Communication Tips for Leaders
What’s the point of being a leader if you don’t know how to properly communicate with your team? A large part of being a great leader is knowing how to talk with (not talk to!) employees or organization members to effectively get tasks done. Here at our HR consulting firm, Kmet Consulting, we can help you become a better leader and communicator. Here are seven communication tips to use while communicating with not only clients but also your own employees.
Let’s face it, not every day in the business world is going to go perfectly. Despite this, being able to pinpoint how you’re feeling and how you are appearing to others is an important part of being a great communicator. When things don’t go as planned, it’s easy to get frustrated, but make sure to acknowledge how you feel and find a healthy outlet to take out these frustrations on. This will help prevent you from taking bad moods out on other people.
Be Direct and Give Details
When giving instructions or explaining an idea that you have, make sure to include as many details as possible. Little details are what can make a vision turn into reality. Remember—people can’t read your mind, so make sure to communicate what you’re thinking clearly and directly to others. Also, be sure to avoid jargon or lingo that may make instructions or descriptions more difficult to understand.
Keep a Positive Attitude
We know that this is easier said than done, but in order to be the most productive, keeping a positive attitude is key. People feed off of other’s energy, so whatever attitude you bring to the table, they’re likely to copy. Going into a project or a task with a positive attitude will make obstacles seem less major and will result in more productive work being done.
Be Respectful
While a leader is the person that’s seen as being “in charge,” that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t respect those that you’re leading. If you don’t respect people, they won’t respect you. This lack of regard for others will result in people being less willing to help you out with a project. When mutual respect is present in a relationship, it’s much easier to successfully work with each other.
Be Aware of Body Language
Communication isn’t only verbal, body language is also a big part of it. Not only should you consider what your body language is portraying, but you should also pay close attention to others’ body language. If a team member is confused or unclear on something, they may not be willing to say so out loud. Paying attention to body language can help you be more in touch with how others are feeling.
Provide Constructive Feedback
Part of leading a team is being able to provide constructive feedback. This means only communicating a problem if there is a solution that can be figured out. Don’t tell someone that something they did was generally bad, instead let them know about specific elements that you didn’t like about the project so that they can have somewhere to start while editing their work.
Listen to Others
One of the most important elements of effective communication is active listening. Leadership and communication should be a two-way street. Some of the best ideas are created from multiple people merging their thoughts together. Leadership isn’t about telling others what to do, it’s about having one person that is appointed to help a team run smoothly and to evenly distribute tasks so that everything can get completed. Ideas and suggestions can (and should) come from any member of the team.
How to Effectively Communicate as a Leader
Be Self-AwareLet’s face it, not every day in the business world is going to go perfectly. Despite this, being able to pinpoint how you’re feeling and how you are appearing to others is an important part of being a great communicator. When things don’t go as planned, it’s easy to get frustrated, but make sure to acknowledge how you feel and find a healthy outlet to take out these frustrations on. This will help prevent you from taking bad moods out on other people.
Be Direct and Give Details
When giving instructions or explaining an idea that you have, make sure to include as many details as possible. Little details are what can make a vision turn into reality. Remember—people can’t read your mind, so make sure to communicate what you’re thinking clearly and directly to others. Also, be sure to avoid jargon or lingo that may make instructions or descriptions more difficult to understand.
Keep a Positive Attitude
We know that this is easier said than done, but in order to be the most productive, keeping a positive attitude is key. People feed off of other’s energy, so whatever attitude you bring to the table, they’re likely to copy. Going into a project or a task with a positive attitude will make obstacles seem less major and will result in more productive work being done.
Be Respectful
While a leader is the person that’s seen as being “in charge,” that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t respect those that you’re leading. If you don’t respect people, they won’t respect you. This lack of regard for others will result in people being less willing to help you out with a project. When mutual respect is present in a relationship, it’s much easier to successfully work with each other.
Be Aware of Body Language
Communication isn’t only verbal, body language is also a big part of it. Not only should you consider what your body language is portraying, but you should also pay close attention to others’ body language. If a team member is confused or unclear on something, they may not be willing to say so out loud. Paying attention to body language can help you be more in touch with how others are feeling.
Provide Constructive Feedback
Part of leading a team is being able to provide constructive feedback. This means only communicating a problem if there is a solution that can be figured out. Don’t tell someone that something they did was generally bad, instead let them know about specific elements that you didn’t like about the project so that they can have somewhere to start while editing their work.
Listen to Others
One of the most important elements of effective communication is active listening. Leadership and communication should be a two-way street. Some of the best ideas are created from multiple people merging their thoughts together. Leadership isn’t about telling others what to do, it’s about having one person that is appointed to help a team run smoothly and to evenly distribute tasks so that everything can get completed. Ideas and suggestions can (and should) come from any member of the team.
You Can Count on Kmet Consulting
To have a successful business, you must be a leader that excels in communicating with your team. Kmet Consulting can help make this possible with our leadership development services. Our variety of HR consulting services can aid in creating an effective and productive team. Call us today at 877-783-5638 or visit www.KmetConsulting.com for more information about what we can do to help your internal business relationships grow.
sue@kmetconsulting.com
877-783-5638
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