Communication
and Leadership
Skills
Presentation by Simply Sorted Business
Consulting
Practice Manager
Network Meeting
"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do
and let them surprise you with their results." George Patton
Wednesday, 10th February 2016
Topics to be covered…..
 Secrets Of Motivation For Team Building
 Tapping Into The Talent And Energy Of Your Team
 Ways You Could Be Hurting Employee Morale
Without Knowing It
 Communications Skills
Secrets of Motivation for
Teambuilding
Positive, happy team members get along better than
uptight, unhappy employees.
This session will cover ways of keeping your team
motivated and working as powerfully and
productively as they can.
Secrets Of Motivation For
Teambuilding
Who believes that one of the essentials for
teambuilding is be having fun in the workplace?
This is one of the most important, but often overlooked
aspects in the workplace.
Happiness At Work Is A
Win Win
 Happy engaged people are healthier, more
productive; they have more ideas; are more likely
to contribute over and above the responsibilities of
their job and help out colleagues; are less likely to
leave; be off work sick and are more likely to get to
work on time.
 Having fun at work can help make the work easier
for everyone; forge positive relationships and
strengthen your team.
Is It Possible To Take Work And
Responsibilities TOO Seriously?
 When we are enjoying ourselves, a higher level of
positive power flows through us than when we feel
drained, overtaxed or burdened, enabling us to
succeed as a more effective team.
 To stay motivated and work as powerfully and
productively as we can, we need to be happy
enough to feel, do, think and even look our best.
 As a supervisor, manager or leader, we can
influence how happy our teams feel. This isn't only a
good thing to do - it can help to boost
performance, productivity and retention. So why
not think what you can do?
There Is Room For Fun In Any Work
Environment….
Schedule fun activities when you can.
These can be simple and inexpensive activities such as: ‘Boss’s shout for lunch (pizza/subway etc);
 Drinks after work;
 Get involved in community projects eg “Walk For Life’;
 Celebrate birthdays;
 Social Club.
All of the above activities allows for casual conversation in
a comfortable environment and allows team members to
get to know each other outside of their work.
So….Why Not Do It?!
 As a Supervisor, Manager or Leader, you can and
will have an influence on how happy those you
lead feel. This doesn’t mean you should be
constantly laughing or joking or can’t be serious.
There is a lot more to happiness at work than that.
Nor does it mean not delivering tough messages, if
and when these are necessary.
 If you want to create and grow a successful
company, you need happy, productive employees.
So, what's the secret to keeping your employees
content? The key is to maintain a great work
environment.
So…How Do You Maintain A Great
Work Environment?
Here are some practical and inexpensive ways that
you can start doing today: Let go of toxic employees;
 Keep the office clean, comfortable and well
decorated;
 Have a Suggestion Board;
 Eat together;
 Hold fun activities during the work week;
 Have ‘face time’ with employees;
Improve Your Practice’s Work
Environment…
 Be transparent;
 Train employees properly;
 Give feedback;
 Be open to feedback too;
 Say thank you.
Many of us spend a large proportion of our lives at
work, so if happiness is good for people and for your
practice and you are in a position to make a
difference, isn’t it a good thing to try to do?
Tapping Into The Energy
And Talent Of Your Team
"A superior leader is a person who can bring ordinary
people together to achieve extraordinary results.“
In this session, we cover how to bring out the best in
your people; Build your team’s spirit and Critical
Priorities To Achieve Great Results From Your Team.
Bring Out The Best In Your People….
 Bringing out the best in your people is essential to
effective leadership and how your employees
prefer working with you than any other employer.
 Beyond this, your employees generate, create and
produce their best results as their way of saying
“thanks”.
 An effective leader recognizes the importance of
embracing differences in people and knows how to
connect the dots amongst those differences to get
the best outcomes from the team.
How To Build Your Team’s Spirit….
Here are some common influencers of a person’s spirit
at work: Sense of personal value: How we feel about
ourselves, as well as how we believe others feel
about us, energises or drains our spirit;
 Relationships: When we trust and respect the
people we work with, we are more likely to be
energised and engaged;
 Enjoyment: Having fun at work isn’t only okay. It’s
necessary for people to thrive. When people enjoy
what they do, they are more likely to invest energy
and strive to succeed.
Critical Priorities To Achieve Great
Results From Your Team
 Lead By Example: Be optimistic and invest energy into
your own role;
 Earn Trust and Respect: Before expecting to influence
the way people choose to behave, build a strong
relationship with them;
 Show Accountability And Empowerment: Establish clear
expectations of the role you need each person on your
team to play and empower them to do it;
 Conduct Milestone Checks Along The Way: Provide the
opportunity for your team to stop and reflect on how
they are going and what they have achieved so far.
Critical Priorities To Achieve Great
Results From Your Team…cont’d
 Listen: There is no better way to empower another
person than to listen carefully and fully to their
words. By taking the time to set aside your own
thoughts and agenda, you tell that person, “You
are very important to me.”
 One other reason why listening works so well: very
few people do it anymore;
And finally, the most important one of all: Celebrate Wins: Show your staff how much you
value their contribution to the team and business.
Could You Be Hurting
Team Morale?
Morale is essential for employee retention, good
productivity and a healthy work environment.
If you feel like your workplace lacks any of these
aspects, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate how you
handle your employees.
Leading – and living – by example isn't as hard as it
might sound. It's really the easiest path. If your team
knows that you'll also do whatever you expect from
them, they'll likely work hard to help you achieve your
goal.
Ways You Could Be Hurting Employee
Morale Without Even Knowing It…






Inconsistency;
Putting Up With Negative Attitudes;
Showing Biases;
Not Being Simple And Clear;
Not Inspiring – Intimidating;
Not Spreading credit fairly.
Communication Skills
"The art of communication is the language of
leadership.“ - James Humes
In this final session, we cover what is effective
communication? Communication is more than just
words and some great communication tips.
What Is Effective Communication?
Research shows that leaders spend more than 75% of
their time communicating and extraordinary leaders
have developed unique communication skills as part
of their personal leadership skills.
The best communicators are great listeners and astute
in their observations. Great communicators are skilled
at reading a person/group by sensing their moods,
dynamics, attitudes, values and concerns of those
being communicated with.
Communication Is More Than Just
Words….
Effective communication is a combination of skills
including:




Non-Verbal Communication;
Setting Aside Judgment;
Paraphrasing;
The Ability To Communicate Assertively;
Active Listening.
Communication Tips….
No one ever became a great leader without first
becoming a great communicator.
Great leaders connect with people on an emotional
level every time they speak. Their words inspire others
to achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Great communicators are intentional about it. Here
are some useful tips on how to deliver a powerful
message.
Communication Tips….cont’d
Put these secrets to work in your communication and
watch your influence soar: Be Honest: For communication to be effective, it
has to be real. When great communicators can’t
share certain information, they come right out and
say it, because half-truth answers breed distrust and
anxiety. In good times and bad, honesty builds
trust.
Communication Tips….cont’d
 Be Authentic: Don’t try to be someone you’re not
just because you’ve stepped into a leadership
position. Know that when you stay true to who you
are, people gravitate to your message. The
opposite happens when you put on an act.
 Speak With Authority: Don’t try to cover your back
by being ambiguous, wishy-washy, or unassertive.
Instead, speak very directly about how things are
and how they need to be.
 Speak To Groups As Individuals: If you’re speaking
to your staff as a group, make every single person
feel as if he or she is being spoken to directly.
Communication Tips….cont’d
 Have Ears (And Use Them): Communication is a
two-way street. Often what you hear is more
important than what they say. Listen actively, fully
focused on understanding the other person’s
perspective.
 Solicit Feedback: Never assume that the message
people heard is the exact same one they intended
to deliver. Check in to verify that their message was
understood correctly, and if it wasn’t, change things
and try again.
Communication Tips….cont’d
 Be Proactive: Don’t waste time playing catch-up.
Be quick to head off the rumour mill by sharing bad
news in a timely manner.
 Give Clear Concise Goals and Directions: Don’t
waste time heading in the wrong direction.
Bringing It All Together….
Great communicators stand out from the crowd.
They’re authentic. They listen. The excel in
communication because they value it and that’s the
first critical step to becoming a great leader and
communicator.
Thank You!