25 Communication Skills Every Manager Needs CareerMetis.com

25 Communication Skills Every Manager Needs Source â€" DepositPhotos.comThe aphorism “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” lays the foundation for effective communication. Needless to say that this is something managers should follow to supervise and manage their teams efficiently. Having excellent communication skills is the cornerstone of effective leadership.When you communicate openly and efficiently with your team, it helps to clear out misunderstandings and encourages a peaceful work environment. Efficient and seamless communication with your team will also enable you to get tasks done quickly and professionally.On that note, let’s shed some light on a number of ways managers should maintain communication with his team.1) Learn the basics of nonverbal communicationevalNonverbal communication is the most crucial for any accomplished manager to learn. This means that the majority of what you say is conveyed not so much in words, but rather through physical cues.To communicate confidently and clearly, you m ust maintain proper posture. Try not to slouch, or fold your arms or make yourself appear smaller than you are. Rather fill up the space you are given, consistently maintain eye contact and Business communicators should consider taking an extemporaneous style of speaking, like lawyers.5) Adopt modern resources to boost your communicationEmail and chat are great, up to a point. However, if going back and forth on the computer seems too complicated, you can consider bringing it face-to-face instead. It will probably simplify the task at hand, and prevent miscommunications, like perceived reluctance or sarcasm.6) You must exude seriousness and confidenceYou have to be confident and serious to ensure that your words are not taken for granted. If your team members notice a lack of seriousness or a hint of uncertainty, they are likely to treat the information you are conveying with disregard or disdain.7) Don’t shy away from repeatingOne rather usual communication mistake is what’s kn own as the “check-off-the-box” mentality. People perceive communication as a one-time thing. They say things like, “I already conveyed that” or “I sent out an e-mail”.evalSounds relatable, right? When you repeat the same message to the employees, they’re more likely to take note, believe it, and most importantly, act on it.8) Initiate dialogue and check for understandingEach time you communicate, there’s a scope to find out if your audience or employees get what you’re saying. You have to ensure the message is really heard and understood. Creating opportunities for dialogue and questions into your communication helps you measure in real-time how well employees receive your messages.9) Be concise with what you conveyConcise communication always helps to win over your employees. It works even in the technological context. As screens turn smaller, it’s important that we say more in fewer words. So, master the ability to stay focused to communicate the information ac ross different mediums.10) Seek honest feedbackGetting honest feedback from peers and members of your team is vital to becoming a better communicator. If you frequently solicit feedback, others will assist you in discovering areas that need improvement which you might have otherwise overlooked.11) Set the contextEvery employee comes into the workplace with his or her own context, a mixture of culture, memories, upbringing, and experiences. Part of the role of a manager is to create a shared vision for the entire team. Make sure employees understand the big picture and how they fit in.Constantly communicate the “why” behind the business plan: why the plan is important, the role your team plays and the critical role individual employees play”, suggests Nick Mason, an assignment help expert.12)Take note of the other person’s style of communicationMaybe some members of your team rarely use Slack, while others prefer responding to emails instantly. How do your teammates and emplo yees communicate on projects best? Do they prefer Slack, email, or chats? You can always ask them about their preferences.13)Carry out monthly or weekly one-on-one sessionsSometimes, all it takes to maintain seamless communication is setting a proper time to do so. Your employees might want to share their recent concerns, challenges, or even triumphs. By conducting a one-on-one interaction, you’ll know more about what’s going on in the office and also have a clear idea of how to alleviate the issues.14)Explain clearly why you’re asking your employees to do somethingThis one might sound silly, but at times, you need to explain why you need the employees to carry out a task. Without being condescending, you can share the importance of a task you assigned and frame it in an informative and positive way. By doing so, you’re providing vital information and the scope to ask questions they may have hesitated to convey otherwise.15)Make people’s role in a project clear from the be ginningevalCommunication in the workplace is ineffective when people don’t understand their roles. This is related to maintaining the transparency of the workflow. So, you need to determine the key stakeholders in the project. Let employees know from the start who gives the approval, and what channels the project needs to go through for completion.16)Never make assumptions in hasteOne of the most common hindrances to quality communication in the workplace is missed signals and quick assumptions. If your employee is falling short in an area, don’t quickly assume that they don’t have the ability to perform the task. Rather you should present a non-confrontational setting to delve into where the problems lie.17)Maintain a receptive workplace atmosphereTo communicate effectively with your team, you must maintain a receptive workplace environment. Always ensure that the environment isn’t too tense. When you communicate in an overly intense way, the message you are trying to conve y might not be retained or well understood.18)Simple words are always more impactfulThe fact is you can’t expect everybody to be on the same page when it comes to vocabulary. Hence, to appropriately communicate with your team members, use words that are simple to understand. When ambiguous words or phrases are used, your message can be misunderstood and/, or you’ll have to waste your precious time by explaining yourself.19)Consider recording crucial presentations for posterityIt can take a great deal of time and energy to maintain communication effectively. In cases where you may have to deliver the same presentation on multiple occasions, consider recording it and sharing it in the future.evalThere are many platforms, which allow speakers to record themselves delivering a presentation. In fact, you can also edit the video to make it more engaging and helpful.20) Maintain consistency with your follow-upsIt’s not easy to regularly monitor when work gets hectic, but it’s one o f the most pertinent ways to establish smooth workplace communication. One of the most harrowing experiences as an employee is finishing a project and then finding out your manager wanted something completely different. Prevent that by being open to questions from the beginning.21) Being humorous helps communicate betterUsing friendly jokes when interacting with your team members will allow you to pass your message in a relaxed way. This form of communication has been proven incredibly beneficial in case of tense situations. However, try not to overdo it.22)The right tone of voice mattersOne word may convey a different meaning when said in a different tone. So, you have to ensure that you use the appropriate tone of voice to convey your particular message to your team. This way, you won’t be misunderstood, or discouraged and demotivated by members of your team.23) Listen carefullyCommunication isn’t only about getting your own message across. It’s a two-way street. If you’re not paying heed to what the other individual is saying, it becomes difficult to end up on the same page.Ask questions to provide clarification, and extend your full attention to the conversation. Also, you must avoid thinking of fitting response before the other individual is done talking.24) Ensure that internal knowledge and documents readily availableNew employees can have a hard time learning the ropes of an organization and how it truly operates. Since most businesses work from a particular set of internal knowledge, there’s already a built-in training program at your disposal.Making internal knowledge readily accessible via documentation is another excellent way to keep effective communication flowing.25)Be thoughtful while offering complimentsIf you convey to an employee that they have done a great job, the compliment won’t be effective as you think. In fact, they may end up thinking, “But what was great about the task? How will I do it again if I don’t know?” So y ou need to be specific with your compliments.For instance, you can tell them, “You did a good job elaborating on how leads are converted into customers in that presentation. The visuals really helped the audience decipher the process.”In conclusion.As a manager, you must always remember that trying to maintain effective workplace communication is a time-consuming process. That’s why it’s best to employ the aforementioned practice tips. If you implement them successfully, you’re bound to witness positive results.