5 Skills for Effective Communication in Leadership

Good communication is a core leadership function and a key characteristic of a good leader. Effective communication and effective leadership are closely intertwined. As a leader, you need to be a skilled communicator in countless relationships at the organizational level, in communities and groups, and sometimes on a global scale in order to achieve results through others.

Leaders must be able to think with clarity, express ideas, and share information with a multitude of audiences. They must also handle the rapid flows of information within the organization and among customers, partners, vendors, and other stakeholders and influencers.

Being an effective leader is virtually impossible if you lack strong communication skills. The good news is that it’s possible to cultivate and hone skills that will help you excel in both areas. Here are 5 skills to enhance leadership and communication:

1. Adaptability

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy

As a leader, you must constantly react to changing conditions, factors, and challenges while keeping a level head. In a professional context, adaptability refers to your capability to remain flexible and respond effectively to fluctuating plans, responsibilities, schedules, expectations, trends, goals, or work processes. As such, adaptability is related to other soft skills critical to strong leadership, including creative thinking, analytical, interpersonal, and teamwork abilities.

It’s also essential to be adaptable in how you speak and write so that you can tailor your messaging to best reach and influence team members with different communication styles. For example, some employees may appreciate detailed written guidance when embarking on a new project, while others may prefer a concise verbal direction or summary. Although some of this may be intuitive, it’s always beneficial to speak with your reports early on about their communication habits and preferences so that you can determine what works best for them.

2. Empathy

“One of the criticisms I've faced over the years is that I'm not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I'm empathetic, it means I'm weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong." – Jacinda Arden

Leading and communicating with empathy is crucial to your success as a business executive, manager, or director. The better you are at recognizing, acknowledging, and validating the feelings and experiences of your employees, the more valued they will feel and the more likely they will be to meet your goals. Accordingly, it’s important to schedule regular communication meetings with your team so you can get to know them better, including their professional experiences, challenges, and goals.

To be an empathetic leader, it’s also vital to express genuine curiosity about the people you work with and take a personal interest in their lives, which helps to build stronger relationships.

The many potential benefits of empathetic leadership include the following:

• Creating trust, appreciation, and loyalty
• Enhancing employee engagement and motivation
• Improving collaboration and empathy between team members
• Increasing job satisfaction and productivity

In other words, connecting with and relating to your team can have a lasting positive impact on your employees and your company.

3. Transparency

"The people, when rightly and fully trusted, will return the trust." – Abraham Lincoln

Being transparent involves openly and candidly sharing information with your team about your company’s high-level goals, challenges, and opportunities—regardless of whether the information is good or bad. Being transparent will keep your employees informed and build trust between yourself and your team, which is critical to performance. Through transparency and trust, you can also empower employees to take healthy risks, share their perspectives freely, better collaborate and innovate, and actively problem-solve.

You can help to create a culture of transparency in the workplace by establishing clear communication channels and well-defined expectations and providing regular feedback on how your team and organization are progressing in their goals. It’s also imperative to create an open environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up when their opinions don’t align with leadership. This can involve implementing regular anonymous surveys or scheduling short meetings to check in and allow employees to share their thoughts or ask questions.

Without transparency or trust in the workplace, communication and morale suffer, employee stress increases, and productivity decreases. But when you are authentic and vulnerable with employees and readily share insights and discuss rationale, you can create a space in which your team feels secure in exploring—and voicing—their creativity. If you involve your employees in aspects of the decision-making process, they are more likely to feel engaged and loyal to your organization, to the benefit of everyone involved.

4. Active listening

"I need to listen well so that I hear what is not said." - Thuli Madonsela

Active listening is critical to effective leadership communication. It’s a skill that involves hearing what people say and trying to understand their words' meaning and intent. Fundamental active listening techniques include being fully present in your conversation, responding to and using non-verbal cues, asking open-ended questions, avoiding interruptions, judgments, or advice, and reflecting on what you’ve heard. When you practice active listening, the goal should be to understand and empathize rather than to respond.

When you practice active listening skills as a leader, you can help create a stronger rapport with your team by showing that their opinions and ideas are heard and valued. When you know when to speak and when to listen, you can encourage productive conversation, build trust, and create an opportunity to better understand your employees' motivations, challenges, and goals. An essential component of active communication is maintaining open body language. This involves making good eye contact, refraining from folding your arms, and smiling and nodding while you listen.

5. Ability to give and receive feedback

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” – Winston Churchill

If you take on a leadership role, it will be your responsibility to give feedback effectively and receive it thoughtfully. Providing clear and constructive feedback to your employees through routine communication gives them the chance to course correct as needed, leverage their strengths, and improve their overall efficiency and effectiveness. Some tips to help you provide helpful feedback include focusing on the behavior rather than the person, balancing negative comments with positive ones, and referring to specific examples to support your statements rather than focusing on generalities.

If you want to become a better leader, it’s equally important that you can receive feedback from your employees. Strong leaders appreciate that they are fallible and must constantly learn and grow. And who is better to provide constructive criticism of your leadership skills than those directly affected by them? When you receive feedback from team members, it’s essential to be open and aware of your body language and tone of voice, try to remain objective rather than defensive, ask questions for clarification as needed, and assess the input to create an appropriate action plan.

For ages, leaders have been motivators who have encouraged others to work on themselves and achieve their goals. This ability of great leaders results from the effective communication skills they possess. It is believed that effective communication is linked to great leadership skills and that many successful leaders like Abraham Lincoln have been strong communicators. Therefore, effective communication skills are a prerequisite to becoming a successful leader. So, what is the role of communication in leadership?

Communication skills help leaders to define the goals of team members clearly. It also helps understand team members’ goals and desires and solve their grievances. Effective communication skills also help foster an open and good rapport between leaders and their teams, which increases productivity and efficiency. Therefore, it is clear that effective communication skills play an important role in leadership.

Listening is the Key to Effective Communication

Communication is an essential part of our lives, and it's something we do all day, every day. However, have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you feel like the other person isn't really listening? Or have you ever been so focused on what you want to say that you're not paying attention to what the other person has said?

We've all been there, but the truth is, listening is the key to effective communication. Listening is one of the most powerful tools you possess as a leader – and can help build trust and loyalty with your team.

Hearing and listening, though synonymous, are completely different things. Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that: it requires focus.  Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body.  In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages.  Your ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and understand these messages.

Listening is not automatic.

It takes practice.

It takes intention.

It is a skill — one that is capable of being not only honed but lost.

Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood – communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.

Listening is so important that many top employers provide listening skills training for their employees.  This is not surprising when you consider that good listening skills can lead to: better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes, and increased sharing of information that in turn can lead to more creative and innovative work.

Here are ten useful tips that can help you become a good listener:

1. Take time to listen.  Obviously, there are times when you're busy for extended discussions.  But you need to set aside times when you can listen carefully to employee's problems, reactions, concerns, and suggestions.

2.  Let employees know that you're approachable.  Adopt an "open door" policy.  That is, communicate your willingness to hear what employees have to say.  Demonstrate that it's safe to talk to you.

3.  Put the other person at ease. Give them space and time and "permission" to speak their peace.   Watch how you look at them, how you stand or sit, it makes a huge difference. Relax, and let them relax as well.

4.  If people don't come to you, go to them.  Some employees may take advantage of your "open door" by approaching you with their concerns.  Others will be reluctant to do so, for any of a variety of reasons (shyness, fear of being judged, unwillingness to complain about others, and so on).

5. Set-up multiple means, both formal and informal, for communicating with employees.  Some employees are comfortable talking face to face.  Others would rather send a note by email.  Some will speak up during a formal team meeting.  Others will reveal their concerns only in casual conversations around the snack machine.  Make multiple possibilities available so that you hear from everyone.

6.  Pay attention to nonverbal signals: tone, vocalizations (such as "um," "uh," laughs, and sighs), body postures, and gestures.  Often a person will say one thing but signal nonverbally that the true meaning is different.  For instance, "okay" said with a deep sigh does not really mean "okay."

7. Remove distractions. Good listening means being willing to stop working on a computer, close a door, stop reading your email, or only answer emergency calls. Give the speaker your full attention and let them know they are getting your full attention.

8.  Avoid anticipation.  Don't jump to conclusions or assume that you understand a person's comment before he or she has finished talking.  You may misunderstand, or you may discourage people from saying what they truly mean.

9.  Suspend judgment.  Don't decide on the spot whether the speaker is right or wrong.  Wait until you have a chance to think the matter over.

10. Use active listening techniques.  Active listening means taking an active part in the conversation to make sure you are grasping fully what the speaker is trying to say.  Active listening involves techniques such as these:

·        Attending. Focusing closely on the speaker and maintaining eye contact.

·        Paraphrasing. Repeating what the speaker has said in your own words, giving him or her an opportunity to correct you if you have misunderstood: "You're saying that the procedure seems too complicated, is that it?"

·        Summarizing.  Offering an occasional summary of the main points made so far: "Let's see, you've mentioned three problems…"

·        Interpretation checking.  Stating your interpretation of what the speaker is conveying – both ideas and feelings – and asking if you're correct: "It sounds like you're upset that you didn't get earlier feedback on you handling of this project, is that right?"

·        Using clarifying questions.  Asking questions that attempt to make a point clearer or more explicit:  "Are your suggesting we change our procedures?"

·        Using probing questions.  Asking questions that encourage the other person to expand or elaborate on what was said: "I think I see the problem, but why do you think it happened?"

Good listeners become good communicators.  They understand the importance of speaking clearly in an easy-to-understand manner.  When it's hard to interpret what you mean, you greatly increase the chances of a misunderstanding.

Many successful leaders and entrepreneurs credit their success to effective listening skills. Effective listening is a skill that underpins all positive human relationships, spend some time thinking about and developing your listening skills – they are the building blocks of success.

The Communication Soft Skills You Need At Work & How To Use Them

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The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill in the workplace. Employees need to be able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly, and listen and understand their colleagues. Having strong communication soft skills can help you work more efficiently, build relationships with others, and get ahead in your career. Discover some of the most important communication soft skills you need at work and how to use them.

Different types of communication can be used effectively to develop important relationships, work collaboratively with colleagues, and cultivate an environment of openness and trust. According to statistics, almost 86% of employees blame workplace failures on a lack of effective communication. Teams that communicate effectively, on the other hand, can increase their productivity by up to 25%. These statistics should make you reconsider the importance of developing communication soft skills for success. Let’s take a closer look at the essential communication soft skills needed for success in the workplace.

Why Communication Soft Skills Are Important in the Workplace?

Good communication skills are essential for success in any workplace. They can help you build strong relationships, increase productivity, and achieve success. Here are some of the ways that communication soft skills can benefit an organization:

·       Improved Teamwork. Good communication is key to successful teamwork. When team members can communicate effectively, they can work together more efficiently and collaborate on projects more successfully;

·       Reduced Conflicts. Poor communication is often the cause of workplace conflict. By using effective communication techniques, you can help reduce misunderstandings and prevent conflicts from escalating;

·       Establishment of a Positive Work Environment. Effective communication can help create a positive working environment. It encourages collaboration between employees and allows everyone to feel heard and respected.

Types of Communication Soft Skills

There are four main types of communication soft skills that are essential for success in the workplace.

1. Active Listening

Active listening is a skill that involves paying attention to what someone else is saying and taking in the information without judgment or interruption. By actively listening, you will gain a better understanding of what the other person is saying, which can help in problem-solving and developing solutions.

2. Effective Speaking (Verbal Communication)

Being able to communicate clearly and succinctly is an important skill for any workplace. Effective speaking involves using language that is easy to understand and conveying your message in a way that is meaningful to the person you are talking to.

3. Written Communication

Written communication allows for more detailed and organized forms of expression than verbal communication. It is important to be able to communicate information clearly and concisely through emails, memos, reports, and other written documents. Many employees lack confidence in writing them and seek assistance from writing services.

4. Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is a form of communication that does not involve the use of words. It includes facial expressions, body language, and other forms of nonverbal cues. These can be used to convey emotions and feelings that may otherwise be difficult to express in words.

How to Use Communication Soft Skills Effectively

Being able to use communication soft skills effectively can help you in the workplace by improving your relationships, increasing productivity, and helping you achieve success.

Improving Relationships

Strong communication is essential for developing positive relationships with colleagues. You should be able to listen and understand what someone else says, and respectfully express your thoughts.

Increasing Productivity

Good communication can also help to increase productivity by eliminating misunderstandings and helping to ensure that everyone understands the tasks at hand. By communicating clearly, employees will be able to work together more efficiently.

Achieving Success

Effective communication can also help you achieve success in the workplace by allowing you to better understand the needs of your colleagues and customers. By being able to communicate effectively, you will be able to develop stronger relationships and foster an environment of trust and respect.

The Top Seven Tips for Developing Communication Soft Skills

While communication soft skills are important in the workplace, they can be difficult to develop. Here are some tips for improving your communication soft skills:

1. Listen Carefully

Active listening is an important skill in the workplace, so make sure to pay attention when someone else is speaking. Focus on the words being said, and do not interrupt or offer solutions until you have fully understood what they have said.

2. Ask Questions

Asking questions is a great way to gain more information and show that you are interested in what someone else has to say. Make sure that your questions are open-ended, so that the other person can provide more details.

3. Practice

Communication soft skills require practice to be effective. Try to practice your communication skills in different situations, such as speaking in a group setting or having a conversation with someone you do not know well.

4. Be Aware of Nonverbal Cues

Being aware of nonverbal cues is important for effective communication. Pay attention to your body language, facial expressions, and gestures to make sure that you are conveying the message that you intend.

5. Read

Reading books, articles, and blogs on communication can help you better understand the nuances of communication.

6. Take an Online Course

There are many online courses available that can help you improve your communication skills. These courses will provide tips on how to communicate more effectively in different situations and with different types of people.

7. Find A Writing Assistant

Find a writing assistant who can give you feedback on your written communications. To find one, visit writing services reviews websites such as Best Writers Online. This specialist will help you identify areas that need improvement and provide helpful advice for improving your written communication skills.

Conclusion

Soft communication skills are critical for professional success. With the right approach and practice, you will be able to achieve your goals, build strong relationships, and open up opportunities for advancement and success in your career.

About the Author: Nancy P. Howard has been working as a writing expert at Trust My Paper writing company for a year. She is also a webmaster at best essay writing service. She loves travelling, photography and is always welcome to meet new people.

Lean Quote: Improving Your Communication Skills

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life."   —  Brian Tracy

Communication is the foundation of every single relationship you have in your personal life; it's no different in business. Without effective communication, there can be misunderstandings, problems and conflicts among your staff, your clients and everyone else you come into contact. Poor communication can make effective delegation, increased productivity and an enjoyable work environment virtually impossible.

Here are the 7 Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills:

Make communication a priority. Checking in with employees is essential. Meet with them regularly either in-person, inviting them to discuss their thoughts on their projects, tasks, and the organization as a whole. They want to be heard, and they want to share their thoughts and opinions. This will improve internal communication throughout your entire organization, as well as empower your employees and keep them comfortable in their positions.

Simplify and stay on message. Use simple, straightforward language. The truth is that everybody cannot be on same page when it comes to vocabulary. Therefore, to be effective in your communications with your team members, use words that can be easily understood. When ambiguous words are used, you can be misunderstood and/or waste precious time having to explain yourself.

Engage and encourage feedback. Don’t just talk and walk away. Draw your listeners and readers into the conversation. Ask questions and invite opinions. Solicit their feedback. It will also afford you the privilege of knowing if your message was well understood. Look for ways to clarify or rephrase what you are trying to say so it can be understood.

Listen to your team members. Communication is intended to be a two way street. Don’t just talk because you are the leader without listening to anyone else. Encourage them to open up so you can be well guided when communicating in the future with them. You have two ears and one mouth –so you must listen more than you speak.

Respect your team. Recognize your message is not just about you or what you want. You should sincerely care about the needs and the unique perspectives of those to whom you are communicating. One of the best ways to show your respect is simply by paying attention to what they say.

Develop trust. Trust is the product of open and honest communications. So it is important that good communication channels exist. Also, trust is an essential ingredient of teamwork. If trust exists among business associates, teamwork and cooperation are much easier to achieve.

Inform and Inspire. Communication is a form of information exchange. Explaining and clarifying your thoughts and ideas is important in a leadership role. But passing on information to your team is only half of the equation. As a leader, it's vital to your business that your communication efforts inspire your team as much as they educate them. Plan ahead for meetings and conversations so you can effectively mix information and inspiration.

Ultimately, effective communication can be one of the most important skills you use in your business. If your communication skills can use some fine-tuning, take time to analyze how you communicate, and the results of your communication. Then focus on ways you can improve it over time. You may be surprised how much that changes your relationships with staff, clients and colleagues for the better.

How to Develop Consistent Communication Across Global Teams

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Developing strong communication on a global team isn't easy. Different cultures, time zones, and languages can make it challenging to stay on the same page. However, staying focused and connected is essential to success. In this article, we'll discuss how administration teams can train their global employees to develop consistent and intentional communication with each other in support of the business's long-term goals.

Define Clear Goals and Objectives

One of the biggest reasons communication can break down is the lack of clearly outlined business objectives. When working with global teams, it's essential to be as specific as possible when communicating the expectations of the organization and how employees should interact with one another to achieve them. Start by defining the end goal first, and then break down each task into smaller pieces.

Knowing precisely what will result in success is essential so that everyone stays on track with their duties. Next, use straightforward language to outline goals and objectives so that people from other cultures can clearly understand what you mean. When employees can realize the benefits of effective communication, they'll have greater respect for the process. This will inevitably lead to them better understanding of their roles and responsibilities as well as how to accomplish them.

Invest in the Right Collaboration Tools

One of the first things that remote working teams need to prioritize is investing in the right collaboration tools. Whether it's providing a centralized hub for remote employees to share documents or manage communication, or setting up video conferencing tools, these tools can make a big difference in building a solid team. Investing in the “right” tools for your business, however, means taking a harder look at how your business actually operates and which technologies will best contribute to its growth.

For example, while virtual tools like Zoom and Aspyr can be great tools for remote collaboration, they don't always meet the needs of a larger organization. Other tools that help companies manage projects, including Basecamp, Asana, or Wrike, may be better suited for smaller or mid-sized organizations growing quickly. Regardless of the collaboration tools you choose to use, it's essential to institute best practices around their use. If everyone uses these tools differently, it can create a fragmented experience that doesn't help the team accomplish their goals.

Set Up Regular Meetings

Another important way to stay connected with your global team is to set up regular meetings. These meetings can be with individual team members on a one-on-one basis or formatted for a larger audience with a regular cadence schedule. Either way, team meetings can be an excellent way for your remote employees to connect and build relationships with each other. It's also essential to ensure that remote employees feel included in in-person meetings. For example, you could consist of project-related information in some of the team's meetings or make it a point to ensure that some team members are included in specific team meetings.

Meetings are an important way to create a cohesive remote team. You can plan these meetings around goals and objectives or topics specific to the project. The key is to be clear about the meeting ahead of time. Ensure everyone participates when appropriate and always concludes with the following steps so you know where and how your team is heading next. Creating agendas and documenting action items (what people are supposed to do after the meeting) will help you stay organized and ensure all participants are getting maximum value from every discussion.

Find Ways to Show Appreciation for Remote Working Employees

While you should be setting up regular meetings and using collaboration tools to stay connected with your global team, you should also be showing appreciation for the work that they're doing. This could be as simple as sending employees a thank you note or flowers once in a while or offering them some time off work for some R&R. A small and simple gesture can significantly affect productivity and morale.

Employees engaged with their jobs are more likely to show up for work every day, stay late at the office, or even come into the office on weekends when necessary. Help build loyalty by offering incentives for high performance or thanking employees for all of the hard work they're doing on behalf of your company. Doing this can help your team build consistent and positive communication regardless of location.

Conclusion

Fostering communication across your remote team is essential for creating a cohesive and productive work environment. Without proper communication and collaboration, your team won't be able to function as efficiently or productively as in a traditional office setting. Therefore, when planning your virtual communication strategy, it's vital to lay out your team's most effective communication protocols. This can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and always working toward one goal — success.

About the Author: Luke Smith is a writer and researcher turned blogger. Since finishing college he is trying his hand at being a freelance writer. He enjoys writing on a variety of topics but technology and business topics are his favorite. When he isn't writing you can find him traveling, hiking, or gaming.

Listening Is Key to Employee Engagement

Are you really listening to your employees?

According to a 2016 Deloitte report, “The biggest challenge in leading engagement programs is shifting from a transactional, once-a-year mind-set, to an ‘always on,’ continuous listening approach to monitoring engagement.”

Many leading management books will tell you just how important the art of listening to employees is. In ‘The One Minute Manager (1982)’ authors Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, tell us that the best way to create employee engagement is to allocate time to listen to them.

You may be hearing employees, but if you’re not listening, you’re missing out on opportunities to improve engagement and satisfaction. Listening is a more advanced skill than passively hearing, and better listeners are more in tune with their company, employees, and clients.

As Simon Sinek, author of ‘Start with Why?’ says, “Good listeners have a huge advantage. For one, when they engage in conversation, they make people ‘feel’ heard. They ‘feel’ that someone really understands their wants, needs and desires. And for good reason; a good listener does care to understand.”

When you’re actively listening to employees, you can understand if they are truly excited to work at your organization, within their teams, and in their roles.

But it’s not just about listening to lower-level employees -- you can learn a lot from listening to their managers, as well. You can determine whether your people managers are aligned with your strategy, supported by your leadership, and have the necessary resources to lead.

Employee listening gives your employees a voice. Prioritizing employee listening is critical for improving engagement and benefits your business.

Here are a few more benefits to employee listening:

1. Demonstrate that you care about your employees.

Listening to your employees’ concerns and anxieties shows that you value their opinions and want to understand how they are feeling—that you care about the human being on the other end. Even if your organization’s engagement has been strong and competitive against benchmarks, it’s important to give your employees a microphone, even in turbulent times.

2. Gain real-time feedback to take action or make adjustments.

Employee feedback can help identify areas of opportunities and risks. You may not be able to solve everything for everyone, but any action is better than no action. Look for low-hanging fruit or bigger opportunities that you can address.

3. Empower your managers to engage their teams.

Beyond diving into work or a performance conversation, focusing on feedback helps managers make time to connect on a personal level. Additionally, if you share team-level feedback with managers, they will have a better understanding of their team’s challenges and topics that are top of mind. This knowledge will help them coach accordingly.

4. Gain intelligence on how to move your business forward.

For your business to eventually thrive, you need to move your business forward. And this doesn’t necessarily mean business as usual. We’re facing an unprecedented crisis and attempting to do business in unusual times.

Asking for feedback during this time not only helps you understand how employees are feeling and performing—it helps you uncover key insights that will allow your organization to move from today’s chaos to setting goals, recovering, and thriving.

While their focus may have shifted from things like career development and high-performance, having this insight allows you to narrow in the areas that need the most help so you can move forward more quickly. Consider how you might address the following situations.

If employees are feeling:

Scared → How can leaders build trust?

Exhausted → How can managers help them reprioritize or flex on goals?

Overwhelmed → How can leaders and managers provide clarity on a common goal?

Anxious → How can you build trust with goal clarity and priorities?

Disrupted → How can you recognize great work and inspire more of it?

It’s time to pay attention. Employees want to be heard. If you don’t listen, they’ll become disengaged, even finding their way to your competitors. That’s not going to help anyone – and we all know how talent retention rates can affect a business.

In addition to these valuable insights, listening to employees and managers helps to build trust and rapport, and relationships play an important role in keeping employees happy and engaged.

7 Effective Communication Strategies That Get Results

It probably comes as no surprise that the most successful businesses are made up of highly engaged employees. These top-performing workforces share a relentless dedication to what’s in the best interest of their employers. They’re committed, determined and consistently instrumental in increasing their companies’ productivity. Engaged employees are committed and driven to make your business a success. When you harness the power of communication through clear and consistent messaging, you empower your entire workforce to do their best work and take your business to the next level.

Here are seven strategies to help you foster employee engagement and impact your business’s success:

1. Keep it real

When delivering your message, be truthful and as complete as possible. Be transparent and let employees know if there are details you simply cannot share due to confidentiality. Even if they don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle, they’ll appreciate your honesty and likely be more supportive and, as a result, more engaged.

2. Be timely

Don’t wait until you have all the information to deliver a message. There is never a vacuum in communication. If the message doesn’t come from you directly, people will fill in the information gaps with rumors or assumptions – which can lead to low morale, distrust and a lack of productivity. Communication is a process. Share what you can as often as you can.

3. Focus on consistency

Align your messages with your company’s mission, vision and values. Sharing the “why” behind a decision or change in direction helps your employees understand the reason behind the decision. This builds trust and a strong team mentality. 

4. Tailor your message

Make sure your message is meaningful to your workforce and answers the question, “What’s in it for me?” This creates buy-in from your team and helps empower them to move forward with change more easily. You’ll create a sense of ownership that motivates employees to get on board and do their part for the greater good. Employees who feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves will become your company’s biggest advocates. 

5. Reinforce it

Hearing something once is not enough. Everyone learns and processes information differently, so it’s critical that you communicate using diverse channels. Company meetings and email may be more appropriate for delivering formal messages, while small “town hall” meetings, social media, designated chat rooms and your company’s intranet can provide an informal forum for reinforcing communication. Remember, consistency across all channels is key.

6. Encourage feedback

Just as you use multiple channels to communicate your message to employees, consider using those same channels to encourage feedback from them. It’s important that your employees feel comfortable sharing their questions and concerns, so your organization’s communication flow should be two-way – a dialogue, not a monologue. When you encourage feedback and listen to what employees have to say, you send the message to your employees that their opinions matter.

7. Empower your managers

Keep your middle managers in the loop from the start. They are the voice of your organization, the messengers between upper management and employees. By empowering them with information and effective communication strategies, they will be better equipped to deliver consistent messages to their teams and provide answers to any questions that may come up.

The more effective you can be with your communication the more successful you will be – personally and professionally. Communication can be extremely powerful in helping you or it can hurt you. Apply any or all of the seven steps mentioned above and set goals around enhancing your communication.