Good communication skills are essential because poor communication skills can lead to decreased sales, low morale, and missed performance targets. Great leaders are those that can convey their message and ideas in ways that drive teamwork and action and at the same time promote discipline and accountability. It’s difficult for an organization to thrive if the information is not freely shared between senior managers and their teams. Here is a list of elements of good communication and leadership.
Prioritizing
Poor communication takes up valuable time and leads to mistakes. Having a clear plan on how to communicate with employees can save an organization valuable time and resources. As a leader, one can prioritize areas that need emphasis and leave out less important tasks.
Empathize
Showing empathy means that you can identify and show concern for other people’s emotions, i.e., putting yourself in another’s situation. Being empathetic demonstrates that one cares and that you are willing to listen to them without judging them. For example, if an employee seems upset about something, as a leader, one is supposed to listen to them without interrupting. A good leader will address the issue jointly with the employee concerned.
Explaining complex issues using simple language
Communicating complex thoughts and strategies using simple concepts that your employees can understand is crucial. A good leader should communicate clearly without getting caught up in legalese or technical jargon that confuses their audience more. Failure to communicate complex strategies to employees using simple language often indicates that you may not clearly understand what you’re talking about. If that’s the case, it means you can’t communicate what you don’t understand.
Listen actively
Good leaders know how to listen and ask appropriate questions. When an employee communicates to their leaders, it’s good to hear and not just be preoccupied with putting the message across. As a leader, most of the time, one won’t get direct feedback; therefore, listening attentively and studying nonverbal communication brings one a deeper understanding of what is being addressed.
Openness
Being open means willingness to listen to divergent opinions. One’s team will admire this about them because it will signal them that you’re willing to listen to others even if you disagree. It shows that despite disagreeing with someone, it is essential to respect them enough to hear what they’re trying to communicate.
Effective leadership is about communicating one’s vision and strategy to bring everybody on board and be open to new ideas.