I am often asked what about the most important leadership skill. People want to know the one thing they need to know to be a successful leader. This is about the time that I burst their bubble about leadership.
I tell them that there is no one thing that makes you a great leader. There are quite a few things that we need to be able to do and likely we will not be able to be amazing at all of them.
One area that we can work on to increase our leadership capacity is learning how to communicate effectively. That is right communication is a key component to leadership. We can be brilliant at a specific topic, but if we can communicate it in a way that everyone understands it then we are really not that smart. The best leaders can take a complex topic and communicate it in a way that a middle school student can understand it. That is the sign of a great leader and intelligence.
The first thing we can do is not use very complex vocabulary (words) to break down a topic. We don’t need to use $100 words when a 50-cent word will work just fine. Far too often leaders use these large words that confuses others. This makes them think they are more powerful because they use these large words, but if people don’t understand, how are they going to move forward? People need to understand more than we need to see ourselves as brilliant.
The other thing we can do is tell stories. Ever sit around a camp fire and listen to stories? We love them. Sitting hearing someone older tell stories about something and the lesson that was learned is how we as a culture have learned since the beginning of time. Learning how to communicate and tell stories to help others understand the topic is how we relate to others. Similar experiences that people have in a story will actually build influence and trust. Learn how to tell stories and you will be able to bring the audience in and teach them. A great resource of doing this is Storyworth by Mathew Dicks. It is a great resource to learning how to tell stories.
Body language is also key in communicating. That’s right body language. 90% of all communication is nonverbal. That means our posture, facial expressions, and how we move communicate more than the words that come out of our mouths. Far too often leaders stand behind a podium that creates a barrier between them and the audience.
We need that energy if we are going to make points land so get out from behind a podium. Take an improv class to learn how to make a point land. Performers know how to make a point land and how to create climactic moments with their body movements and vocal tones. Being able to help people understand the point and the excitement at the correct time is key.
There are degrees on communication because it is such a complex topic. We don’t have to major in communication to be able to communicate well, but if we use some of the tips above we can greatly impact our ability to communicate effectively with those around us making us better leaders.
I hope this read has helped you and if you want to learn more about communication in leadership check out my youtubechannel for some videos on leadership and communication.
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