Leadership Competencies: 7 Tips for Effective Communication
Posted on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 @ 08:55 AM
Leaders succeed or crash and burn in part based on how well they communicate their vision to get others motivated and inspired to take action. Here are seven tips we often share with senior executives for communicating as effective leaders.
- Remember the fishbowl. Leadership and communication go hand-in-hand. Leaders are in a fishbowl; they're always "on". They're constantly being judged by others. As an executive in a leadership role, knowing who you are, what you want to communicate, and how to communicate with clarity and purpose with different audiences at different times is crucial to surviving and succeeding in the fishbowl.
- Communicate in small bites. Information moves fast and there's a lot of noise to overcome. We have adapted to communicating in small bites, whether listening, thinking, speaking, or writing. As a leader, you have an important story to tell and you must cut through the information deluge to reach people's hearts and minds. You've got to consider how to purposefully present your ideas and quickly establish the essence of your message to stimulate the attention of your audience.
- Preparation. Preparation. Preparation. We've all listened to speakers who seem to go on forever, and never get to the point. They sometimes think because they know their subject matter, they can "wing" it and people will get it. Nothing is further from the truth. When you take the time to prepare properly, you are better able to communicate confidently and clearly. Your ability to do this makes or breaks your credibility. Woodrow Wilson once said, "If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now." Try using the 10:1 rule - 10 minutes of personal preparation for one minute of presentation - and that's after your content has been developed.
- Distill your content. What is the purpose of your communication? What is it that you want to say? How much detail is really necessary? What is the main point that you want your audience to get? How will you confirm that they understood your meaning?
- Know your audience. Keep in mind as you prepare that different audiences have different expectations. It's helpful to reflect on these questions as you prepare: who is in the audience, and what are their expectations and attitudes? What is their level of understanding going in? Is the audience in multiple locations? How many people are in the audience? Is it a formal or informal setting? Will there be Q&A?
- Context is critical. Presenting via webinar to a global audience is radically different from talking face-to-face to a small group. Each requires a different communication strategy. For example, when preparing for the webinar, you should remember that your audience will be seeing slides and listening to your voice. They won't have a sense of your body language. Your voice alone will communicate how you feel about the information you're presenting. Is your voice communicating enthusiasm or boredom?
- Connect with your message. Preparing your content and knowing the context and audience are all important. But here's the most crucial question to ask yourself: Do you believe your message? Leaders who are effective communicators connect with the message and make it their own.
How do you communicate as a leader? Please let us know in the comments section below.
photo by Big Grey Mare (flickr.com)