What comes to mind when you think of good leadership? Great decision-making skills? Speeches that captivate an audience? Or perhaps a go-getter and risk-taker attitude? Whatever it is, it goes without saying that solid communication skills are at the heart of great leadership.
Sure, being knowledgeable, hard-working, self-assured and curious helps, but being able to communicate effectively, wherever you are, makes the difference between a good and great leader.
Leadership communication tips
1. Don’t underestimate the importance of clarity
As any professional knows, clarity is king. Being able to distil difficult ideas into easy-to-understand concepts is paramount to a lot of roles, and it’s no different in a leadership position. Conveying a clear message that can be understood by your target audience is crucial, whether that’s face-to-face, over the phone, by email or on a video call. Whatever your subject matter is, focus on using clear, jargon-free language – it’ll make a world of difference.
2. Listen
“Listen to understand, not reply.”
While it sounds obvious, active listening is often one of the more ignored soft skills. After all, it’s not as flashy as public speaking, and sometimes feels too simple to make an impact. Except it does. Practice paying attention to what is being said in your conversations – focusing on what they’re saying and not what you need to say next, limiting distractions and asking questions that help clarify their point of view.
3. Pay attention to your body language
Communication isn’t just about what you say, it’s about how you say it.
Body language matters. Direct eye contact, leaning in, moving your hands or keeping them by your side all make a difference, even if what you’re saying hasn’t changed.
4. Consider the platform
With the rise of hybrid and remote work, communication in the workplace has never been more diverse. Knowing how to communicate clearly on all platforms is crucial.
5. Think about your audience
Take some time to think about who you’re speaking to.
Whether it’s a group, an individual, clients, colleagues or a potential new recruit, how you communicate will most likely depend on who you’re speaking to.
6. Be empathetic
Surprisingly, around 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with employees. While that figure is shocking, it’s also clear that employee-manager communication needs an overhaul. Great communication starts with empathy. Understanding that certain conversations are harder to have doesn’t mean they need to be impossible, complicated or cold.
7. Stick to your word
It’s self-explanatory but doing what you say you will do really helps to build trust in your leadership. Following through on actions should already be best practice, but if not, there’s no time like the present to start doing that. And when plans change, as they often do, make an effort to update the relevant people. Keeping the lines of communication open only makes for a stronger team and a trusting work environment.
8. Get comfortable asking questions
Asking questions and being open to learning from others can help enrich your experiences, professional or otherwise. So, if you don’t know, just ask.
9. Embrace different communication styles
It’s likely you already know and use at least one of these four communication styles – analytical, intuitive, personal, and functional.
For the unfamiliar, these communication styles look at different ways we communicate.
- The analytical communicator focuses on the details, facts, figures and logic.
- The intuitive communicator looks at the bigger picture and will often use quite visual language.
- The personal communicator centers their emotions and will most likely use emotive language.
- The functional communicator focuses on the “how”, meaning the processes and plans of action.
Being aware of these four communication styles means you can pair complementary communicators together but also allows you to embrace switching between different communication styles when needed.
10. Embrace feedback
As a leader, one thing is certain, you won’t always get it right. That’s why feedback is essential.
There’s a misconception that the further you get on your professional journey, the fewer opportunities for feedback you’ll have, but this doesn’t have to be the case.
Seek out opportunities for feedback, whether that’s via a survey, a dedicated 1:1 or during a casual conversation.