Whether you have employees under your charge, you coordinate a team of volunteers, you are a teacher who wants to motivate your students … it is important that your communication skills are efficient in order to be a good leader. In fact, your leadership ability will depend on your ability to communicate with others. There are some skills that you should have because they will improve your relationships both with your family and with any other group of people.

Know yourself

All good communication starts from a place of self-awareness. When communicating with other people, you need to be mindful of your internal conversation so that you don’t end up having a bad mood with another person. It’s also important to know what you hope to achieve from a given interaction so that you can tailor your message accordingly.

You know the people who are with you

The best communication comes from understanding who you are talking to. Knowing the motivations of the people who are with you, the preferred communication styles, the learning styles, etc., allows you to adapt your message and increase the chances of effective communication. Making a personal connection facilitates empathy, reassures people, and builds trust .

Be direct, specific and clear

The communication clearly increases the likelihood that people understand and take action on what they ask. It is better to overexplain something than to leave room for misunderstandings. Whenever you ask for an assignment or ask for help from someone, you need to focus on providing simple, practical, and specific instructions. 

It helps to prepare your thoughts in advance to include all the relevant details. Don’t end a conversation until you are sure the other person understands your goals and how to achieve them.  Give these instructions in a friendly and open way so that the other person knows that they can approach you with a question if it is what they need.

Pay attention to non-verbal communication

Nonverbal communication is just as important as what a person says, maybe even more. Facial expressions, hand gestures, posture, and eye contact all play a role in affirming or undermining your message.

Whenever you talk to someone, practice being mindful of your own body language and the body language of the person you are talking to. In particular, pay attention to whether your body language matches what you are saying; This will help you be a confident communicator and can help you appear more confident.

Listen more than you speak

One of the best ways to encourage open and honest communication within a group is to model active listening. When someone is talking to you, really listen to what they are saying. Ask follow-up questions to show that you are paying attention and to make sure there are no miscommunication . Keep an open mind and focus on carefully responding to what they are saying rather than reacting to it. This practice builds a good relationship and understanding between the communicating parties.

Be positive and respectful

This is obvious, but sadly it is not always the case. Prioritizing transparent, fair, and respectful communication within a group is one of the best strategies for cultivating loyalty and increasing team performance. Don’t hold your status over other people or use coercion or fear as a motivator. Instead, focus on bringing an honest, positive, and egoless attitude to every situation that arises. Serving as a cheerleader rather than an autocrat helps maintain morale and can even facilitate creativity and effective problem solving.

Each of these communication skills represents continuous practice. You won’t master them in a day or even a year. Instead, you will need to commit to practicing these strategies for life.  The more you implement these skills , the more they start to feel like second nature, and the more your leadership skills will benefit.