According to a 2017 study, 91 percent of employees believe that their leaders lack communication skills.
As a leader, do you find yourself struggling to get your point across? Do people seem to be confused by what you’re saying? If so, improve your communication skills and become a better leader!
Communication is an important skill for leaders because it helps them convey their ideas and concepts more effectively. Good communication can improve your work performance, make others more likely to respect you as a leader, and help strengthen the relationships between employees.
Here are some tips that will help improve your communication:
Be Concise When Giving Instructions
One of the best ways to improve your communication is by being clear and specific in what you say. When someone gives a vague instruction, it’s often hard for others to know exactly what they’re supposed to do because it leaves room for interpretation. For example:
“I need this done.”
What does that mean? What needs to be completed? How will we go about doing this task? Allowing too much flexibility with instructions makes people confused and causes them not to follow through on tasks.
Instead, give more precise instructions like:
“I would like you to send out these three emails before lunch today.” or ” find attached our latest sales report.”
By being clear and concise with your instructions, you improve the chances of people following through. You will also come across as a leader who knows what they’re doing because employees can follow more easily.
Speak in an Appropriate Tone
Recognizing when to be serious, supportive, or lighthearted is important for your work performance and how others see you as a leader. For example:
“That’s great news!”
Not only does this sound like the exact opposite of what it should in response to hearing about something good, but it sounds insincere and unprofessional.
To improve your communication skills, try using more professional tones such as: “Thank you so much! We’ll get started right away.” Or “This is fantastic news- I’m thrilled we were able to get this deal done.”
By speaking with a tone that matches the situation, people will take you more seriously as a leader. You will come across as someone professional, organized, and focused on the task at hand.
Make Eye Contact
Eye contact is a subtle but important part of communication. If you’re speaking to someone and you seem distracted or avoid making eye contact, that is a sign of poor communication skills.
On the other hand, if you’re speaking to someone and they look directly at you, it shows that they are engaged in the conversation. They will be more likely to listen carefully.
Making eye contact also allows you to read the other person’s body language. Do they agree with you? Are they looking confused or engaged in the conversation?
By using eye contact effectively, you improve your communication skills because it helps convey messages more clearly.
Avoid Interrupting
Nothing shows a lack of communication skills like interrupting someone else. Whether it’s to “correct” what they’re saying or to jump in and give your own two cents, letting people finish their thoughts is important for effective communication.
There will be times when you need to cut someone off — perhaps if there is an emergency that needs immediate attention. But try keeping those things as rare as possible. Talking over others can make them feel disrespected and distracted from the conversation at hand.
Instead, improve your communication by allowing other people time and space to express themselves without interruption. You will improve your leadership skills and improve the relationship between you and others.
Sign Up for Communication Lessons
Communication coaches are people who can help you learn how to become an effective leader by sharing your ideas and making yourself understood. They will:
- Listen to what you have to say
- Give feedback on ways that you can improve communication
- Provide tips and tricks for speaking more effectively
- Offer exercises for practicing communication in real-life situations
Communication skills training is a great way to build strong communication skills. By working with someone who knows communication techniques, you can better convey your ideas and become an effective leader.
Check out culturestrategy.io for communication coaching services.
Know Your Audience
Different people take in information in different ways. By recognizing this, you can improve your communication skills by delivering the same message to others differently based on who they are and their preferences.
For example, if you know that someone is visual, it’s best to explain something with pictures or graphs. If they’re a numbers person- use figures and statistics in your explanation.
By recognizing how others take in information, you can improve communication by tailoring the message to be more relevant. This will make them feel respected and understood, resulting in improved communication skills.
Practice Active Listening
Listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing means picking up sound waves with your ears and processing them in your brain.
When you actively listen to someone, you’re giving that person your undivided attention while they talk to you. You are engaging with what they have to say- asking questions for clarification or responding when appropriate so that both people can be on the same page.
People who practice active listening improve their communication skills because it helps build trust between conversations partners. By making others feel respected and understood, effective leaders convey ideas more clearly, building rapport with others.
Improve Your Communication Skills With These Tips
Communication is at the heart of good leadership. If you want to influence and inspire your employees, you must practice effective communication skills.
If you improve your communication skills, you will be able to convey messages more clearly and effectively. This builds rapport with others which makes it easier for people to follow your lead.
We hope you enjoyed these tips on how to improve your communication skills. For more interesting content, keep reading our articles.
