Leadership is a topic with varying opinions attached. For many, leadership means being someone that team members can count on. For others it means running a profitable organization.
But how does leadership communication play into this? If you can’t communicate effectively, you can’t motivate and inspire your employees.
If you want to know how to be a good communicator so your team is excited to hear what you have to say, then keep reading, because you’re about to learn 4 effective techniques that will improve your leadership communication skills.
Technique #1: Build Rapport
Here are a few reasons why building rapport is so important:
Your Team Will be more Engaged
According to Gallup’s State of the American Manager report, roughly 30% of American workers and 35% of all managers are engaged each day. Those are shockingly low numbers. That means that LESS than 1 in 3 people are actually happy at their job.
Do you suppose any of the 70% of disengaged went to their managers to talk about their lack of motivation? Most likely no. But they might have if they had had a good rapport with them.
Think about it from your team’s perspective: a manager that comes across as standoffish and only speaks to employees to ask for status updates isn’t someone who is trustworthy, or for that matter, very likeable.
Employee Retention
The days of an employee staying with the same company for 30+ years are long gone. Technology has made it incredibly easy to not only find a new job but to also work remote for global companies.
No organization wants to spend the time or resources to constantly fill positions. It is inefficient. Rapport goes a long way in connecting to your staff in a human way and inspiring them to stay with you long-term.
Feedback Sticks
Leadership communication utilizes feedback because it is one of the most effective ways to get your team on the same page, working toward a common goal. It’s also a great catalyst for motivation. Building rapport will make your team far more receptive to your feedback.
Earn Loyalty
Many leaders try to buy loyalty in the form of bonuses and other “free perks” (coffee and bagel Fridays, pizza lunches, etc.). But this is cheap loyalty. It has no real value. If another organization offers your employee a game room or three-day weekends, your employee is walking out the door.
Rapport is highly valuable. It’s real and it has meaning to all human beings. While loyalty can be bought, it’s best to think long-term and invest in your team personally.
You’ll Have More Fun at Work
Building rapport with your team members is a win/win situation, because not only will they be happier and more engaged at work but so will YOU!
Now that you know the benefits of building rapport with your team, let’s look at some ways you can begin:
Have Regular One-on-Ones
Staff meetings can only do so much in the way of building rapport. Take time each week to sit down with some team members individually. This will allow you to discover what issues they may be having, what skills they have to offer, and what drives them. Yes, this will take some investment of time in the beginning, but that investment offers a great return.
Be Curious
Building rapport must be genuine. You must actually want to get to know your team members on a more personal level. To do this, be more curious. Ask questions. Listen. Listening is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT communication skills.
Technique #2: Be Concise
Clear communication is concise communication. Do you really want to know how to be a good communicator? It’s simple: always have a clear message with quick delivery. The directness and accuracy of your message will directly impact how your plans are carried out by your team.
How can you ensure your message is always concise?
Think Before You Speak
If you were asked to give a major presentation, you would most likely spend weeks developing and rehearsing what you were going to say. While you don’t have to take that much time before talking to your team members each day, you should still think before you speak.
Many people never bother to organize their thoughts before they speak to others. And then what happens? They stumble over their own ideas and words, causing confusion to everyone who listens.
Effective leadership communication will require you spend a few moments organizing your thoughts before addressing anyone on your team. This goes for a one-on-one meetings or group interactions. Think about the overall takeaway you want people to glean from what you’ve said.
Keep Your Ideas to a Minimum
You’ll have an easier time getting an idea across if you are only sharing one single idea. Now sometimes that is just not possible, but do your best to limit the amount of information you share at any single time. When it’s necessary to communicate more than one idea, present the main (or most important) idea first to be certain people process it and remember it.
Focus on Your Audience
To deliver a “short and sweet” message to your team, you must structure your communication around their expectations and needs. What information do they absolutely need to know at this moment? What language is relevant and helpful to them? What tone should you use to express the seriousness – or lack of seriousness – of the situation at hand?
Technique #3: Master Your Body Language
Ask any top corporate presenter how to be a good communicator and they’ll tell you there is more to effective communication than building rapport, developing a concise message, and sharing it in a way that lands with your audience. Body language speaks volumes. These nonverbal cues will broadcast to others whether you are feeling confident and are being honest.
Here are some body language tips:
Check Your Attitude
You really can’t fake how you are feeling, people will always pick up on those subtle cues. You’re human, and you may be feeling a certain way that isn’t so positive. But it’s important before speaking to an individual on your team or to a group of team members that you check in with yourself, determine how you’re feeling, and do you best to adjust your attitude as necessary.
Smile
No one says that leadership communication must be stuffy and serious all the time. Smiling not only makes other people feel good, it can also instantly make you feel good. Plus, a smile signals to others that you are friendly and approachable.
Make Eye Contact
People like to be spoken to, not spoken “at.” Be sure to scan the room and make eye contact with as many team members as you can. After a one-on-one meeting, you should absolutely know the eye color of the person you just spoke with.
Watch That Posture
You may have noticed that a lot of public speakers stand in what is called the “Superman Pose.” Go ahead and think of how Superman stands: back straight, chest out and open, legs shoulder-width apart and hands on hips. This is a powerful pose, yes?
Well, research from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University discovered that “posture expansiveness” which basically means positioning your body in a way that is open and takes up space (AKA Superman Pose), activated a sense of power that produced behavioral changes in the person. And this was completely independent of their actual rank or role within the organization.
As a leader, you must be seen as someone who is confident and in charge. Make sure your body language is not undermining you.
Technique #4: Be Mindful of Your Vocal Delivery
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” you no doubt remember the teacher who spoke in such a dull and monotone voice, he actually put his students to sleep.
You never want to be like this guy, so avoid “corporate monotone” at all costs. A monotone delivery is a surefire way to get your audience to completely tune you out.
So how do you speak in a way that keeps your audience engaged?
Choose Topics You are Passionate About
If you are a public speaker, then it’s important that you only speak about topics that really get you excited. This passion and excitement will come through when you speak, you won’t have to fake it.
But how do you get excited when delivering messages to team members? If the message itself isn’t all that glamorous, think about the common goal all of you are aiming for and how awesome it will be when you reach it. Each message you deliver, each one-on-one, each Monday morning meeting… these are all tiny pieces to a larger puzzle. Focus on that big picture to give yourself a boost of excitement and watch how contagious the excitement will be.
Watch Great Presenters
Spend some time watching your favorite TedTalks to see how the presenters use their voice to highlight certain areas of their presentation. Sometimes they will use their upper register, and sometimes they will bring their voice down very low. When you really study the greatest presenters, you recognize the human voice really is an instrument, like a saxophone, and we have a lot of range and power. Be sure to use all of it.
Rehearse
Whether you’re giving a 30-minute presentation in front of hundreds of people or sharing a message to 10 members of your team, you will want to spend some time collecting your thoughts and developing your message. One of the things you can do to avoid corporate monotone is to go over your outline and identify key words or phrases that you may want to highlight with vocal inflection.
Former presidential speechwriter James Humes once said, “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” Boy is that true!
Leadership is about so much more than telling everyone else what to do. It’s about sharing a vision and inspiring your team members to help you reach it. If you leverage these 4 effective communication techniques, you’ll not only improve your leadership, you’ll also improve your company culture’s, morale and bottom line.
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