Leadership: 5 Tips To Improve Communication
Great communication is a key to being a good leader. Communicating with the entire team can be a challenging thing to take on. An article posted in linked in highlights several key areas in which a leader can increase the level of communication with employees at all levels of the organization. The improvement in communication with employees will result in higher employee engagement. This blog post will highlight five key areas any leader can concentrate on to improve his or her ability to communicate more effectively.
Tip #1: Listen
The most overlooked communication trait of great communicators is the ability to really listen. Employees want to feel valued and appreciated. The best thing any leader can do is take the time to listen to what they have to say.
Change the letters of listen around and the word silent can be found. Listening requires being present and being quiet. This is a skill that can be developed over time. A quick hint to start is to focus on remaining quiet when an employee is speaking. It will be amazing what you will hear.
Tip #2: Ask Lots of Questions
Employees often are not great communicators themselves. They may have great ideas and thoughts that at first blush do not sound like much to consider. Asking lots of good questions to gain clarity about what the employee is actually trying to communicate will result in a ton of useful and practical information. Good leaders ask lots of great questions.
Coaching tip – ask lots of questions during your next five conversations with employees. The results of this will astonish any leader who practices this tip.
Tip#3: Create Action Steps Based on the Conversation
Hearing what is said is crucial but actually acting upon the employees words is where the actual gold is. This can be done in a variety of ways depending on the conversation. Encourage the employee to further the discussion with others and assist that effort by engaging others yourself.
Agree with the employee what next steps will be taken and actually make sure that both of you follow-up. Action steps not taken result in zero progress. Activity will bring results.
Tip #4: Follow Up with the Employee
Good leaders communicate often with members of their team. Follow-up on conversations so the employee knows that what they communicated will be acted upon in some manner. The follow-up can be done directly or through others who have responsibility for the particular issue(s) at hand.
Make sure that you also encourage the employee to follow up. Communication is a two way street and the employee is also responsible for making sure the communication lines remain open. Business can be hectic and chaotic. People make mistakes and forget deadlines sometimes due to heavy workloads. . Follow- up with each other and focus on results.
Tip # 5: Praise Active Participation on Organizational Goals
Great leaders actively seek out times to praise good work and good effort. Employees who take the time to share their thoughts and ideas should be praised and encourages. Leadership is about getting others to engage in activities in support of the vision, mission and goals of the organization. Let everyone know that employee engagement is appreciated and encouraged.