Communication Challenges for Leadership Cindy Coker, SC Bar

 Effective communication is essential to good leadership.  How we communicate affects our productivity, our relationships and our daily life.  Technology is designed to make things more efficient, more productive, more….  Yeah, right!

 1. Successful communication  2. Close, but no cigar.  3. It sounds sort of the same.  4. Not even close  5. Command not recognized  6. Connection failed

 1. Successful Communication ◦ Ideas are clearly communicated ◦ The speaker and the listener are on the “same page” ◦ Instructions are understood and followed ◦ Both parties leave the conversation with the same understanding ◦ May include a conversation that involves correction of a behavior or attitude – ◦ Successful doesn’t always mean pleasant

 2. Close, but no cigar ◦ The other party heard what you said, but missed an important detail ◦ Misunderstood the intention, the instructions or the desired result  3. It sounds sort of the same….. ◦ Heard only part of what you said ◦ Misunderstood the meaning or intent

 Not even close! ◦ Your mouth was moving… ◦ No idea of what you were saying ◦ Leaves the conversation confused  Problem when the other party isn’t comfortable enough to ask for clarification or to repeat the statement/instructions

 Command Not Recognized ◦ 1 of 2 things has happened  Complete misunderstanding of your conversation OR  Complete disregard of your conversation  Lack of respect for the person speaking  Refusal to recognize the authority

 Connection Failed ◦ Communication attempted but no connection to the other party ◦ No recognition of the individual and their situation by speaker ◦ Dictatorial behavior on the part of the speaker – or just pure arrogance ◦ No recognition of speaker by recipient

 Tips for successful communication ◦ Actions speak louder than words  7% - what we say  38% - the way we say it  55% - what others see ◦ More than 90% of the impression we convey has nothing to do with what we actually say ◦ The message isn’t the only thing  (John C. Maxwell: Everyone Communicates, Few Connect)

 Work on non-verbal clues/cues ◦ Facial expressions ◦ General appearance ◦ Posture ◦ People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude!

 Communication ◦ Learn to handle verbal conflict  Respond rather than react  How would you feel in their place  Empathize  Why are they being difficult  Choose to be compassionate

 Examine yourself.. ◦ Do I connect? ◦ How do I communicate? ◦ Am I leading? ◦ Am I leaving my mark?

 Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, the having a message doesn’t even matter.  Gilbert Amelio, President & CEO of National Semiconductor Corp.