Sound communication techniques enable leaders to meet this most basic human yearning of people. Using constructive communication and persuasion skills saves time and effort, encourages cooperation, and reduces stress and friction. These skills are invaluable in handling and preventing crisis situations, fostering self-esteem, generating mutual respect, increasing productivity, and enriching relationships.
Skillful communication serves the purpose of effective, motivational leadership—to achieve results through the activities of people. The members of your team share with you a unique relationship based on a set of common goals for the organization. Effective communication binds all the members of this complex relationship together and enables you both as individuals and as a team to achieve organizational goals. As a leader, you enjoy the keen satisfaction of knowing you help others to achieve their goals while you reach your own goals.
Several constructive attitudes form the foundation for successful communication:
- Good human relationships. Getting along well with people is essential to effective leadership. Constructive communication, written or verbal, considers the
principles of good human relationships. Respect and consideration for others, for example, are paramount to good human relationships. “Treat others as you would have them treat you” is a reliable guideline at all levels of human interaction. If you want others to listen to you, for example, you must listen to them. If you want to be treated courteously, you must exhibit courtesy. - Mutual understanding. Achieving results through communication and persuasion requires mutual understanding. Understanding, in turn, requires a genuine effort to see things from the point of view of others. This empathetic effort earns the confidence of other people, paves the way for acceptance of your message, and increases the likelihood of a positive response.
- Impressing versus expressing. Seeking to express your ideas or thoughts accurately rather than to impress others is a key attitude to more effective communication and persuasion. Regardless of the size of your audience, you can expect better results if you concentrate primarily on your message—the facts, ideas, or proposals you are trying to deliver—and on meeting the needs of your listeners instead of thinking about yourself and the impression you are making. Too much concern about the impression you are making destroys the message itself and marks you as insincere. Sincerity carries a tremendous impact; when you are genuine, your message comes across loud and clear.
- The right timing. For the most positive results, choose the right timing for communicating each bit of information. Consider the emotional climate, what else is happening, and the facial expressions of your listeners to help determine the right time for an exchange of information. A familiar Scripture emphasizes the importance of timing: “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven … a time for silence and a time for speech.”
- Communication as a process. Whether written or verbal, communication is a process involving three essential components: a sender, a receiver, and a message. Effective communication brings about a mutual understanding between sender and receiver and results in some action or change in attitude or behavior, or both. Good communicators understand the important role of each step in the communication process.
- The constancy of communication. Communication involves more than spoken or written words. As a leader, you are constantly communicating; even doing nothing tends to convey a powerful message. Effective leaders are always sensitive to nonverbal cues—to emotions, movements, facial expressions, personality, and myriad other factors making up the total message.
Communicate Message Clearly
Be sure your thoughts are clearly presented, your reasoning is logical, and the message complete. Check for unsupported assumptions or skipped steps in the reasoning process. If your own thinking is unclear, the content of your message will be unclear or confusing to the receiver. If you cannot crystallize your message, you may need to ask instead for information or a problem-solving discussion.
Adapt each message to the personality of the receiver. Knowledge of team members and your past experiences with them provide clues to the best structure for each particular message. Consider personal feelings, attitudes, and what may be occupying their attention when you attempt to communicate. Adapt your own communication style to the style of your listener to demonstrate basic concern for the needs of others.
© Leadership Management® International, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published by On Track Leadership, Inc. with permission.