Become an Effective Communicator

One of the best qualities of good leaders is their ability to communicate effectively. Understandably, if your job is to guide and inspire others, it is necessary to convey your messages in a clear and direct manner. While there are many styles in which one can communicate, there are some best practices among successful leaders.
Make Things Simple – You need to be able to say what you mean in as few as words as possible. Your team is on information overload all day, which could make it hard for them to hear you. Eliminate the technical jargon and condense complicated thoughts into simple easy to understand messages.
Listen with your Eyes and your Ears – Communication isn’t only about how you convey your message, but also how you listen to the message being conveyed to you. Being in a leadership role means you may not always get the most honest and direct feedback. While it’s important to hear the words that are being spoken, it is equally important to watch for nonverbal cues as well. In some instances, a person’s body language will give you more information than what is being said.
Monitor Tone of Voice – The same words can be interpreted very differently depending on the tone they are said with. This skill can be very hard to master since many people don’t even realize they have a tone to their voice. An amazing coach (Kathleen Kurke) used this example with me, which was extremely effective… Say the following sentence: “I did not kill her with my car.” Now, repeat the sentence, placing a different emphasis on a different word each time you repeat the sentence, and notice the difference in meaning! Be sure to use the appropriate tone to communicate your message. It will be very hard to motivate and encourage your team if your voice comes across as condescending and derogatory.
Know when Enough is Enough – Mastering the art of timing is crucial in effective communication. Feel out your audience and determine if you need to repeat key points or if you’re just beating a dead horse. You will lose the attention of your team if you continually repeat yourself, causing employees to miss important information after they’ve “tuned you out”.
Developing clear and effective communication skills is one of the most important skills you can have as a business leader. Engaging your employees helps them understand the vision and goals of the organization and ultimately increases effective productivity.
Copyright: Ion Chiosea