If you are a team leader, developing your communication skills naturally takes time. However, there are many ways to expedite the process, such as learning more about effective team leader communication skills. To help you in this regard, review some of the essential communication skills successful team leaders have below.
A Dedication to Honesty
Effective team leaders are honest. They provide their team with tactful feedback, are always open about upcoming changes within the company, and are willing to discuss projects in depth whenever employees need it. These individuals understand that being dishonest always comes back to you and can result in ongoing repercussions that affect everyone in the office or other workplace. By remaining honest, there is never a need to backtrack or continue lying about anything.
Decisiveness
The best team leaders are able to make decisions, including those “on the fly,” and stick with them. They have faith in their abilities and believe the decisions they make are what’s best for the team. There’s no guesswork involved, only thoroughly understanding the options and determining the best course of action. Successful leaders also have the ability to communicate why they made [x] or [y] decisions with their team and provide detailed answers to any questions.
The Ability to Empathize
Communicating effectively with team members requires empathy, or being able to consider another person’s point of view and feelings. Without empathy, team leaders can appear rigid, cold, and unfeeling. Empathy is particularly essential during a workplace conflict, because it allows the team leader to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. They consider the problem from both sides, which allows them to remain compassionate without losing sight of the end goal.
Adaptability
Since varying communication styles can result in miscommunication, team leaders must be able to adapt. For maximum adaptability, team leaders must identify their communication style, such as intuitive, analytical, personal, authoritative, or functional. This helps them pivot when communicating with others who have vastly different communication styles and subsequently find middle ground. Being able to tailor a communication style as necessary also demonstrates a willingness to help employees succeed and get more done every day.
Asking Open-Ended Questions
Since there will always be employees who are not as communicative as others, asking open-ended questions helps such team members dig deeper and provide more information or their thoughts about various projects. Examples of open-ended questions that trigger thorough discussions include “Could you explain what you mean by that,” “Tell me more about [x] issue, idea, or project,” and “Can you discuss that idea or concept in more detail?” By asking these and similar questions, both team leaders and employees get the clarity they need.
Being Able to Focus
Team leaders who enjoy success in the workplace are good at focusing on the task at hand instead of “drifting” and talking about different subjects. These individuals don’t “like to hear themselves talk” and go off on tangents. They keep their teams engaged and make certain that their current message is clear to everyone in the room. Such leaders also use their focusing skills to write clear, definitive emails, memos, and agendas so everyone on the team knows and fully understands the day’s tasks or projects.
Again, effective team leader communication skills are not acquired overnight. With time, research, and dedication, it’s possible to hone these and similar skills, and enjoy a more productive, healthy, happy work environment. Happy team members are also less likely to leave or badmouth their former managers.
For more about team leader communication skills and workplace conflict management, please contact Peaceful Leaders Academy today!
