Leadership Communication
Faculty of Graduate Studies
What is Leadership Communication?
Fathallah Ghanem
April 4, 2023
Topics Covered
In this chapter, you will learn to do the following:
• Identify leadership with an emphasis on
transformational leaders.
• Connect leadership to communication.
• Define leadership communication.
• Appreciate the importance of projecting a positive
ethos.
• Recognize and manage ethical issues.
What is leadership communication?
Leadership communication refers to an effective leader's
method of communicating and socializing with their team
members and their company's executives.
This could include the methods by which they give or
receive instructions, report progress, congratulate their
team, mediate conflict and administer appropriate
punishment.
Leadership communication can vary widely in its
application and the methods by which an individual can
excel at it, but generally, you can apply effective
communication skills to any conversation..
why leadership communication skills are
important
Leadership communication skills are as useful as the
methods by which you utilize them.
The following are some examples of why leadership
communication skills are important:
Allow collaboration: Effective communication may improve
the level of understanding between team members and
other teams.
Encourage sharing: Employees that feel they have a
positive dynamic with their employer are more likely to
volunteer ideas for improvement that they may have.
Enhance performance: By developing strong
communication with their employees, a leader can have a
more complete understanding of the project's success that
they can share with the company's executives.
why leadership communication skills are
important
Leadership communication skills are as useful as the
methods by which you utilize them.
The following are some examples of why leadership
communication skills are important:
Reduce errors: A leader can ensure that every team
member understands their role in the project, which helps to
avoid redundancies and missed work.
Improve efficiency: Team members may work more
efficiently if their leader shares relevant information with
them in an effective and punctual manner.
Improve motivation: Clearly outlining the ultimate goal of a
project can help team members focus on the purpose of
their work, which can help you motivate them.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
Becoming an effective leader can be a very personal
endeavor.
Typically, you want to first decide what makes an effective
leader by outlining specific practices and conversational
choices that you might make.
To help you start building your own list of essential
leadership skills to practice,
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Active listening skills:
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Active listening skills: refer to the ability to consciously
participate in the information retention process. This differs
from passive listening, which typically involves only
collecting a portion of the information that your conversation
partner is relaying to you. To receive and remember the
most possible information from an exchange, you may want
to offer affirmational feedback, such as 'I understand' or 'I
see'. This variety of feedback communicates to your
conversation partner that you're paying attention to what
they're saying. This could also help you engage in the
conversation and activate your retention ability.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: If you're listening to one of your team member's
suggestions for improvement, they may become
uncomfortable if you don't communicate with them, as they
may feel like they're giving a presentation rather than having
a conversation. Responding appropriately and perhaps
offering your own perspective on the given topic can help
your team member understand that you're engaging with
them and actively retaining what they're telling you.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Storytelling skills: involve communicating a narrative in a
consumable and interesting way. If you would like to impart
an emotion on your team members, such as pride or
satisfaction, offering your information in the form of a
narrative can make your message more effective.
Storytelling can also be helpful for establishing a friendly
atmosphere between you and your team members, which
can help them feel more comfortable and appreciated at
work. Sharing personal anecdotes may encourage your
team members to share their own, which can help to create
a team dynamic that ultimately improves productivity.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: You were recently put in charge of a new team.
None of the team members know each other, and for that
reason, they're hesitant to express themselves around one
another. To open communication, you could invite all of your
team members to an informal meeting and tell them a story.
You could talk about an interesting conversation you had, an
inspiring anecdote about improving yourself or your situation
or perhaps how you feel about being a part of this new
team. Good storytelling skills can help convey your
message clearly and make it more emotionally resonant.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Open-mindedness skills: Offering your team members an
open-minded perspective can help them feel as though
you're genuinely interested in what they have to say. Based
on the nature of your relationship with them, they may
inherently feel as though you intend to judge their behavior,
which can make them uncomfortable with speaking with
you. Open-mindedness can mean that you're willing to hear
their perspective without judgment, which some employees
may prefer. This correlates with your ability to adapt your
communication style according to whom you're speaking.
Some team members may appreciate a critical take on their
ideas.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: You're speaking to two team members during a
meeting. One team member is expressing the way they
believe they perform their work most effectively, while the
other team member is expressing their desire to improve
their work ethic. You could respond to the former employee
by absorbing and accepting their sharing, but then you
could offer the latter employee critique that could help them
improve. Understanding when to criticize and when to listen
can greatly affect your leadership communication.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: You're speaking to two team members during a
meeting. One team member is expressing the way they
believe they perform their work most effectively, while the
other team member is expressing their desire to improve
their work ethic. You could respond to the former employee
by absorbing and accepting their sharing, but then you
could offer the latter employee critique that could help them
improve. Understanding when to criticise and when to listen
can greatly affect your leadership communication.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Empathy and positivity skills: Empathy allows you to
understand team members' perspectives and adapt your
responses accordingly. Understanding how to respond
positively can help to boost team morale. In combination,
these skills provide you insight into the team's needs so that
you can effectively respond and improve each team
member's relationship with their work.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: If a team member is expressing discontent at
their workload at the moment, you can ask them to explain
how they would prefer to change the team's workflow.
Perhaps they believe that another team member would help
to increase productivity and remove some of the pressure
from their daily workload. You can validate their concerns
and offer whatever help is within your power to help them
feel more content at their job.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Delegation skills: An effective leader typically understands
how to effectively delegate tasks to their team members in a
fair and efficient way. Clearly explaining why you chose
particular team members for certain tasks can help them
understand their purpose on the team and your reasoning
for believing they were the best choice for their role. By
allowing your team members to understand your thought
processes, you can show them that your reasoning is sound
and that you're considering their skills and preferences
when you make decisions.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: If a team member asks why you included them in
an art-focused team when their background is primarily in
mathematics, you can explain to them that you wanted to
include an analytical perspective on the artistic team. You
can explain that this team member in particular is highly
adaptable and willing to share their perspective, so you
believe they're the best choice for this role. This
understanding can help this employee perform their work
more effectively since they understand their purpose.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Word choice skills: To help create a strong foundation on
which to develop your professional communication, take
time to critically consider your word choice after your
conversations with team members. By choosing specific,
friendly and non-technical language, you can refine your
communication and make it more accessible to your
conversation partner. You can take a moment prior to
speaking or sending written communication to consider
what your primary purpose of communication is. Carefully
selecting the right words can help in communicating your
message to your conversation partner.
How to Communicate Effectively at the
Workplace
The following is a list of typical skills that could help a leader
hone/expand their ability to communicate:
Example: You're planning to hold a meeting at the end of
this shift. You want your team members to ensure they have
15 minutes of spare time before their shift is over. You can
write this in an email earlier in the day to give them time to
finish their work 15 minutes early, and you can keep this
email brief and to the point. Your team may appreciate this
consideration for their time.
Optimize Your Leadership Communication
Fostering strong lines of communication as a leader introduces a
particular set of goals that differ largely from the business skill of general
communication.
As a leader, it is your responsibility not only to have good basic
communication skills, but also to ensure that the lines of communication
you open within your business cover the following leadership goals:
• Align employees with the company culture.
• Align employees with the company’s strategic goals.
• Build trust within the workplace.
• Maintain employee engagement.
• Encourage two-way conversations and open dialogue.
• Promote employee collaboration and teamwork.
• Keep employees informed.
• Communicate any upcoming changes effectively and in a timely
manner.
• Prevent internal miscommunications.
• Disseminate important information and make it available to
employees.
best practices of leadership communication:
Be honest.
People won’t be open to those they don’t trust, and this is
especially true when it comes to leadership. When
employees, shareholders, partners, or any other key
stakeholders have a sense that a leader is worthy of their
trust, they will invest time and take risks for the business in
a way that they never would if the leader had a reputation
built upon a lack of integrity. However, keep in mind that
demanding trust rarely works – it is best earned through
right actions, thinking, and decision making.
best practices of leadership communication:
Get personal.
Effective leadership communication should be a dialogue,
not a monologue. The more personal and engaging a
conversation is, the more effective it will be for both parties.
If you remain at arm’s length from your employees, you will
remain in the dark and only ever receive a highly sanitized
recounting of the truth. Developing meaningful relationships
with people and opening a personable, consistent dialogue
with them is key to being able to solve the issues that they
encounter before it’s too late.
best practices of leadership communication:
Be specific.
Effective communication hinges on clarity. Being simple and
concise in your communication efforts will always be more
effective than being complicated, confusing, or superfluous.
Especially today, time is a precious commodity, and the best
leaders know just how to trim the fat and hit the high points
in what they are communicating. Without understanding the
value of brevity and clarity, you won’t ever be rewarded with
insight into the granular level of things, since people will
tune you out long before you reach that point.
best practices of leadership communication:
Focus on the leave-behinds.
Being skilled in leadership communication goes beyond
having the ability to learn and gather information while
communicating. The best communicators are also adept at
transferring ideas, aligning expectations, inspiring action,
and disseminating their overall vision. When you approach
each interaction with a focus on contributing more than
receiving, you can consider yourself an effective
communicator.
best practices of leadership communication:
Keep an open mind.
The rigidity of a closed mind, especially in today’s climate, is
one of the greatest limiting factors of new opportunities that
exists. When a leader is willing to seek out those who hold
countering opinions, or who stand in opposing positions,
and seeks not to convince them to change their mind but
rather to understand their point of view on things, their
leadership is elevated to a whole new level. Hold open
dialogues with those you confront, challenge, and develop
you and your business perspectives. Keep in mind that it is
not the opinion that matters, but rather your willingness to
discuss, debate, and learn.
best practices of leadership communication:
Listen.
A long-standing cornerstone of great communication is the
ability to simply stop talking and listen. A strong leader has
an intuitive sense of when they need to dial it up, dial it
down, and dial it off altogether. Broadcasting your message
is important but doing so ad nauseum will produce much
fewer effective results as starting meaningful conversations
with others. The most worthwhile form of dialogue takes
place not in the form of a detached lecture or monologue,
but rather in an engaging conversation.
best practices of leadership communication:
Read between the lines.
Any strong leader needs to be able to look past the surfacelevel of things and understand what is not being said,
witnessed, or heard outright. It’s one of the most useful skills
needed to be able to paint a bigger picture of any kind of
situation, grounding itself in contextual and situational clues
that help you lead in a multifaceted way.
best practices of leadership communication:
Speak to groups as individuals.
A great leader is one who can tailor their communication in
such a way that their message still feels personalized,
regardless of the size of the audience. Knowing how to work
a room and establish credibility, trust, and rapport are the
key practices to holding successful interactions with
stakeholders.
The Cost of Poor Leadership Communication
One of the biggest barriers to having high-quality
conversations is a simple fear of sharing what you are really
thinking and feeling. Being genuine is intimidating, but the
intimidation should be coming from those insincere
conversations, because they cost the company much more
than many would expect.
According to a study done by The Economist Intelligence
Unit, the responses received from executives, managers,
and junior staff members alike highlighted several key areas
where communication breakdowns in the workplace have
major consequences for business as a whole:
The Cost of Poor Leadership Communication
• 52% of employees said that poor communication leads to higher
stress levels.
• 44% of employees reported poor communication causes failure in
completing their projects.
• 31% of employees said poor communication causes them to miss their
performance goals.
• 20% of employees in poorly communicative work environments said
that they experience obstacles in innovation.
• 18% of employees report that poor communication leads to an
increase in lost new sales opportunities.
Evidently, the cost of poor leadership communication is extremely high.
But, the right internal communications strategy, and the implementation of
the best leadership communications practices, can help leaders improve
their communication efforts and eliminate the biggest leadership
communication challenges being faced today. Communicating with the
modern employee can be tricky, but they are relying on you to lead them
and align them and their efforts with business objectives and success.
You can only do this when you recognize the importance of maintaining
an effective leadership communication strategy.
The End
Thank You
Questions & Answers