Talking the talk

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This article was published 30/10/2021 (1801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Leadership communication has always been important; however, in today’s fast-changing work environment, good communication is critical and should be a priority for every leader. Employee expectations have changed as well, with more demand for transparency, empathy and open discussions that encourage honest feedback within an organization.

Communication is a core leadership function and is important because it is the key tool to help employees understand the organization’s key mission, values and culture. It is the tool that helps to cultivate trust between leaders and employees and helps to keep everyone engaged and focused on goals and objectives. In addition, leaders are not only engaged with people in their own organization, they are often engaged in multiple external relationships with government, service agencies, vendors, customers and competitors.

Internally, employees want to be engaged in honest, clear, jargon-free communication so leadership trust is built. They want to see leaders take personal accountability for bringing messages forward in as many ways as is creatively possible. This may mean new training is required for leaders as they learn to use the various multimedia tools available today for effective messaging.

But let’s step back for a moment and ask just what is the impact of good versus poor leadership communication? First of all, poor communication can lead to numerous interpersonal relationship conflicts and human resource issues such as low employee morale, absenteeism and missed performance goals resulting in multimillion-dollar losses for larger organizations.

On the other hand, a leader with strong communication skills can rally the support of employees in difficult times, inspire individuals to develop and support a shared vision, and better assist individuals during large organizational change.

While this all sounds well and good, just what are the key skills that make a leader a good communicator? The following well-known tactics will help to create effective leadership communication if accompanied by solid practice.

Understanding personal style: The first step in becoming a better communicator is to understand one’s own communication style and how this impacts behaviour. Leaders also need to understand the general landscape of communication styles so they can adapt their tactics to the needs of others. For instance, if a leader’s communication style is more analytical, they are very logical and fact-oriented and want to see and work with data. Where they will need to adapt is not to appear cold toward others and to develop more empathy.

On the other hand, if a leader is more intuitive, they prefer to look at the big picture rather than details and welcome summaries of main points instead of long, detailed reports and discussions. They are also usually fast thinkers and sometimes get ahead of others. In this case, they need to better match their pace of thought with an employee, otherwise, they may seem rude and/or be seen as a know-it-all.

There are numerous free online assessment tools that can be used to self-assess the various communication styles. However, the best approach is to work with a communication consultant and a team of colleagues to undertake an assessment and to debrief with examples and practice.

Establish the environment: Pay attention to the purpose of your meeting and what physical environment is best for the message you wish to deliver. Ask yourself what impression will be made if the conversation occurs across the boss’s desk versus a round meeting table. If the meeting is personal and/or for performance, ensure your environment will be private and will reduce the chance of interruptions. The environment must also be conducive to solid interpersonal communication and feedback.

Speak in specifics: Set an agenda for yourself in terms of what you wish to speak to an employee about. Stay cautious to limit a casual or intimate style of conversation, otherwise you will get off track and/or you may confuse the listener, especially if you are wanting to give directions and deadlines. Casual language should only be used for those people you know well and are close friends or family. Use simple phrases whenever possible and avoid trying to impress your employees with your vocabulary.

Apply active listening: Active listening is best described as understanding when to speak and when to listen and to listen without interrupting. It also means “staying in the moment” rather than allowing one’s mind to drift away to another important leadership issue. Active listening shows that the leader cares about what is being said and can empathize with the experiences being shared by the speaker. It is important that the leader be patient, paraphrase what is being said and reflect it back to the speaker without being judgmental. This is then followed up with additional open-ended questions.

Be curious: Develop a set of questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. This helps you to get a better understanding of what’s behind an employee’s response. Structure the questions around who, what, where, when and how. For instance, a question such as, “If you were to change this report, what would you suggest?” will create a good dialogue that could create several different ideas. Phrases such as “tell me more” or “explain what you mean” are also valuable phrases that will help to elicit your communication tool box.

Use body language: With a good percentage of one’s message coming from body language, it is important to be aware of your own body language as well as that of others. If you are in a intercultural milieu, be sure to understand any body language elements that might impact your communication. Use body language to show warmth and empathy.

Be open and honest: There are many times when a leader is asked a question for which they either do not know the answer and/or cannot share the answer. The key here is being honest in terms of what you can do. If you don’t know the answer, let employees know you will find out and inform them. If you can’t share, then be honest and let people know this and as well, give some feedback in terms of when an answer might be forthcoming.

Being a good communicator is not as simple as having a discussion and/or reading a book on communication styles. Nor is it simply completing and understanding a communication-style assessment. Communication skills are best developed through individual as well as group practise, accompanied by professional feedback. The key is to understand one’s own style and develop the ability to modify it to suit the nature of the conversation and to predict the reaction/response of the listener. No matter what, good communication takes conscious practice.

Source: Essential Communication skills for Leaders, Lauren Landry, HBS Online, November 14, 2019.

Barbara J. Bowes, FCPHR, CCP, M.Ed. is the author of eight books, a radio personality, a speaker, an executive coach and workshop leader. She can be reached at barb@legacybowes.com.