How Great Leaders Communicate Effectively
More of the work with my company is now being done virtually via technology. One benefit from this shift has been the ability to see more interactions by our leaders with their direct reports. Effective communication is at the core of functional leadership but variability in skill levels often varies from leader to leader. Needless to say, I saw significant variability across the different leaders and that led me to contemplate “how do the great leaders communicate effectively?
Leadership and Effective Communication
Leadership is leveraging influence. One of, if not, the most powerful tool for influence is effective communication. Poor communication equates to weak or no influence, something very counterproductive to great leadership. So, after doing some research and shifting through countless tips, I noticed commonalities for 5 core leadership communication. They are:
- Articulate the purpose and vision
- Clearly and simply define what is success
- Communicate with stories and word pictures
- Check for understanding
- Ask questions and really listen
Articulate the Purpose and Vision
Leadership is about inspiring. Inspiration is short lived without a purpose to fuel it. Why do some run through brick walls and jump off cliffs for their leader? It’s because they see the leader’s vision, so much that they make it their own. Effective leadership communication starts with clearly laying out the reason for what the team must do. This is true for the team leader running the drive through lane at a fast-food restaurant as much as it is for the CEO of a large technology firm.
Regardless of the means of delivery, be sure to tie the purpose and mission through your communication. Effective leaders do this by knowing what motivates and inspires their audience or team. If you understand what they want and why they are there, that is the start to connecting their purpose to the team’s purpose.
Define Success for Your Team
Nothing sets up a team for potential defeat like sending them off without the details they need to know when their objective is complete. Great leaders not only have the skill to influence and motivate their followers but they are also skilled at clearly stating what the finish line looks like. So, when communicating with your team, don’t stop with the purpose but continue on to what the end result of living out that purpose will be. Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18, KJV.)
Connect with Stories and Create Mental Pictures
Ah, speaking of vision! This is what the masters of leadership know how to mold and shape for their people- create vivid images that implore emotion and sentiment. Great leaders don’t just make statements, spit out facts, and make proclamations with big fancy words to look smarter. That’s not their motive because they understand words alone will not rally the masses to the cause.
Great leaders- effective leaders- communicate to paint mental pictures. When the followers can “see” for themselves what the desired outcome can be and should be, they are able to better connect that image to the purpose. This imagery is far more effective towards sustaining morale and motivation through to fruition.
The Power of a Story
One way I’ve come across how leaders accomplish this is through stories. Tony Robbins states on his website tonyrobbins.com that “stories are one of the most powerful tools you can use to engage and connect with your audience.” Many leadership authorities agree. Consider marketing and advertising. Ads are all about influencing you and stories are used quite often to get us as consumers to buy their product or service, and it works.
People are more likely to remember the story you tell than the number you quote and they are more likely to repeat a story over data too. Go back and watch any great leadership video, listen to a popular leadership podcast, or read a really good leadership book. More likely than not, they are filled with stories that help the receiver better visualize and ultimately understand the message being conveyed.
How many times have you heard someone emphasize a no turning back mentality with the story about “burning the ships?” The reason it’s used very often is because those images help to invoke emotions with pictures and illustrates a vague concept like pure commitment.
If you want to take your communication to the ultimate level, become a storyteller.
Check for Understand - How Was Your Message Interpreted?
One of the biggest mistakes in communication is making the assumption that the person receiving the message understood and got the message you intended.
In grade school one day, my teacher sat the class in the middle of the room in a large circle. She whispered a short sentence in one of my classmate’s ears with instructions for each person to whisper that message in the ear of the person next to them. 30 students later, the teacher asked the last student to say the message out loud. The simple statement that started out as “papa rooster loves the site of the sun at dawn” turned into “mamma went to the store for some noodles.” This is funny but it also is a great example of how messages can alter from send to receiver and even more so as the message is passed further along from the original deliverer.
Great leaders that communicate effectively always check for understanding. Best advice is that anytime you deliver a message make it a habit to validate the message you intend was understood by your audience. That could be a survey after you present to a large group at an assembly hall. It might be having your team share their notes from the conference call. Perhaps it is just the receive to repeat back what they heard. Regardless, don’t assume your message was received but validate.
Know Your Audience by Asking Questions
Effective communication and influence start with knowing and understanding your audience. To effectively communicate and deliver impactful messages that are understood completely the leader must be able to tailor their communications to fit the receiver.
The most effective leaders are always asking questions of their team and actively listening. This is not just in formal, structured situations such as an annual employee satisfaction survey. Its also in the day-to-day interaction with the team. Communication effectiveness in leadership is listening and encouraging feedback more than speaking and delivering messages. Getting to know your team is an ongoing process. Doing so helps you as a leader better connect and inspire your team through meaningful communication.
Take Steps to Build Effective Communication Skills
How great leaders communicate effectively is not complicated. Just as with any skill, effective communication is one that can be mastered. In my opinion, it one that will benefit in every aspect of life and not just in leadership. Developing this talent is more than worth the investment of time and effort. The 5 attributes I shared in this article won’t make you a master following them alone. HOWEVER, they are a great start down the path to delivering powerful and impactful communications.
Share Your Thoughts
What are some of the things you are working on to improve your communication skills?
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