Lead the Way with Effective Communication
Communication skills are integral to all areas of our lives. We communicate with others daily, whether it be at the counter when you are paying for your shopping, over the phone when you are ordering a takeaway or greeting someone in the street as you walk the dog. However, not everyone is good at it, and that’s the difference. Having effective communication skills is vital in being able to work well with colleagues and is an important factor in most job roles.
According to recent research, Communication Skills are one of the most sought-after soft skills that employers look for in their employees. Other soft skills include analytical skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, positive attitude and teamwork.
We talk about having effective communication skills in the workplace, but in practice what does that mean?
Why is it that so much emphasis is placed on effective communication?
Good communication is the key to other successes in business, and in leadership roles, this is especially important. Effective communication allows your colleagues to be informed, understand what is happening in the business, be aware of any expectations, projects or tasks that they are required to complete and so on. When communication breaks down, employees are left feeling unsure, undervalued, with low morale, a lack of focus and an unclear purpose, which is where problems can start to occur.
Effective communication doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does have to exist if you want to get along with your colleagues and thrive as a successful leader. It may not come naturally to us all, but there are things we can learn and integrate into the way we communicate, being more aware of how we are coming across to others. Here is a great starting point – in their book, Effective Public Relations, Professor Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Center suggest the 7C’s of Effective Communication
- Clear
When communicating it is important to firstly make sure that it is clear who you are talking to, and
that what you are saying makes sense and is easy to understand.
- Concise
Make sure that what you are saying is to the point.
- Correct
Make sure that what you are saying is factual and correct.
- Complete
There is little point in sharing incomplete information, as it leaves space for confusion.
- Courteous
This should be a given, but unfortunately, not all people speak respectfully to their colleagues. If you
are polite, you will get a better response.
- Concrete
Ensure that the information you are sharing is based on fact and not presumptions.
- Coherent
Ensure your message is well structured as well as being delivered in the right tone.
Practicing effective communication with your colleagues will deliver a more focused, enthusiastic and
engaged team. Little steps towards better communication can be taken. Sometimes it is easy to get
caught up in your workload, and let these skills slide, but overall, if you can be aware of your
communication style, learn from the feedback you are getting, non-verbal cues and actions, you will be
able to learn how to effectively communicate and achieve the objectives that you are striving .
At Learn Love Look Ahead, we offer a FREE Listening Skills course ‘Listening Up’, which offers a great
insight into one of the areas of effective communication.
Get in touch to find out more.
At Learn Love Look Ahead, we offer a FREE Listening Skills course ‘Listening Up’, which offers a great
insight into one of the skills that makes effective communication. Get in touch to find out more.
