The Guiding Communication Principles Of Great Leaders

FameFebruary 11, 2019

One thing great leaders have in common is great communication skill. Any speech made by a great leader is an avenue to emotionally connect with the people they are addressing. Their words most times serve as a source of inspiration to others, encouraging them to strive to do more even beyond what they ordinarily consider as a possibility.

Being a great communicator doesn’t just happen overnight. It is a result of intentional efforts all directed towards achieving that one goal. Great communicators often rely on some important principles to help them achieve their goal. To become one of such great communicators, putting these principles to practice would definitely help you.

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Becoming a great communicator requires conscious and consistent efforts geared at getting better

1. Great Communicators know and understandtheir audience

It isn’t the aim of a good communicator to appear as obnoxious or a braggart in the eyes of their audience. All great communicators are concerned about their audience needs at the particular time and how best they can pass the message across to them.

This isn’t synonymous with saying leaders are people who tell audience the things they desire to hear. Rather, great communicators only tell people what exactly is important that they know. In some cases, that may include sharing bad news.

2. Great communicators are body language experts

In addition to effectively passing messages across to people, great communicators are also mindful of how those people react to the message. They are able to quickly take cues from body language and facial expressions as they understand it is the primary feedback a lot of people will be able to provide.

The ability to take a cue from such non-verbal communication makes it possible for great communicators to make necessary adjustment to the style of communication if the need to do so arises.

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Great communicators are great decoders of body languages

3. Great communicators are honest

Those who make great leaders understand that one key to effective communication is being real. Great communicators don’t mask the truth. When they are unable to share specific information, they make that known expressly because they understand that half-truth and makeshift answers breed anxiety and distrust. Honesty is a solid foundation for building trust.

4. Great communicators are authentic

It isn’t the attitude of great communicators to take up someone else’s personality when they are addressing people. Great leaders understand that people are attracted to the message of those who remain authentic. People draw away from those who are constantly putting up acts.

5. Great communicators speak with express authority.

They do not try to play safe by making ambiguous statements or being unassertive. Great communicators are always direct about the way they know things to be and are also quick to add how they think those things ought to be.

6. Great communicators address groups as individual members

It isn’t usually possible for leaders to speak to just one individual at any given time. However, no matter the size of the audience, great leaders understand how to navigate the room in such a way that each person feels like they are being directly addressed.

7. Great communicators have listening ears

Great communicators who turn out to be great leaders understand that communication isn’t a one-way thing. They understand that the things they hear often have higher importance than the things they say. When another person is speaking, their preoccupation isn’t with planning what their next statement would be. Their focus is on understanding the person’s perspective and so they are active listeners.

8. Great communicators always know what to say and when to say it

Great leaders know when to take responsibility for their own actions and apologise. They are not people who wait for others to highlight the errors in judgment or speech. They are people who hold accountability in high esteem and don’t just try to get away with any mistake. Their apology move isn’t dramatic neither do they do it with false humility.

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Great leaders take responsibility for theirown actions and apologise when there is a need to do so

9. Great communicators ask for feedback

Those who make the greatest communicators are those who don’t work with the assumption that their message to their audience is the actual one they planned to deliver. They want feedback and so they ask if their audience accurately understood their message. They do not put the blame on their audience should they respond that they didn’t understand.

Great communicators try to pass the message across again in a different and more effective way.

10. Great leaders are proactive

Leaders who possess great communication skills do not waste time in passing their message. They strive to give concise and clear instructions as well as directions to their audience. That way, they are able to preventpeople from going down the wrong path.