The Top 15 Leadership Communication Skills to Build Strong Teams
According to McKinsey’s The State of Organizations 2023 report, the workplace environment has become turbulent in recent years. Given this, the latest trends to help employees reach their potential include increased focus on their mental and emotional support, change management framework, and hybrid working policies. Therefore, as leaders face uncertainty and volatility, they must change their communication approach and style, inspire others, act as role models, and coach team members. All these activities can only be possible with effective leadership communication skills.
This blog discusses the following:
- What are the Essential Leadership Communication Skills for Managing Teams Effectively?
- Organizational Communication
- Business Communication
- Body Language
- Active Listening
- Nonverbal Communication
- Motivational Skills
- Empathy
- Emotional Intelligence
- Storytelling
- Persuasion
- Conflict Resolution
- Effective Feedback
- Self-Awareness
- Negotiation
- Brevity and Clarity
- How to Improve Leadership Communication Skills
- Manage Teams Effectively With Emeritus’ Leadership Courses
What are the Essential Leadership Communication Skills for Managing Teams Effectively?
Communication, particularly in the workplace, is a vast and varied concept. We look at the 15 most essential leadership communication skills to improve team management:
1. Organizational Communication
A crucial leadership skill, organizational communication refers to effective internal and external communication by an organization. It helps leaders convey the goals and objectives of the organization, and promotes a healthy work culture.
2. Business Communication
Organizational and business communication are often used interchangeably. However, business communication refers to both verbal and written communication such as writing clear-cut emails, preparing concise and actionable strategies and plans, and engaging in group discussions and formal meetings. It helps leaders with effective decision-making, promoting innovation and creativity among team members, and building solid relationships with various stakeholders.
3. Body Language
A leader with positive body language exudes confidence, charisma, and credibility. Moreover, it helps assert authority, enabling leaders to manage their teams effectively. Hence, leaders must learn body language skills that involve using correct hand and body gestures, facial expressions, maintaining eye contact and stance, and regulating voice tone as per the discussion.
4. Active Listening
Active listening is an underrated yet one of the most essential leadership communication skills because, as the saying goes, “Communication is a two-way process.” Leaders need to build a relationship of trust and loyalty with their team members. It happens when team members feel heard, secure, and valued. Hence, active listening is a critical component of effective communication.
5. Nonverbal Communication
According to Peter F. Drucker, the renowned management thinker and author, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Therefore, nonverbal communication by leaders, such as an encouraging nod or eye contact with team members, increases team engagement and helps build positive relationships.
6. Motivational Skills
Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation by Victor Vroom, a psychology and management professor at Yale University, explains that employee motivation is directly proportional to the rewards they will achieve as a result of their efforts and performance. Hence, motivational communication encourages team members to perform better and achieve organizational goals, making it one of the most crucial leadership communication skills.
7. Empathy
Modern leadership focuses on employees’ emotional and mental well-being at the workplace. Hence, empathy and compassion are the two most essential leadership communication skills leaders must possess. Empathetic communication helps them understand varying perspectives and emotions, promotes a culture of trust and open communication, and reduces the risk of burnout among team members.
ALSO READ: Managing Remote Teams Effectively: How Can Modern Leaders Succeed
8. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence empowers leaders to actively listen and understand the emotions of their team and change their communication style accordingly. Moreover, it helps them stay calm and control their words and gestures while communicating. Furthermore, emotional intelligence also helps leaders be assertive when needed.
9. Storytelling
The primary role of a leader is to inspire and motivate people through both verbal and nonverbal communication. The art of storytelling is crucial in fulfilling this role. It allows leaders to narrate compelling stories to engage with the team, convey important values and lessons, and build emotional connections. Needless to say, this makes storytelling one of those essential leadership communication skills.
10. Persuasion
Persuasiveness is an excellent tool for leaders to communicate their vision and goals, and inspire and influence teams. Moreover, it increases engagement and helps in effective decision-making. Persuasion also helps in communicating change and successfully implementing a change management framework within an organization.
11. Conflict Resolution
Team harmony and a positive work environment are vital for organizational success. However, team members can have disagreements, differences in opinions and priorities, and ego clashes that often lead to conflicts at work. Conflict resolution skills thus empower leaders to promote open and honest communication in the workplace. Moreover, it helps them to listen actively, and offer neutral advice and solutions to resolve conflicts.
12. Effective Feedback
Giving and receiving honest feedback is the foundation of a strong team, making it one of the most important leadership communication skills. It promotes a culture of trust and collaboration and encourages team members to perform at their best, thus boosting productivity. It involves offering constructive criticism, being specific, and even providing solutions and recommendations that require time to master.
13. Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is another crucial leadership communication skill. It is a powerful tool that helps leaders acknowledge and analyze their strengths, weaknesses, perspectives, and values. Thus, self-aware leaders can improve communication by tailoring their approach and style to their team’s response.
14. Negotiation
Effective negotiation is a form of communication that helps leaders arrive at mutual decisions with their team members. In fact, excellent negotiation skills enable leaders to resolve interpersonal conflicts, create a balance between the team members’ personal and organizational goals, and close discussions related to bonuses or salary increments.
15. Brevity and Clarity
Brevity and clarity are the two crucial leadership communication skills. Leaders must know how to articulate their thoughts and convey them in as few words as possible. Simply put, leaders should prioritize direct communication with their team members. This reduces ambiguity, repetition, and redundancy, allowing leaders to answer follow-up questions from their team members.
ALSO READ: Top 8 Most Needed Management Skills and How to Ace Them
How to Improve Leadership Communication Skills
Improving leadership communication skills requires consistent practice. Here are a few tips to to help leaders improve their skills:
- Practice active listening; this is the first step to improving communication. Try listening patiently and avoid interrupting or giving unsolicited advice
- Avoid using filler words while communicating such as “like”, “actually”, and “literally”. It helps one to communicate clearly
- Journaling is also an excellent exercise to seek clarity of thoughts, and this helps you to communicate better
- Also, practice communication techniques with your mentors and work on the feedback
ALSO READ: Top Leadership Styles and Skills You Need to Become a Future-Proof Leader
Manage Teams Effectively With Emeritus Leadership Courses
According to LinkedIn’s 2023 Workplace Learning Report, leadership is a top skill across several industries. Thus, acquiring leadership communication skills can benefit your career in more ways than one. Wondering where to start? Emeritus has got you covered. Its online leadership courses don’t just offer hands-on learning; they are taught by industry experts who bestow you with timely insights into effective leadership practices and various trends.
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