One of the most important elements in establishing a strong working relationship is good communication. Essential at all organization levels, this tool is also seen as a crucial part of boosting morale, output, and productivity within the entire workplace. But for a company to do that, its managers should start the move towards practicing good communication with the staff.
Managers who exhibit poor communication skills can make the other staff members feel unmotivated or unappreciated. As a manager, it’s part of your job to regularly reach out to your team regarding work updates or changes. Curious how you can better improve this skill set and make yourself a more qualified manager? Below are a few steps that you should take.
1. Engage With Expert Programs
One of the best ways to improve your communication skills is to take advantage of professional training, workshops, and programs available. You can now find tons of companies and professional communicators out there that hold excellent keynote speaking training and workshops for leadership and employee development. The best part is, most of these programs are specifically designed for effective corporate communication to help minimize internal and external misunderstands, missed deadlines, and other workplace conflicts.
In particular, if you’re also keen on learning more about thought-provoking messages that extend to customer experience, consult a speaker who specializes in customer service. This allows leaders like enhance their relationships with customers and boost sales. Other types of speeches you can learn include leadership keynote and culture keynote. Many motivational speakers offer training programs and workshops for all these keynote speeches.
2. Try Over-Communication
This might sound like something you should do but hear us out. The reality is that in a busy workplace, staff members or even managers like yourself tend to get confused, distracted, and forgetful. In fact, even if an active listener does not necessarily have access to the same information. And when this happens, a person is more likely to fill in the blanks using their own reasoning.
As a leader and manager, it’s part of your job to instill company values or an agenda to ensure everyone is working towards the same direction. And sometimes, you need to do it repeatedly. If done right, over-communication can lead to various perks, such as minimizing surprises and distractions, preventing misunderstandings, reinforcing crucial images, and focusing on top priorities.
3. Learn the Proper Body Language
Every good communicator knows the importance of exhibiting the right body language. It should never contradict your verbal message in any way. For instance, a slouch sitting position isn’t recommended if you want to leave an active and interesting impression. Or, you might be nodding your head while saying no. These simple languages can promote conflicting messages that lower trust and engagement.
Physical presence is necessary for effective communication to be sure you do it right. Demonstrate openness by keeping your arms uncrossed, maintaining eye contact and upright posture, and not forgetting to smile at your teammates. Body languages include facial expressions, body movements, posture, body positions, and even the speed and tone of your voice.
4. Master Written Communication
Non-verbal communication should be left out of the scene. If you want to be a more qualified manager for your team, you’d also need to provide clarity in your written communication. Your written statements should always have a point, are clear, and makes total sense. Vague wording stalls can just cause circling confusion, but specific and clear writing requests can promote smooth workflow.
It’s a good habit to write how you speak to guarantee authenticity, especially if you’ll be sending the written project request to your actual team. If you speak in a concise and precise manner, write that way. Make sure to think like an editor before sending out your messages.
5. Make it a Habit
Lastly, experts suggest that practicing good communication as a habit can make it easier to actually develop the skill set. For instance, as a manager, make sure to always thanks or recognize the suggestions provided by your team member. This simple act can go a long way in making them feel like they matter and have made a difference.
A good habit is about having a cue, a routine, and a reward. Your cue would be your staff noticing g something that needs improvement, the routine is informing you, and the reward is either thanking them or giving them recognition. This kind of habit building does not only improve your skills as a manager but everyone in the team as well.
Developing your communication skills as a manager can come with tons of amazing perks for the entire company. You get to improve your team’s morale, deliver clear direction and purpose, reach higher productivity levels, and create a positive workplace culture. So if you think your communication skills are still not good enough, be sure to follow our tips here.