Developing your communication skills will improve your ability to deliver important messages, engage colleagues in change, inspire confidence, motivate your team, resolve conflict, and so much more.

Yet, despite effective communication being such an essential skill for leaders, it is a skill that is often overlooked and undervalued.

Many managers focus solely on their ability to deliver messages or present information, but effective communication is not a one-way system. To be a great communicator, you need to learn how to receive, interpret and utilise information and feedback from others.  

The importance of listening, empathy and social awareness

While great oral and written presentation skills are useful, a good leader should also be able to listen, empathise and absorb information. Communication is about more than just talking.

Practice active listening

All too often, people listen without actually listening. They are not paying attention to what the other person is saying, they are just waiting for their turn to speak.

Deep listening involves paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues to ensure a complete understanding of the speaker’s perspective and message.

Full listening involves using active listening techniques, such as paraphrasing what’s been said to ensure you understand the speaker’s message.

Critical listening involves systematic reasoning to evaluate a speaker’s message and distinguish between fact and opinion – particularly useful when speakers may have a certain agenda or goal.

Developing these listening skills will allow you to fully understand what other people are saying before responding.

Look for non-verbal cues

Not everyone expresses emotion through words, so learn how to recognise non-verbal cues.

Facial expressions, body language and posture can give plenty of clues as to whether someone is confused, angry, upset, worried, stressed, anxious, excited, interested or bored.

Pay attention to people’s reactions when you are communicating information. Learn to recognise how your colleagues act when they are happy, sad, angry, or worried.

It’s also worth noting that not everyone will have an immediate emotional reaction to good or bad news, so look for signs of how they are feeling in the hours or days afterwards. Any changes in their demeanour or behaviour could indicate a change in emotion that you may need to address. For example, some people may become withdrawn or unusually quiet if they are annoyed or anxious.

Ask for feedback

As a leader, you will need to provide feedback to individuals and teams regarding their performance. The way you communicate this feedback is important. However, learning how to ask for and receive feedback is just as important.

Don’t be afraid to ask your team members how you can improve as a manager. Encourage them to be honest about how they like to be managed, what their preferred learning styles are, and how you can support them more effectively.

How to communicate messages more effectively

To communicate effectively, you need to understand your audience. You need to be able to consider things from their perspective and, wherever possible, adapt your communication style to suit them.  

Consider different learning styles

We all have different learning styles. Some people learn best by watching, some by listening, some by doing. Some people find it difficult to absorb information when it’s presented in a written format, while others struggle to concentrate on audio only.

When you need to present important information, it pays to consider different learning styles.

When working with individuals, take time to understand their preferred way of learning so you can give them the best chance of success. Some people might find it easier to receive instructions verbally, others might prefer them written down in an email.

If you’re presenting information to large groups, try to use a combination of visual, audio and kinesthetic approaches. For example, if you are training colleagues on a new system, you could present it verbally with visual aids and handouts, provide access to video and written instructions, and allow learners to put learning into practice using role-play, simulations or test systems.

Use appropriate language

The language we use is important. If your audience doesn’t understand the jargon or terminology you are using, they won’t engage with your message.

Additionally, colloquialisms, local slang or unfamiliar acronyms can cause confusion, especially if you are speaking to people who do not share the same first language as you or who are new to the industry or region. Tailor your language to your audience.

Be aware of cultural differences

Every culture is different. In some countries, it is considered rude not to make eye contact with someone when they are speaking to you, while in other cultures maintaining eye contact can be seen as rude, aggressive or disrespectful.

Some cultures teach people they should be outwardly proud of their successes and achievements, whereas other cultures teach people to be modest.

Be aware of cultural differences within your team so you minimise the risk of miscommunication.

Make your message relevant

People rarely engage with messages they don’t understand, so you need to make your messages relevant to the audience.

Analogies can be an extremely effective tool for explaining complex concepts. They explain the unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar.

Storytelling is also a fantastic way of presenting information, especially if the subject is unexciting or complicated. Use situations or concepts your audience is familiar with so they can relate to what you are saying. 

Ensure important information is accessible

Everyone is different and not everyone can process information in the same way. You may have team members who have hidden disabilities, impairments, or communication barriers, and you need to be aware of these.

These barriers could be physical, cognitive or intellectual. They could affect speech, hearing, concentration, memory and so on.

Not everybody will feel comfortable sharing information about their impairments, disabilities or disorders and you shouldn’t expect them to. As a good leader, you should educate yourself on topics such as neurodiversity and cognitive impairments, so you can make adjustments to your communication style when necessary.

Developing Communicative Leaders

As a manager or leader, there’s always something new to learn or a skill you can improve and develop. Organisations need to support managers and leaders in this development, but you also need to invest in yourself.

Getting formal leadership and management training will not only help you build your leadership skills, it will also help you grow in confidence, and increase your chances of career progression.  

Alternative Partnership delivers ILM-accredited Leadership and Management training programmes to support you and your teams in gaining formal, nationally recognised qualifications.

Find out more about our current ILM courses here or get in touch to discuss how our services could benefit you.