It can be easy to neglect communication with your employees, especially with all your pressing tasks and many things demanding your attention. But modeling good communication skills in day-to-day interactions with your team members is a great way to instill healthy communication techniques in your employees.
By showing your team how to communicate by your example, you can instill skills that will be necessary for a strong, cohesive, successful team.
Here are five ways leadership can better model communication skills in your organization.
1. Listen to Learn
Instead of listening to talk, listen to learn. Learn and understand what your colleagues and team members are saying. Listen to learn where they’re coming from. Listen to learn how they got to where they are. Listen to them because by listening, you’re communicating that you value them.
You may have an employee who responds curtly or withdraws (with fire in their eyes) when conversations get uncomfortable. But what’s behind those responses? Employees who show negatively aggressive behavior may be reacting to a shortfall in corporate culture.
They may feel that to survive and thrive, that’s the way they have to act. You may never know that is the case if you don’t take the time to listen.
Sometimes the most powerful moments are when a person feels that another human values who they are. And it’s easy to repeat.
As a result, you may see a fresh wind of discretionary energy — in their work, their presence in the workplace, and even their personal life. Beyond that, you may see the art of valuing one another replicated through your team.
2. Straight Talk
It’s happened to all of us: the feedback sandwich. We hear a compliment and feel that heartwarming sensation, realizing that someone appreciates what we’ve done.
But then it happens.
Their tone changes, and the compliment-giver moves into a deeper, more serious tone. They are critiquing you with facial expressions reminiscent of your high school teacher asking you to spit out your gum.
After that uncomfortable moment, they return to another compliment, and all is made right.
Or is it? Not always.
It’s easy to sense when someone builds you up to break some negative news moments later. Instead, begin by saying you care about the person, and because you care, you want to learn more about a behavior you witnessed or learn why you continue to see a pattern of lateness or other issues.
By weaving in these moments of straight talk, you’re displaying what is expected and what is safe to do for your team. By putting words to things and moments that matter, you’re telling your team what conversations are safe to have.
3. Communicate Your Plan to Communicate
Rarely do we know it all, but as leaders, we are answering the questions or guiding the direction. If you are a middle manager, upper management will likely give you instructions as you’re casting vision for those you lead.
Your week may consist of back-to-back meetings, or you may require many hours of focus on building out a future project. But in the middle of all this, you get pinged with emails or messages.
So, what comes first? Responding to the needs of your team or finishing your focus work? Better than deciding what is more important (because both may be crucial), set expectations with your team.
If you’re in the middle of a busy day and you receive a question you don’t yet know the answer to, respond with that. Let them know you don’t have the answer, but you’ll find it. Rather than mysteriously leaving the question open and unanswered, you’ve set expectations that you’ll meet their need with the right information later.
Even though you don’t have the answer, you’ve let them know they’re heard, and you’re planning to give them an answer. As Bruce Tulgan mentions in this article on building trust in remote teams, “Embracing a true service mindset does wonders for building your reputation and influence in the workplace.”
To help your remote team communicate better, consider incorporating team-building activities like team trivia, bingo, or Scattergories!
Your employees’ trust and respect for you will grow as you serve and meet their needs. Because sometimes it’s not the actual answer that’s most important, it’s their need to be seen and heard.
4. Empowerment Magic
Close your eyes and reflect back on a moment when someone believed in you. Maybe it was a coach, a parent, or a teacher.
How did you feel at that moment? Excited, confident, full of momentum?
When you empower and equip your team members to be not only that, but also leaders in what they’re part of, you create a culture of contribution. Comradery. Inclusion.
As this article states, “Back off from constantly reminding them of their jobs and encourage them to manage themselves.”
Encourage your team to think for themselves and to believe in what they’re capable of.
So how do you allow the magic of empowerment to spur on your team? Here are a few ideas:
- When they ask you how to complete a task, instead of answering directly, ask them a question to spur their thinking.
- When your opinion is sought after for an important matter, discern if this is the time to answer or say, “I have an idea, but I’d first like to hear what your thoughts are.” This encourages independent thinking.
- Praise your employees for their unique contributions and energy poured into a project. Let them know you see their intentions and heart and that you value that.
5. Confident Cues
Body language can be a clear mirror into our minds. When we find ourselves in a conference room with two employees who are at odds, it’s natural to lean forward, try to come up with quick solutions, or side with one person or the other.
By starting with helpful body language, you can begin diffusing a situation and build confidence in your teams. Nod your head in a slower, more friendly way. And more than that, change your mindset to that of, “I am glad to hear what this person has to say. I appreciate what they are contributing.”
By changing the way you’re inwardly approaching the conversation, your outward response will be one of more warm, guards-down approachability.
