leadership development

10 Quick Tips to Improve Leadership Communication

July 23, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Communication (excellent communication to be precise) is the most distinguishable trait of true leaders. Poor communication not only can end your career as a C-suite executive, but can cost your business significant dollars every year. If you think that a lack of communication is what is keeping your company in shackles, here a list of 10 quick tips about leadership communication that you can incorporate in your leadership… Enjoy!

#1 The Person Behind the Title

True leadership is not when people follow you for your position in the organizational hierarchy, but for your personal integrity and vision. So be humble, deliver your vision with stories (they can be personal stories as well), and don’t forget to keep a sense of humor. In communication skills training for leaders, we work on these exact skills. Bottom line… Let those you lead see you as the person you are, not the one your trying to be!

#2 Know Your Audience

Great leaders know how to deliver their message to different audiences without altering the message in the process. Likewise, they also know the unique personalities of everyone on their team so they can utilize their skills to customize delivery to the fullest potential. Practice makes perfect in leadership development. Bottom line… Customize your message based on the audience your interacting with.

#3 Interaction, Not Dictation

Great leaders know how to generate audience feedback during a lecture or speech, so that everyone is listening attentively. Think of it as an engagement level that you’re trying to get your audience to participate with you actively. Bottom line… If you want better communication with your audience, get them to listen to your message by engaging them.

#4 Give Up the Jargon

There is a popular saying attributed to Einstein: ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough’. While this may not be an all-encompassing principle for leadership communication, it can help you explain why a meeting, keynote, or coffee conversation failed: the audience simply didn’t get what you were trying to say. Bottom line… Strive for clarity, and avoid using technical language (where you can) or overcomplicating your message unless necessary.

#5 A Great Opening

In both speeches and publications, it the opening that determines whether the audience will continue following or not. So make sure to create a strong opening and follow it through with succinct, to-the -point comments, and memorable information. Bottom line… Start of in the direction you want with power (Oh yeah, you might want to practice as well!)

#6 Avoid Negativity

Studies in psychology have shown that negative words like ‘no’ and ‘cannot’ have a toxic effect on the human brain. They not only demotivate your employees, but also ward off prospective clients. Bottom line… Make positivity your mantra flow from your words.

#7 Take Responsibility

If anything goes wrong in your organization, it is you that has to take responsibility. Whether in addressing any audience, publishing a retraction, or sending an apology email if you said it initially (or someone in your organization did), then it’s your “baby” to rock. Bottom line… Assure people that no matter what happens, you are in control through your actions and words.

#8 Work on Your Body Language

Remember that verbal communication accounts for less than 10% of what you actually convey. Bottom line… Make sure that you are paying attention to your facial and body gestures as you speak.

#9 Listen More, Speak Less

Two ears, one mouth… You can see where this leadership communication tip is going, right? This cannot be stressed enough. When you listen to your employees, partners, and audiences, you not only get different perspectives on business issues, but you also make them feel valuable. Bottom line… Spend more time listening for effective leadership communication.

#10 Empathize

Finally, learn to empathize. CEOs, for instance, are typically seen as unapproachable. Change that. Bottom line… Communicate with empathy and care. You will ultimately see “loyalty” increase in the people around you.

SUMMARY

True leadership communication skills involve building personal trust and rapport with your audience, and conveying your message with clarity, in a way that they truly understand. The old adage of “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them” will only go so far (But it’s a great model to follow!) Follow these 10 Quick Tips to Improve Your Leadership Communication for success!

The 5 Worst Leadership Communication Skills

July 21, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: In this article, we will list the 5 worst leadership communication skills that help you understand what kind of people are heading your departments. Of course, you cannot deal with a subject as vast and as crucial as leadership communication in one article, but here we go…

Sometimes there appears as though there is no justice in this world! One of the most glaring examples of this unwritten (and unfortunate) rule are leadership positions occupied by people that don’t seem to deserve it! What seems to be the problem? Is it a lack of leadership development? Is it that they have no communication skills training for leaders? Perhaps organizations don’t have a benchmark for true leaders, especially those that learn through leadership development how to communicate like the experts. Here are a few of the most common reasons we see:

#1 Not Instilling a Communication Channel Vision Throughout the Organization

A sign of a failed leader is the absence of providing a communication channel vision in the organization. A leader should not only craft the communication channel vision of the firm, but also communicate it horizontally throughout to motivate leaders/associates to perform better and to create sustainable value.

#2 Keeping your Team in the Dark

When you communicate with your workforce, they should be able to feel your trust in them. Executives that distance themselves from their leadership team and associates keep them in the dark about how things are run in the company. This undoubtedly gives rise to disengagement in the work place.

#3 Not Being Honest About Your Limitations

A leader doesn’t have to know everything. Emphasis on “doesn’t have to know!” In fact, true leaders, out of all people, are more thoroughly aware (and satisfied) where their strengths lie, and which aspects of their personality still need improvement (Perhaps an opportunity for an Executive Coaching arrangement, such as Centered Executive Coaching?)

So when you communicate with your leaders and associates avoid the typical leadership development ‘know-it-all’ approach. Learn to depend on other people’s expertise, and more importantly, take suggestions from the people you work with. It makes them feel valuable. You do know how to delegate such responsibilities as a leader, right?

#4 ‘My Way or the Highway’ Leaders

Leaders who can’t understand different needs of different audiences (employees, customers, shareholders, government officials etc.) fail at communication over and over again. So it is essential that you quit the “one-size-fits-all” or “my way or the highway” approaches and learn in leadership development to recognize the needs of the audience and adapt your message accordingly.

#5 Taking the Easy Way Out

Confronting a leader whose department is becoming less profitable every year, or responding to public criticism of an accident at your worksite are examples of situations where only excellent leadership communication skills can drive the company forward. Ask yourself, do you have the courage to be honest in your communication, and can you live with the fact that as a leader, you may potentially offend some people down the road?

SUMMARY

To sum up, a failed leader is one that doesn’t envision communication channels in their organization, that doesn’t provide full communication transparency (or hide organizational information from employees), isn’t afraid or scarred to ask for help, and possesses true courage!

To read more about the Leadership Development opportunities at Tip of the Spear CLICK HERE.

Why You Need Communication Skills Training for Leaders More Than You Think!

July 20, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: It won’t be stretching the fact if it is said that a leader is only as good as his/her communication skills. If you cannot effectively communicate with the people you lead, you cannot be a successful leader. It is as simple as that. You need to find a way to create a level of satisfaction, both in your personal opinion of yourself as a leader, and the people you work with and this is where communication skills training for leaders plays an important part.

Communication Skills Define Your Style of Leadership

First and foremost, you have to define a style of leadership you are going to follow. Only then will your followers know that you are going to show them the way. And how do you represent your style of leadership? Through effective communication skills training, of course. During Tip of the Spear’s “Communicate with Influence” leadership development series, you will learn how to get your point across in a way that reflects your authority and expertise.

Learn How to Identify Personalities

Moreover, as a leader, you also need to be able to identify the different personalities of the people working for you. This is where this leadership development comes in handy. You realize the different types of personalities you encounter and how you have to deal with them. This enables you to have a more natural style of leadership that doesn’t seem ‘scripted’.

Have Command over Different Communication Styles

There are different types of communication styles used by leaders and you cannot learn them all without identifying this perspective or leadership development professional training. Again, this is where communication skills training for leaders will come in handy. During Tip of the Spear’s “Communicate with Influence” leadership development series you will get to learn about the different types of communication styles and also which one to use at the right time in any given situation. This way, you can get out of ‘tight’ spots and assert your status as the leader.

Know the Art of Getting Your Message Across

You should know that being an effective communicator is more than just about using big words or using semantics to your advantage to reflect your leadership development. You need to have the tools to be able to say what you mean to say in a way that is clear, authoritative and most importantly, confirms your status as a leader.

Keep Your Audience Interested

An effective communicator can have his/her audience eating out of their palm. That is what you can achieve through communication skills training. You learn about the ways in which you can intrigue and engage your audience and keep them glued to what you have to say next.

SUMMARY

So, there you have it. These are the various reasons why as part of your leadership development you need communication skills training for leaders more than you think!

What is Communication Skills Training for Leaders?

July 19, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Without some basic communication skills, no leader in the world can run their organization as effectively if they had. This is where communication skills training for leaders comes in. No matter which stage of leadership you are in, developing communication training is beneficial as you get to learn new concepts and sharpen tried and tested skills. What follows in this post are what we consider at Tip of the Spear to be the basic lessons taught in communication skills training… Enjoy!

Body Language

First and foremost, you’ll want to consider your body language. It is not “what” you say, but “how” you carry yourself during communications that creates the first, and perhaps most important impression. For instance, while you may be tired after a strenuous meeting or leadership development session, which explains why you are slumped in your chair, the people around you can perceive this to be a lack of interest in the job (or leading them!)

Verbal Communication

You should dress, walk, move your hands, and even make eye contact in a way that suits a leader. Only then you can initiate the second stage of communication, i.e. the way you speak. When you are communicating verbally, your speech (especially the tone of your voice) should influence and elicit the response of the listeners that you hope to achieve.

Authoritative Voice

A leader should be seen as an authority figure, which is why you should work in leadership development on your tone while communicating professionally. Also consider the voice “throw.” If you are soft-spoken, this can also be perceived as a lack of confidence. So with this in mind, try to speak at a higher volume (pace) than you usually speak. This does not mean that you raise your pitch or your speed dramatically. Remember, you need to speak in a low tone and at a pace that allows the listener to take interest and seep in the message.

Sound Vocabulary

You can further augment your verbal communication skills by using powerful words. While the usage of words is not the primary factor in successful verbal communication, when getting communication skills training for leaders, you will be taught how your using certain expressions over others can enhance the power of the message. A helpful tip in this regard is to downplay negative expressions and replace them with positive ones, for example saying ‘I will try my best’ instead of ‘no, I can’t do it’ as well as replacing “but” with “and.”

Empathy

Finally and most importantly, a leader should learn how to empathize with his/her listeners. Ask yourself, “Who are you speaking to?” and “Is what I am saying any help to them or not?” Active listening allows you to connect with your listeners, which in turns gives you a loyal and dedicated group from which to work with.

SUMMARY

To sum up, communication skills training for leaders should be taken at different points of your career as leadership development. This will attune your entire being, from physical appearance to the exchange of ideas verbally, so that you influence those you lead effortlessly. The emphasis is on the word ‘effortlessly’ for you fail as a communicator if people can see you working hard to come up with eloquent phrases or if they can spot that you are just pretending to listen to them (Never a good communication outcome!)

For more information on Tip of the Spear Communication Skills Training for Leaders series titled Communicate with Influence, use the title bar above or review our website.

What Causes Communication Skills Training for Leaders to Fail?

July 18, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: It is no secret that leaders that are smart and capable. During the course of their careers, they have perused best-selling books on leadership, taken leadership training (including associated assessments), and attended multiple communication skills training lessons. But with all of those training opportunities under their belts, they still fail to effectively lead. Think of the fruitless and unconstructive discussions at meetings and business divisions that somehow never seem to make a profit (or scratch the surface of their potential profit). If you’re a leader facing similar circumstances, but are unable to determine the root cause, you have come to the right place. In this post, you will learn why communications skills training for leaders often fails and what can be done to counter this.

Less Emphasis on the Practical Aspects of Leadership

The fundamental flaw in most books and courses on leadership development is that there a greater emphasis on the theoretical aspects of leadership instead of practical ones. Sometimes, there can be an information overload. The need of the hour is for communication skills trainers to teach leaders about what has to be done in their position and the courage to take some flair for it.

On-the-Job Training

While communication skills training programs for leaders involves simulated events where trainees are required to take charge of the situation, followed by critique of how well they were able to do. The limitations of such a model will be discussed at the end, but here the emphasis is on on-the-job leadership communication training.

This means the mentor or coach accompanies the executive at the workplace as the latter leads a session, conducts training, or oversees a meeting. This is where the actual leadership skills will be tested, instead of a safe, simulated environment. The coach has to make sure that s/he doesn’t interrupt or correct the trainee during any task, but only to offer insight during breaks in private.

Having Superficial Notions about Communication

Another reason communications skills training for leaders often fails may have nothing to do with the “tool” and everything with the “technique’ involved. Most leaders only have a surface level understanding of what communication is. For them, it is only about emails and memos. However, communication is a diverse topic that has to be approached from various angles in order to be effective (and every angle therein!)

The fundamental principle is the clarity and consistency of messages you send to your workforce. Bad leaders send mixed messages and keep their employees in the dark. This creates friction, and is a primary cause of low job satisfaction and retention. Good communication skills training should address this issue if they are to make leaders better.

Focusing on the Training Aspect

Finally and most importantly, is the mere fact that such leadership development programs place emphasis on “training” instead of “development” of leaders. These two words are not interchangeable, contrary to popular opinion. Training, in its essence, is rote learning and one-way reception of fixed norms and principles, while development is dynamic. It focuses on unique personalities of each person and the end goal is helping trainees achieve their true potential as leaders.

SUMMARY

To sum up, simply going for communication skills training is not enough for leadership development. You need to make sure that the leadership development actually focuses on developing leaders. This involves teaching real-life lessons, clear-cut communication, and paving the way for future development.

leadership development

Footer

Ready to Scale?