Communication: A Verbal Path to Effective Leadership
A large part of being an effective leader is communication. Whether in a public speaking environment, a one-on-one conversation with a team member or while delegating workloads, it is critical that all aspects of a leader’s communication be on point. There are several communication strategies that a leader should employ that will help him/her be a strong, respected leader and in turn appreciated - maybe even loved by his/her team. This type of leadership will lead to a cooperative, collaborative and most importantly, a successful work environment. When communication from a leader is broken, much like the game “telephone”, the entire team’s communication becomes broken. Signals are crossed and the wrong messages are sent. The eventual effect on the team, and overall organization, can easily and quickly become negative and even unhappy. While many organizations have embraced the need for good communication strategies, and believe in the difference it makes, implementing those strategies can be a challenge. The following essay discusses two main issues about communication and leadership: Effective Leadership Communication Strategies in today’s workplace and the Barriers That Effective Leaders Must Avoid in order to lead effectively and build a productive work environment in spite of the many changes occurring in today’s world.
Effective Leadership Communication Strategies
There are some very key communication strategies that leaders of every organized group or team need to know and apply. They are somewhat simple and yet can make a powerful impact on a team as a whole and on the individuals of that team.

Know your audience
The first of these is to know your audience. Leaders with effective communication skills know and have a clear understanding of who is receiving the message. It is the responsibility of a leader to know what the team’s strengths and weaknesses are (Buckingham, 2007) and to have a clear understanding of how best to communicate to that team. A leader’s language and methods of communication must be relevant to the receivers so they can engage their team. This can be done verbally, via email or even by written notes (depending on the topic).
Emails and letters are often used for more official content that requires documentation, ability to reference or file and will be used to for a more professional audience or purpose. They will require and generate appropriate or external feedback. As an example, ICMA-RC, my current employer, as a financial services organization, is required to save, date and record certain communications. This includes internal transactional or client servicing communication, for audit, recordkeeping and to meet regulatory standards. Such requirements dictate we always communicate business requirements or project details more formally. Our content should be detailed, direct, specific and in a language that is clear to the audience and those who would review or audit the details. This will ensure that the correct message has been communicated, and can be easily referred to when necessary.
Internal communications can be less official. Workload delegation, team meetings, informal project related discussions, or brain storming sessions can be done verbally or via email, depending on the receiver/situation. These communications tend to be with those we interact with on a daily basis and usually have a more personable relationship with, so more informal communication methods are permitted. Later in the essay, I will speak to some best practices with regard to these types of verbal discussions and how to ensure they are not misunderstood.
Besides the two examples of workplace communication already provided, I have found it helpful to use even less formal communication at times. For example, leaving a small handwritten note or a text for team members when acknowledging a job well done. These two methods can also be dependent on the receiver. In my experience, team members who are older (i.e. Baby Boomers or Generation X) have an appreciation for the written note, as it is viewed more personal. Younger team members are content with a quick text – for them, this is just a personal, and even “cooler” than a written note. A simple “you rock” is a great acknowledgement to this generation. While earlier generations prefer to hear how their work and commitment made a difference for the project, team and organization. This is another example of how knowing your audience and the impact of language or method of your communication can produce the best outcomes.
Listening
Another key strategy is a leader’s ability to listen to his team. It is critical that leaders understand communication is not just talking, but listening. That one cannot have effective communication without the listening side of a discussion. Your team was hired for their expertise and knowledge and it is important to that you know and show respect for that. Each team members should and must be heard on a professional and even a personal level – as a team and as individuals. It is key that leaders hear what their team members say before making decisions or determinations. Buckingham (2007) explains that as a manager, “It is your chief role to listen to what your employee is saying, affirm what you hear her say, and offer ideas for actions that can be taken”. Listening perpetuates positive return discussion and will then become successful and productive communication. Some leaders make the big mistake of jumping in before a team member has finished talking. This can discourage or deflate the team member (or the team as a whole) and even cause the team or leader to miss out on important information critical to the success of the project. This would be ineffective communication. This was the case for a team I managed some time ago. As an incoming manager, I was surprised to see the level of discord on the team. During meetings everyone had something to say but no one was listening. The team was struggling, projects were not being completed on time, and the end products were substandard or failing. In order to help facilitate good communication I asked the team to place a small green flag in front of them when speaking and only that person was permitted to speak. If anyone thought of something to say in response, or add, they would take one of the three yellow flags (numbered 1, 2, and 3). This was your way of showing you had something to say, but could still respect the person speaking by not interrupting. It may seem almost elementary, but it was a huge success. After a few meetings we were able to discuss projects and problems without interruptions. Meetings were shorter, more effective and extremely productive.
Using electronic communications effectively
As mentioned previously, there are various types of communication in the workplace.
In today’s world, much of that communication is electronic. Email, text, Cisco Jabber, and other tools that facilitate discussions outside a face-to-face discussion have become the norm. Remote workers have become more and more common. Because so much of our communication today is transmitted remotely, there is added risk that messages may not be received in the same way they were meant. For this reason it is a recommended best practice to ask for confirmation of the receivers understanding. This can ensure all team members and managers are on the same page. On the reverse side, when communication is received verbally, there should also be confirmation that the message is received correctly and clearly. To do this, it is helpful to verify such discussions via a written confirming email or meeting minutes. It is important that everyone understand the message or instruction precisely and in a way that it was intended. An effective leader is responsible for both sides of the communication, ensuring he has clearly express the information and that understood by each team member.
Get to the point
Lastly, it is important leaders effectively can always get to the point while communicating very important information. To avoid confusion, Robbins, De Cenzo & Coulter (2015) cautions leaders to avoid “filtering” (p. 369), “information overload” (p. 370) and “jargon” (p. 370). We must remember that “beating around the bush” can cause your message to get lost in that bush. Your receivers can become disengaged, and worst, may not hear the message you intended to send, good or bad. It is important to make sure you communicate a clear, honest, concise and uncluttered message and express it correctly. It can be helpful to listen to yourself tell the message, especially if it is a sensitive topic, before you communicate to others. This can help ensure clarity, understanding and even empathy (when applicable). These are all parts of communicating the right message effectively.
Barriers to Effective Communication Leaders Should Overcome
There are several barriers to effective communication in an organization that an effective leader should overcome. You will find that many of these have direct correlation to some of the recommended strategies discussed earlier. As leaders, we must consider some of the primary influences that impact communication: Language, culture, and emotion. We must also understand how neglecting these influences can negatively impact our leadership efforts.
Language
What language (i.e. words, tones, references) we use can make all the difference in how it is understood and what the end-result will be. It is common for different industries or organizations to become caught up in using unfamiliar terms or “jargon” (Robbins et al., 2015). This is language or vocabulary that may not be completely understood by your audience. Use of jargon can cost the leader a great deal of confusion, especially when delegating work or providing instructions. As leaders, we must be certain that the language we use is clear and understandable by our audience.
Culture Differences
In addition, leaders should understand the cultural differences that exists among his team (Robbins et al., 2015). In step with knowing your audience, the inability to understand and communicate within cultural variances can have a negative impact a project or a team’s success. As leaders we need to understand our team members and find effective ways to engage and communicate with employees of varying backgrounds and cultures. As an example, I come from a family and culture that is very blunt and even somewhat “in your face”. As a manager, I must always remember that not all of my employees are accustomed to this type of communication. What to me may be a simple honest discussion could come across very hurtful, harsh or rough to another. I must consider that persons background, culture and even personality type when communicating with that person.
Emotions
Finally, a leader must also remember that his team is made of individual emotional beings. It is important in communication to consider the persons emotions, and show empathy. An effective leader has Emotional Intelligence and can use it to effectively communicate with their teams (Robbins et al., 2015). Empathy allows a leader to build faith and confidence from his team. It allows the team to feel secure in their leader and gives them the confident to open up. In turn further perpetuating the open communication the leader is working towards.
Conclusion
Effective communication places a leader in the position to be successful, respected and admired by his/her team. It will result in the effective operation and success of a business or any organized group. In this essay, we have discussed some key communication strategies which are associated with effective leadership. They include; knowing your audience, listening, ensuring clarity and understanding, and empathy. As leaders, we must work towards strengthening these communication strategies daily. They are not easy, and it cannot be denied that we each have our weaknesses and strengths, but it is critical that we build upon these communication strategies in order to better serve those teams and organizations we lead. It is the responsibility of our roles as leaders to ensure we communicate and in turn, build teams that can communicate freely and effectively. When this happens, the team is able to meet its highest potential and work together to full production and collaboration. Then and only then will we become the effective, respected, and loved leader we all strive to be.

References
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