Communication is the foundation for all business relationships, it’s in everything we do. As a leader communication can mean the difference between leading our teams and organizations to great success or failing miserably. We have to be able to effectively communicate so many things as a leader, we have to be able to communicate our vision for the team, we have to be able to gain buy in and ensure that everyone is headed in the right direction and we have to be able to provide feedback to provide feedback to keep the team on track. Communication and cooperation is a good way to promote mutual understanding — much of your success as a leader is dependent on what others do for and with you, so making sure that the communication lines are open and that you’re each cooperating in a stable work environment will ensure your success as well as the success of others.
While communication is a crucial skill for leaders, it’s one that can be difficult to master because it’s not just you in the equation. To effectively communicate you first have to understand that the person you are communicating with has a reality that is likely different from yours. Each and every person has a context window through which they perceive all incoming information. That context window is formed throughout one’s life experience and is comprised of their beliefs, attitudes, opinions and truths. If a person receives any type of communication that doesn’t match these criteria, it can be rejected and lead to miscommunication. It can happen with even the simplest of tasks. For example, when I teach leaders about communication I have them do an exercise where one person has to instruct a group how to draw a geometric pattern using only words. Seems easy enough, right? It’s not! Inevitably the groups drawings always look very different than the original the leader is working off of and it’s all because of miscommunication.
Miscommunication can lead to huge issues for leaders, teams and organizations. Studies show that miscommunication can cost an organization between 25 to 40% of its annual budget. It also costs us time, up to 14% of each work week. Think about all the issues poor communication can cause in your world. I’ve personally seen miscommunication cause decreased productivity, low morale on teams, major mistakes (which cost money and time), poor customer service, dysfunctional teams and more. While some miscommunication is likely unavoidable, there are ways you can improve your communication to minimize it.
Today I am sharing five tips for increasing your communication effectiveness.
- Become a better listener. I’ve talked about the importance of listening on a previous blog (click here to check it out), but it’s so important that it bears mentioning again. Listening is the key to becoming a better communicator. The better you are at listening and understanding those around you the more likely you will be able to avoid the issues of miscommunication.
- Make sure you are clear. In order to be clear you have to understand the purpose and meaning of what you are trying to communicate. If you don’t have an understanding what you are trying to communicate chances are the other person won’t either. You should also minimize the number of ideas you are trying to communicate at one time and use words that are familiar to the other person. The simpler the message, the less chance it will get misconstrued.
- Don’t be a mind reader. Try to avoid guessing what you think the other person is going to say, or worse, preparing your response before you’ve heard them out. Encourage the person to talk further, and clarify their message, by asking them questions that require more than a one-word response. Asking open-ended questions allow the other person an opportunity to fill in all the details and make their communication more complete.
- Set clear expectations. As a leader it’s crucial that you set expectations for your team and ensure that they understand them. It’s not enough to just give instructions and walk away. Discuss expectations with your team and make sure they understand them. Checking for understanding before you send them off to accomplish the task can save you valuable time and resources.
- Learn to read non-verbal cues. We don’t just use words to communicate, in fact, 93% of communication (55% body language and 38% tone of voice) is non-verbal! Every time you have a conversation there are tons of non-verbal cues, things like facial expressions, body positioning and tone of voice, that can help you determine if the other person is receiving your message correctly. Learn to pay attention to these clues and not just take words at face value.
To be a really effective leader you have to get better at communicating. In order to be more effective at communicating, you have to realize that there are as many realities as there are people involved in the communication. Be sensitive to clues given that the indicate your message may not be received in the way you intended. Using the tips above can help you step up your communication and help you avoid costly mistakes stemming from miscommunication.
