effective leadership communications - houston7 leadership communication tips 1. state clear...

Leadership Communication(A Workshop)

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“A wide-eyed owl sat in an oak.The more he saw, the less he spoke.

The less he spoke, the more he heard.A valuable lesson from a wise old bird.”

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Objectives

Discover the impact communication has in the workplace

Examine key leadership communication competencies

Identify their personal communication style to enhance their effectiveness

Communication Audit How does your organization communicate with

its employees?

How do you usually find out what’s going on?

Why are some people reluctant to share information with one another?

Managers with their employees?Managers with other managers? Employees with coworkers? Employees with managers?

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What is Leadership Communication?

What you say How you say it Who you talk to Motivating people to talk with you and each other

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It’s What You Say

Look people in the eye and really “see” them

Be direct and genuine

Executive presence isn’t about power and

domination

Learn to be a storyteller

Increase your self-awareness

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Why Do Leaders Communicate?

Motivate others into action

Share their values

Initiate change

Build trust

Enable teamwork

Impart knowledge

Tame the “grapevine”

Lead employees and the organization into the future

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What’s the Point?

Evaluate

Coach/Advise

Counsel

Mentor

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“The greatest problem of communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”

- George Bernard

Communication Assumptions Know your frame of reference

Understand the big picture situationWho are the players? What is the issue? What is the expected outcome?Why has the issue not been resolved before now?

Why is the information being exchanged?What will change as a result?

What does the recipient need from you? Is an answer, decision, resource, or support needed?

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Communication Paradigms

Know your frame of reference Understand the big picture situationWho are the players? What is my role?What is the issue? What is the expected outcome?Why has the issue not been resolved before now?

Why is the information being exchanged?What will change as a result?

What does the recipient need from you? Is an answer, decision, resource, or support needed?

Communication Paradigms (cont.)

What do you need from the recipient? Is it an answer, permission for an action, buy-in,

accountability, or follow-up needed?

What are the risks involved? How will the information affect status?What might I lose or gain?Will the relationship change as a result of my

honesty?Will the information be received thru a confrontational

filter?

Communication Breakdown

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http://www.trainingabc.com/Communication-Breakdown-p-17639.html

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Key Leadership Communication Competencies1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication

barriers6. Create agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

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Activity

It’s HowYou Say

It!

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“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I never said she didn’t like you.”

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

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Activity

What Do You Mean?

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Please respond as soon as possible Please respond before close of business today

I will return later to receive an update from you I will return on Wednesday, around 2:00 to receive an update from

you

Our technicians usually change the filters to be sure it works properly Our technicians change the filters once a week to be sure it works

properly

We sometimes receive an alert message when the levels are too high When the levels reach 15db we receive an alert message to indicate

the levels are too high

Some of our employees have put in a lot of overtime hours on this project

Moss, Cotton, Garcia, and McDonald put in a total of 100 hoursovertime on this project

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Activity

Drawing Instructions

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Key Leadership Communication Competencies1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication barriers6. Create agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

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Key Leadership Communication Competencies1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication

barriers6. Create agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

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Activity

Drawing Conclusions

Coordinating Verbal and Non-Verbal Behavior

Do you speak differently to people you are less comfortable with?

What do your verbal & non-verbal behaviors convey?

Assistance or neglect Support or opposition Confidence or

discouragement

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Professional or uncouth Proficiency or unqualified Respectful or impolite

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Activity

Reading

People

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Key Leadership Communication Competencies1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication

barriers6. Create agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

Five Levels of Listening

Ignoring

Pretending

Selective

Attentive

Empathetic/Active

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Activity

Listen and Paraphrase

Activity

What feedback do you give your employees to let them know you have listened and understood them?

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ActivityL -I -S -T -E -N -

What do theseletters mean to you?

Five Rs of Active Listening

Ready – get prepared, stay focused

Receive – words and body language

Review – evaluate; remember your biases

Respond – be silent, then paraphrase

Remember

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Key Leadership Communication Competencies1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication

barriers6. Create agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

Communication Barriers

Culture / Background

Bias based on Perception

Noise (Equipment / Environmental)

Our Ego

Information Overload

Message

Stress

Keep the message simple

Timing – get it right!

Listen to hear; not to respond

Choose the location

Provide details

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7 Leadership Communication Tips

1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication

barriers6. Create effective meeting agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

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7 Leadership Communication Tips1. State clear objectives and expectations2. Motivate and empower others to communicate3. Match verbal and nonverbal communication4. Listen and paraphrase5. Recognize and eliminate communication

barriers6. Create effective meeting agendas7. Ask open-ended questions

- AMORY LOVINS

“If you ask the wrong question, of course, you get the wrong answer.”

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Activity

Open-ended Questions

The Art of Asking

Questions

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Activity Open-ended Questions

A Supervisor’s Problem:

Retaining Emergency Dispatchers

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Know Yourself The “Humble Sandwich”®

What’s My Communication Style

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The “Humble Sandwich”

Top Layer Things You Like About Yourself

Middle Layer Things Others Don’t Like About You

Bottom Layer Things Others Do Like About You

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What’s My Communication Style? HIGH ASSERTIVENESS

HIGH

EXPRESSIVENESS

LOW ASSERTIVENESS

ASKS

TELLS

Controls Emotions Displays Emotions

Systematic Considerate

Direct SpiritedLOW

EXPRESSIVENESS

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Managing Confrontation

Confrontation:a face-to-face accountability discussion

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To Manage Confrontation... Describe what was expected and what was

observed Deal with the facts only

Listen attentively

Focus on behavior, not personality

Explain your perspective

Ask for feedback

Listen to understand

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It’s All About Trust

Use face-to-face communication when possible

Work hard to gain trust

Show you care

Be as good a listener as you are a director

Be empathetic

Share your personal side

Invite criticism; welcome push back

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Balancing Communication Over communicating = “micro-management” Under communicating = abandonment

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Micromanagement

Management style

where one closely

observes or controls

the work of employees

to an extreme.

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Under-management

Management style in

which one gives an

employee a task and

then completely

abandons them.

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Effective Follow-Up

Consider Experience and Risk Set dates for follow-up

When task is critical When employee has little experience

Delegate the “lead” on routine tasks

Let her/him report back to you Use more experienced, proven employees

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Keep It Short & Simple“The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we actually communicate.” -- Joseph Priestly, English Scientist, Theologian, 1733-1804

Questions?