As a manager, you need to use your skills to communicate effectively in the most crucial situations. If your communication skills are poor or not excellent, it can harm your team's productivity and morale. First of all, you wouldn't have become a manager if you lacked good communication skills. Here are some tips on how to improve your communication skills.
1. Before meeting with your team, prepare yourself.
Identify all possible questions and current problems that will arise during your group meeting. Prepare answers or responses for them. Identify the people who are likely to object. Find out and understand why they will have an objection. Anticipate and prepare for follow-up questions.
2. Plan and tailor your message to your team members and their needs.
You have to know your team. Remember that it is a collection of different types of people. Consider differences in personalities and opinions. Knowing your team members and their needs will determine what and how you communicate. If communicating with an executive level, make sure you don't go too deep into the details, even if that's your comfort point. Simplify your message by clearly stating the problem (without blaming someone), proposing a clear and detailed solution, linking the direct and indirect cost of the solution and the benefits of the solution. This helps you summarize your message and deliver it concisely.
3. Watch your body language.
Remember that it is not really what you communicate, but how you communicate. And an important part of this is their body language. Be sure to maintain eye contact when you speak. If you don't like doing it, look at a person's eyebrows or forehead. Be sure to start the meeting with a smile, even if you have a bad day or a bad month. Use manual cues sparingly, just to emphasize important points, as many of these can be harmful. Show confidence but not arrogance.
4. Avoid saying "uhm" when you speak.
People tend to say "uhm" when they are stressed or struggling. To avoid this disruptive expression, be sure to practice what you are going to say many times if necessary. Practice until you know it by heart. If you still feel like saying "uhm" when you speak at your meeting, say it in your mind or don't say anything. Just pause briefly, there is nothing wrong with a brief silence anyway.
If you think you need to improve your communication skills training, consider enrolling in a communication skills course.
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