Communication problems waste time, create stress and increase the risk of losing clients and talents.
That is why today I want to show you how you can make your communication work FOR you and not AGAINST you.
All the most important leadership skills go through communication.
After all, what is the use of being strategic, intelligent, proactive and caring if people don’t notice that?
Follow these 4 steps and get in touch if you need help with that!
1️⃣ ASSESS YOUR COMMUNICATION
Most of the top executives that seek my help do not have an accurate self-perception and struggle with communication issues.
There are 4 main aspects to take into account when assessing your communication:
⭐ Intention » are you intentional in your communication or is it just an expression of who you are?
⭐ Audience » do you change your communication according to your audience? If you do it just with clients and your boss, what does that tell you about your leadership?
⭐ Biases » are you aware of your unconscious biases? We all have biases that are deeply integrated with our communication. You might be hurting people with your words and not even noticing them.
⭐ Personality style » do you expect people to react the same way as you do? Do you think that you should treat people the same way you would like to be treated? Well, people are different. Many times communication problems can be solved by understanding in which ways you are different from the people you communicate with.
(Check my latest e-book » Communication Styles in Hybrid Work)
2️⃣ WRITE YOUR MISSION STATEMENT
You may think you have clarity about your purpose as a leader, but writing it down may be challenging and it will certainly be rewarding.
Get clarity about your purpose as a leader and you will become more intentional in your communication.
You will understand why you are not getting the responses you expected.
🧭 The mission statement serves as a compass.
Once you have your mission statement in writing you any come back to it to centre yourself in times of stress.
It will be a reminder of the intentions you set, a reminder of the person you want to be and how you want to make an impact on the world.
Only by being intentional, you will find the best way to connect and influence people.
3️⃣ CHOSE ONE BEHAVIOUR TO CHANGE
Changing communication can be hard if you set an impossible target. Make it practical, so you know exactly what to do and when.
It’s not about becoming a different person, but finding one behaviour that if developed can make a significant change.
When we talk about communication development, we are talking about behaviour change.
It is not just about knowing yourself; it is about being able to change your behaviour to become a better leader in motivating, guiding, and raising collective intelligence.
To pick one behaviour to change you can use the assessment result and analyse which behaviour could have the most significant impact to achieve your mission and goals?
👉 Changing any soft skill is hard, because we are dealing with rooted habits.
So, before you decide on a target behaviour, check the cost-benefit for you to assess how sustainable that change really is.
4️⃣ ADOPT A BEHAVIOUR CHANGE STRATEGY
The best course of action here is to choose a strategy that will result in both behaviour and perception change.
There are many proven methods to get rid of bad communication habits and work on introducing constructive ones.
The first step to change is to be motivated. You must clearly see the benefits of changing.
🦋 The approach you choose should improve your awareness of your communication style and habits and lead to change.
You will first only notice the way you behaved after the communication has happened, and little by little you will get to the point to avoid it and replace it with an intentional message.
After you decide on a method, consistently work on making the new behaviour a habit with daily reminders, support, structure, etc.
I hope this post helped you get motivated to make your communication finally work for you.
If you liked this content, please share and help people that might need it. ❤
If you need professional assistance in assessing your communication or your team’s, get in touch!
Send me a message and we can schedule a quick conversation.
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