Five Common Ways Business Communication Can Go Wrong Fast

Kasie Roberson, PhD

07-30-2026

My father built homes and commercial buildings for more than five decades. I learned a lot by listening to and watching him build structures that would be safe, sturdy and would serve the owners well. He always invested long hours to make sure the job was well done (thanks Dad for teaching me a strong work ethic). Over the years I noticed the most stressful time on any of his projects was when the concrete was being poured for the foundation. You see, getting the foundation for a building right means excavating to the correct depth, setting the footings and rebar, and pouring the concrete under the right conditions. When the foundation was going in he knew it had to be exactly right because everything else stood on top of that foundation. He taught me that if you get the foundation wrong, it will take time and money to fix it, so it is best to get it right the first time.

Building the right foundation in business communication is no different. Like a bad concrete pour, the problems that come up in business communication rarely come from one big mistake. Instead, they typically come from a few common mistakes that are made early and repeated often.

There are five common ways business communication can go wrong fast. Practitioners can avoid these mistakes by using a people-first approach to lay a better communication foundation at work.

Mistake 1: Making the communication exchange one-sided and not thinking about your audience

The first thing any of us should do in a business communication exchange is consider who our audience is, what matters to them and how best to communicate with them. When we do that we are making the communication two-sided. If we only care about what we need and want from the communication exchange it will remain one-sided and we will be much less likely to get anything from the exchange.

For example, if a salesperson only cares about making a commission and not what the customer actually needs from the product, the customer can often sense that in the communication exchange. The customer may decide to not buy the product or if they do, may feel unsatisfied and not buy from the salesperson or company again. In business, the exchange should be mutually beneficial.

Mistake 2: Letting emotions take over

As humans, we process messages first by feeling them, then we think about them and react. Sometimes we need to take more time to think about how we want to respond in situations and that requires that we lean into our emotional intelligence and understand our own mindset within a situation. If we operate out of a fixed, scarcity, or an arrogant mindset, we are not just making the mistake of letting our emotions take over, we are also not considering our audience and what their needs are (see mistake 1 above).

For example, a business team member who insists on having projects completed exactly how they want, micromanages their colleagues and overall acts like they know better and/or are better than others, is a person who is choosing to allow their emotions and self-interests to be in control to the detriment of the team.

Mistake 3: Missing opportunities to problem solve

In business there are problem-creators, problem-identifiers and problem-solvers. Don’t be a problem-creator. You can avoid this by being aware of what is going on – read email, attend meetings, and overall, just stay in the know about your tasks, organization and industry. Be proactive in your planning and react thoughtfully as needed when issues arise. Keep track of your work and always close the loop on tasks or projects.

You can be a problem-identifier – someone who recognizes a problem and takes it to your manager or supervisor – but don’t be only a problem-identifier. Be someone who also has ideas for possible solutions. You can be both a problem-identifier and a problem-solver. If you go to your manager, having identified problems for them to solve, that manager may associate you with leaving them with problems they have to then solve. Instead, if you bring recommendations, you may earn more influence with the manager because they know they can count on you to take care of issues when they arise. When you act as a problem-identifier and problem-solver you are demonstrating leadership qualities.

Mistake 4: Not taking the opportunity to build connection and trust

Building connection and trust ultimately leads to influence, which is important if you want to advance your career while also helping those around you and the organization thrive. Ultimately, building connection and trust at work is about being an authentic, clear communicator who is an effective listener and knows how to set healthy boundaries when needed. People who demonstrate these qualities are typically viewed as more trustworthy.

For example, if you work with a colleague who takes credit for your work or is only friendly to you when they want something, or comes to you for help but never reciprocates, that is someone who will not build much influence with anyone else because they have not built any connection or trust. It is a one-sided work relationship where it is evident they are only looking out for themselves.

Mistake 5: Communicating unethically

Every industry has their own professional code of ethics, but we must also follow a personal standard of ethics as well. An ethical communicator is honest, transparent, fair, consistent and responsible. Think for a moment about the people you trust most at work. My guess is that they demonstrate these traits.

Honesty and transparency are not always easy – it can be difficult to deliver bad news to a boss or client, but ultimately, it is the right thing to do. The courage to have the difficult conversation shows a lot about a person’s character. Being willing to have those conversations is how we can show who we are and build connection and trust with others. Fairness and consistency are also important because as leaders we need to do our best to treat people in a way that shows we are not playing favorites or giving unfair advantage to some over others. Fairness is a driving force for people, and if they feel they are treated unfairly at work they often won’t stay long.

Another highly sought after and respected trait is responsibility. It is also an important personal ethical standard because we need to be people who honor our word. If we say we are going to do something, we should do everything in our power to make sure it happens.

Business communication goes wrong when we don’t take a people-first approach

All the mistakes discussed earlier are what happens when we don’t take a people-first approach to business communication. Using the five Roberson People-First Skills of Audience Analysis, Emotional Intelligence, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Building Connection and Trust, and Communication Ethics are essential to communicating well with others. When you use and practice these skills you will have a much better chance of avoiding the mistakes and building your influence and credibility. In this fast-paced business world, try being a people-first communicator and see the difference it can make in how you work well with others.