There are many opportunities for different forms of communication for leaders. Each type of communication can have its pit falls. Great leaders learn to use communication in all forms to have the most positive and intentional impact on the team. Here I will discuss face-to-face communication and written communication.
Face-to-face
As a leader you should be making time to speak to your team in person and often. Dave Ramsey says "high quality organizations have high levels of communication." They also have high quality communication. Leaders are intentional with speaking in person and are aware of their tone and body language. Face-to-face communication allows you to address concerns and questions immediately. It allows the leader to use tone and body language to support the meaning they are trying to convey.
The pit falls-
Outside baggage-There can be a lot of interference in face-to-face communication. We tend to bring more with us than just the subject at hand. We bring our mood, our past, our philosophies our emotions, our fight from this morning, or worry about tomorrow...we bring baggage. When two people talk and they both bring their baggage it can become a mess very quickly. All of that baggage can create a barrier where what you are saying or what you are hearing is misunderstood.
Tone def- The tone can be misunderstood or not in tune. You may mean to sound like you are joking but it comes across harsh. You may think you sound happy, but you sound irritated to the person hearing it.
Every Body talks- Body language can be easily misunderstood. If you are not being intentional and aware of your body language you can send a very confusing message. For instance, if you are fidgeting while someone is talking about something that is serious to them, they may feel you are in a hurry to get out of the room or distracted.
Written
Written communication should be for clear concise communication and should be well thought out. It should not be used to avoid difficult conversations. For the most part it is very impersonal and good leaders want to be personal. It can be used to convey positive praises to the team or to document the facts in a situation when necessary. Emails are a great way to follow up a face-to-face talk to be sure all parties are on the same page about what was discussed. I used this with my team to give them an opportunity to ask questions later and to clarify what we discussed so there is no misunderstanding or "Opps, I forgot we discussed that, " later.
Monotone- Written correspondence lacks all the tones we use when we speak to allow our audience to read into what is the meaning behind our words. This leaves the tone up to the reader to decide and open for some real misinterpretation.
Lacks body-Written communication is also missing the body language that can support what you are trying to say.
Things to remember
*Leaders should always be clear, transparent, professional, and respectful.
*Communication should be early and often.
*Do not wait to discuss matters for the perfect time and risk not getting information to your team when they need it.
*Communicate about the positives and the negatives because both are important. When positives are not discussed you harm team morale. When negatives are not talked about the team will not trust you.
*Avoid gossip (communicating to anyone about a situation that cannot fix the situation.)
*Do not assume communication has happened.
*When there is doubt, go directly to the source and ask questions.
*Communication is the key to finding solutions.
*Leaders should never use communication in a way that causes harm or embarrassment to anyone, especially in front of others.
*Communication should always be in the right setting, at the most appropriate time, with the appropriate people.
Listening is just as important as talking in the communication process. Leaders, be sure you are really listening and not just listening to respond.
Scriptures
James 1:19 Ephesians 4:29 Psalm 141:3 Proverbs 15:2 Proverbs 12:18
Proverbs 16:23 Colossians 4:6 Proverbs 25:11 Proverbs 18:13
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