Your leadership skills hinge on your ability to communicate effectively with others. Here are six communication skills that will make you a better leader, improve your relationships with other people and boost your teams (or family’s) productivity and morale.
“Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.”
-Jim Rohn
1. Self-Awareness. All good communication starts from a place of self-awareness. When you’re communicating with other people, you need to be aware of your inner monologue so you don’t end up taking out a bad mood on someone else.
2. Understand Your Audience. The best communication arises out of understanding whomever you’re speaking to. Knowing your audience’s motivations, preferred communication styles, learning styles, etc., allows you to adapt your message and increase the odds of effective communication.
3. Clear-cut Communication. Clear-cut communication increases the likelihood that people will comprehend and take action on whatever you’re asking from them. It’s better to over-explain something than to leave room for misunderstanding.
4. Nonverbal Communication. Plenty of research suggests nonverbal communication is just as important as what a person says—maybe even more. Facial expressions, hand gestures, posture and eye contact all play a major role in affirming or undermining your message. In particular, pay attention to whether your body language aligns with what you’re saying.
5. Active Listening. One of the best ways to encourage open and honest communication within a group is to model active listening. When someone is speaking to you, really listen to what they’re saying. Ask follow-up questions to demonstrate that you’re paying attention and to make sure there are no miscommunications.
6. Cultivate Loyalty. Prioritizing transparent, fair and respectful communication within a group is one of the best strategies for cultivating loyalty and boosting the team’s performance. Bring an honest, positive and ego-less attitude to every situation that arises.
Each of these communication skills represents an ongoing practice. You won’t master them in a day or even a year. Instead, you’ll need to commit to practicing these strategies for life. The more you implement these skills, the more they’ll start to feel like second nature—and the more your leadership abilities will benefit.