Boss Lady

How communication will make you a more effective leader

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Have you ever found yourself in a meeting and your mind wanders to another world?  It wouldn’t be surprising if you said yes. The pace and demands of life and work continue to increase and the competition for your attention is fierce. This challenges your ability to stay present in a situation and influence favorable outcomes.

A key component to any roadmap to success is good communication. According to dictionary.com, the definition of communication is “the imparting or exchanging of information or news.” This action requires you to verbally and non-verbally receive information as well as give it. It also depends upon your full attention and conscientious listening.  However, all too often it is not given. Realistically, no one is doing it anymore.  This means people aren’t listening or paying attention to you either.

The situation becomes more complicated when you understand people inherently believe they are good listeners because they spend the majority of their day communicating. Yet, their brains can only process a tiny amount of what they hear and less than 2% of people have the skills a formual education in communcation provides. The true circumstances depict a deficit in communication skills for many people.

This is may be why “95% of buyers state that the typical salesperson talks too much, and 74% of buyers said they were much more likely to buy if that salesperson would simply listen to them”, according to webstrategies.

These statistics are not exclusive to the sales professional. Many people experience this in all types of exchanges, conversations, and discussions. It is important you are aware of these statistics and understand people want others to listen to them. There are also other things a good leader can do change this scenario. 

Tips for improving communication skills

  • One of the easiest ways can be to become better at communicating by increasing your attention span. You can do this by meditating every day for a few minutes or you can play games. Yes, games are a great way to actively engage in the present moment and practice paying attention to just one thing.
  • Another way to enhance your skills can be to listen to interview-based podcasts or talk radio. They will limit your ability to engage in the conversation and will help you to listen to others for the sake of listening rather than to listen solely to reply to what they have said. Also, pay attention to how the broadcasters are asking questions and limiting interruptions.  Then, apply what you are learning to your future interactions by asking good questions because you want to hear the answer.
  • Good communication includes paying attention to body language. You can keep eye contact with the speaker or the other people in the conversation to reduce the chances of your thoughts wandering. You can watch how people are standing, sitting, or using hand gestures and try to figure out what their body language is telling you. You can then assess your body language and gauge what it is saying to others.

These are many ways you can improve your communication skills and these are few tips you can apply to your interactions with ease.  A little effort on your part to become a better communicator will allow you to become a more effective leader. You will be able to influence others more when you can competently receive and give information.  Your relationships will be stronger, your stress will be lower and you can eliminate communication issues during your day.

Mastering communication is nearly impossible but learning about communication and practicing to improve your communication will create more opportunities and bring you more success. It is worth your time and effort.

About Virginia Phillips

Virginia Phillips is an award-winning entrepreneurial coach, a certified Life Coach, and a communication and leadership expert. She is the founder of The Academy of Entrepreneurial Excellence, a part-owner of Molder Rubber and Plastics Corp, an inspirational speaker, and a survivor. She is also the author of Yes, You Can! Your Roadmap to Dream, Create, and Profit. Website: www.aoeenow.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/dreamtoprofit

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