Effective leadership communication skills are extremely important to create a successful business environment and foster collective business goals. When a leader emphasises a vision and makes plans to achieve that, the team members also become inspired and find a purpose towards which they shall work. Effective communication skills of the leader eliminate any ambiguity among the team members and also bill transparency within the organisation.
One can only be a good leader if he has leadership communication skills that align with the team members. When a leader communicates clearly, it mitigates the possibility of misunderstandings that can hinder organisational goals
Read on to learn the 15 most important leadership communication techniques in order to thrive in this competitive corporate world.
Why is Communication Important in Leadership?
Communication is not only about sending or receiving information. It is more about articulating a message or idea and conveying it to the audience. The essence of the conveyed idea should be the same as that of the original one. When the audience understands what one has to say with clarity and the leader also knows what he is trying to explain, that is when the communication is said to be clear.
Effective communication completely depends upon the ability of the leader to harness the idea and quickly convey it to his team members. Leadership communication skills are one of the most essential factors that a leader should possess. A leader must know what, and how to communicate, what the medium of the communication will be, what models of communication shall be used and so on.
Therefore, communication is a key factor that determines a clear flow of information and also stimulates good relations among peers and colleagues.
15 Essential Tips for Leaders to Communicate More Effectively
Communication is a broad aspect and understating the best techniques is necessary for becoming a good leader. To learn more about effective communication skills for leaders, one may check out the minutely curated senior leadership training.
The following are some essential leadership communication skills that one may acquire to excel in their careers:
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Communicate relentlessly
The first and foremost thing is to communicate clearly and frequently. A leader needs to relentlessly communicate his thoughts and ideas via different media to his team members or the intended audience. One needs to keep the communication open and transparent.
As a leader, one needs to build communication channels that are smooth and easy for the team members to understand. The essence of the message should be the same at the communicator’s as well as the receiver's end. Leaders should try to speak to their peers and colleagues with compassion and attachment. It helps to inculcate a sense of belongingness within the organisation.
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Set clear expectations
Every organisation has some sort of expectation from its employees. It is the duty of the leader to see whether the team members are working as per the company’s expectations or not. Alida needs to set clear expectations for his team members and also make sure that everyone is meeting the set bar.
A leader needs to establish clear norms that are followed by the business fraternity and communicate the same with clarity to his team members. It can be done via circulating an email to all the team members by conducting a group discussion or by holding a session meeting with the team members. Anything that proves effective for the organisation can be treated as the best method.
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Simplify and be to the point
Another important factor of effective communication skills is that one should clearly articulate and say what one means. A leader should not beat around the bush or use fancy words while conveying an idea or thought. Leaders should be very direct and precise in what they want to communicate.
Leaders should avoid any sort of complexities while communicating so that the information is clearly received by the audience. Hence, they must be as direct as possible. Especially in formal situations, direct communication is the most effective and important type of communication. In today's virtual working model, communicating with peers in a direct and precise manner has become even more important.
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Explain through examples
If there is an idea or situation that is hard to explain, then one must try to illustrate and convey the idea with the help of examples. It can also be done by creating a good narrative that is also easy to understand. Articulating a good example creates trust and captures the minds and hearts of the audience.
In this way, leaders can also strike a reminder as to what the vision of the company is. Additionally, people find it convenient to explain the tough scenarios with the help of stories and it is also easily understandable for the audience. Hence, communicating using examples and stories is compelling, easier and authentic.
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Be prepared
On some days, the audience may also be resistant to what one has to say if one fails to communicate properly in the past. A leader should finish his tasks and assignments prior to establishing contact and start familiarising himself with the circumstances of a matter as well as any competing viewpoints.
If a leader is faced with opposing opinions and a resistant audience, he tends to feel more prepared to react overcome issues and communicate with greater success. Hence, a leader should always be prepared for surprises or something which is out of the box from their audience.
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Know and understand your audience
The most important factor of leadership communication skills is to understand their audience. The audience may include stakeholders, management, team members, peers, colleagues, and so on. It is essential to understand the personalities and preferences of each of their audience so that the leaders will be better able to communicate with each one of them.
The leadership communication techniques will be different when communicating with the stakeholders from when communicating with the team members. It will be different when communicating with colleagues as well. This implies that the approach to communication in all the scenarios will be different. It is the leader who decides which approach to take and when.
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Reinforce intent with body language
Apart from words, another influencing factor is the body language one carries. It is very important for leaders to have positive body language, which includes hand movements, gestures, eye contact, etc. A leader's body language is an important factor in inspiring the team members. A more friendly leader can make his team members feel more comfortable while communicating with them.
Speaking with a smile and nodding while listening imbibes the sense that the leader is paying attention to what his audience says. This shows that the leader cares about the opinions of his audience. It builds a positive relationship between the leader and his audience. This relationship is very important for creating a positive organisational culture.
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Read the room
There are times when the leader has to communicate something with non-verbal gestures and actions. In such situations, the leader must be aware of his audience and should have a great understanding amongst themselves. Leaders should adjust their ideas and style in a way that is understandable to the audience.
If the audience feels engaged, then the leader shall get a lot of eye contact and head nods. These signs signify that the audience is paying attention to what the leader is saying and hence understands the same. If the body language of the audience is in a way that they are leaning backwards or are expressionless, it means they are inattentive and uninterested.
Another way of creating more engagement is to take meaningful pauses so that the audience can clear their doubts or queries, if any. Therefore, it is important that leaders should understand the audience and communicate accordingly.
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Ask meaningful questions
Should also ask good questions in order to make sure that his audience understood what the leader meant. The right questions are crucial to cut through complicated circumstances and locate levers that actually make a difference. This helps the leader to gain insights about the said agenda.
Additionally, leaders must ask powerful questions to check their sense of coaching people and unlock new achievements for themselves and the company.
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Active listening
Leaders must also be active listeners who listen and encourage individuals from all levels of the company. Such individuals may include the top-level management as well as his junior team members. Every input by the members of the organisation must be encouraged and looked up to.
This will also encourage new employees to speak, rather than being reluctant towards their opinions. This will help leaders to allow the team members to know that they are valued and their opinions are important to the organisation. This will make the members comfortable while speaking up and they will feel more included within the company.
Hence, sometimes the leader being silent is also important so that other members can offer their valuable ideas and thoughts. Leaders should also demonstrate interest and respect towards the opinions of their colleagues and team members.
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Ask for feedback
Leaders must ask for honest feedback from the members of the organ organisation and the team members. This fosters better communication and builds overall trust among the members. This shows that the leader values the feedback of team members and the team members also provide valuable feedback so that the company can grow.
If the leaders take the feedback of the team members seriously, this will also help improve the leaders' skills. On the other hand, if the leader asks for the members’ feedback and then does not incorporate it within the company, it could lead to a loss of trust in the team members in their leader. Honest feedback ensures that the leaders also understand the concerns of the team members.
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Affirm with actions
Generally, leaders are very good with words and the way they speak. But they should also take those words into action as words without actions are meaningless. If people see that the leader does not act as promised, the credibility of the leader goes down. The trust of the people in the leader also decreases.
Hence, it is not only the words but also the behaviour and actions of the leader that lead the organisation towards productivity and growth. The actions and behaviour of the leader are also a part of leadership communication skills as they inculcate the trust of the employees in the leader.
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Initiate necessary conversations, even if it’s tough
Emotionally charged conversations inevitably arise in a workplace, whether they are with an immediate supervisor or a client. Although it can be simple to ignore disputes and differences, effective leaders have to be able to handle problems and difficult situations as they come up.
Any challenging topic should not be avoided and should be approached objectively, and both the leader’s and audience's opinions should be considered before drawing a conclusion. It is the duty of the leader to initiate difficult conversations and draw meaningful judgements as they are important for the organisation.
Leaders must try to solve problems while addressing the key issue and try to settle disputes amicably within the organisation. Leaders cannot avoid difficult tasks within an organisation, but they must be able to deal with them effectively.
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Involve team members before finalising a plan of action
Communication is not the final step of work. More so, communication is the first step to begin the plan of action. Effective leadership communication techniques include team members' input before finalising a concrete plan.
Leaders are responsible for presenting the final plan in front of the stakeholders. Before doing so, channelling all the positive inputs of the team members and colleagues is a very positive step that is taken by every successful leader. It symbolises that the leader is valued, the ideas of his peers and they hold a value in the organisation.
It ensures that everyone is on the same page and a collective response while executing a good strategy makes sure that the organisation achieves its targets.
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Remember your reputation
Last, but not the least, a leader should never compromise his reputation for the sake of communication. There is always a fine line between being formal and informal. Being relaxed and friendly while communicating is encouraged, but being too informal is not a good sign.
A leader should be able to balance his reputation and maintain fairness within the company. One needs to make sure that the audience doesn’t perceive his behaviour as too aggressive or too relaxed. There must always be a balance between the two.
Conclusion
Effective communication skills are a core leadership function and one of the basic aspects of a good leader. To become a successful leader, one needs to be good at communicating with his peers and colleagues. A leader has to communicate on global platforms as well as with their team members, hence the necessity of leadership communication skills is paramount.
Leaders should be able to think clearly and express their ideas with clarity. If you want to be a successful leader and are looking to learn essential leadership communication skills, consider enrolling for senior leadership training by Imarticus Learning. It is a detailed course and will help you inculcate the necessary communication skills that you should have as a leader.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the 7 Cs of effective communication for successful leadership?
The 7 C’s of effective communication are: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous. These are the must-haves for effective leadership communication skills.
- What is the key to powerful leadership communication?
Understanding one’s audience and having a supportive mindset while speaking is a key aspect of powerful leadership communication.
- How does communication work to achieve successful leadership?
Effective communication paves the way towards successful leadership because it helps to build trust among the team members and the leader, encourages collaborative effort, and they work together to achieve a common goal.
- What are the 7 types of communication?
The following are the 7 types of communication:
- Verbal communication
- Non-verbal communication
- Written communication
- Listening
- Visual communication
- Aural communication
- External communication
