Solid communication skills are vital for business leaders. But we need to develop these skills on three different levels, all of them necessary.
Skip Weisman is an expert in coaching leaders. He always stresses communication skills and says that, without them, you will probably be a terrible leader.
According to Weisman, these are the three levels of communication skills you need to master to succeed.
1. Self-communication skills
Self-communication is the inner dialogue we all have every day, and it is usually reflected directly in our attitude towards everything that happens around us.
Self-communication is directly responsible for our self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as our mood. Working on and mastering this skill may be the most decisive factor in the success of everything we set out to do.
Weisman says that procrastination is often the direct result of negative self-talk. Remember that to be a leader (to lead other people), we must first start by changing things in ourselves. Leadership is a job that starts from within.
2. Private one-to-one communication skills
According to Weisman, the three essential elements of communication in a private, face-to-face conversation are that it should be quick, direct and respectful. The key, though, lies in building trust.
Some people are often reluctant to be direct because they think it could come across as disrespectful, so they tend to put off a vitally important conversation to avoid creating bad feeling.
But in that situation nothing will change. As the old Spanish saying goes, it is better to go red in the face once than to turn pale a hundred times. Be direct with someone once and you will save yourself dozens of reprimands later on.
In private, face-to-face communication, it is important to show that you are acting in good faith and in the best interests of the person in front of you.
3. Skills for speaking to an audience or a group
Communicating with a large audience is probably the least cultivated skill among business leaders. For some it is a piece of cake, of course, while for others it is a terrifying experience.
Whether it is pitching a business idea to a group of investors, a company meeting or presenting a product or service to the public, a leader’s ability to get the message across concisely to the audience is essential.
Weisman is clear that, of these three communication skills, the ability to communicate easily with large groups can take you from being a good leader to being an extraordinarily good one.
When they stand in front of a very large group of people, expert speakers use powerful body language, add value for the audience and become great storytellers. In other words, they influence people with their words.
Further reading on improving these communication skills
- 6 public speaking tips from the world champion of public speaking
- 6 tricks to look confident when speaking in public, even if you are not
- TED speakers’ techniques for becoming a good speaker
- 9 common mistakes when speaking in public
Featured image: delegateconnectimages, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
