for any relationship to be successful, there needs to be loving communication, appreciation, and understanding. — Miranda Kerr, international supermodel
34. "Of all the life skills available to us, communication is perhaps the most empowering." — Bret Morrison, American voice actor who portrayed The Shadow
35. “"If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader." — Dolly Parton, country music superstar
36. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” — Plato, philosopher

Building better communication

Positive communication matters more than we realize in interpersonal and business success. TriNet is here to help HR professionals and business leaders bring constructive and innovative communications strategies to your team for a happier and more successful company culture.