To Be a great Leader, You First and Foremost Must Be a Great Communicator

Memorable Quotes

The mind is like a TV set, when it goes stops working, it is a good idea to shut off the sound.

Unknown

Every ass loves to hear himself bray.
Thomas Fuller

In this area you have a number of different skills that enhance leadership. They include:

• Self-Talk (Intrapersonal Communication)

• It's long been known by psychologists that the is internal dialog occurring within the mind is incredibly important. Yet, most of us pay it no mind.

• Interpersonal Communication

• Surprisingly, even this fairly simple form of communication is fought with many types of problems such as encoding and decoding bias on both the sender and the receiver side.

• Listening

• People are terrible listeners. But we do know how to fake it pretty well. Leaders cannot afford to develop a reputation for not listening—it's ruinous. Still, one of the more common complaints in many organizations is, "My boss doesn't listen to me."

• Feedback

• Despite it's importance, few leaders want to deliver it, and most followers do not want to receive it. You also have different types of feedback such as positive and negative; subjective and objective, etc.

• Small Group

• Group communication is a very different animal compared to interpersonal communication. There are many more complexities and opportunities for failure embedded in group dynamics.

• Persuasion

• Long the study of sales people everywhere, leaders also need to develop this vital skill.

Nonverbal Communication

• Body language contains meaning--sometimes more than what is embedded in the words. Yet, few individuals pay much attention to it.

• Public Speaking

• It's been said that the most common fear in America next to being sued, is speaking in front of others. It's an important aspect of leadership in both government and business.

• Interviewing

• Despite it's importance, interviews are not a good predictor of job performance. Its importance lies more in learning how to act so one can get a job.

• Asking Questions

  • Any idiot can state an opinion, but it takes a creative mind to ask the right questions. Without this skill, effective counseling and group facilitation is essentially impossible.

• Intercultural

  • Individuals in business and government need to learn how to adapt their communication patterns to take into account cultural differences.

• Organizational

• It's been said that the first job of a good leader is to establish a system of communication. Sounds easy, but it is surprisingly difficult.

Communication Mediums

You also have three major mediums—each of which require a slightly different approach to communication due to the nature of the medium itself.

• Verbal
  • Unlike written, we received almost no instruction on how to use words well.
• Written
  • Many year of schooling go into learning how to read and write.
• Electronic
  • A medium of increasingly importance due to the growing importance of the Internet.

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Communication Skills Using PowerPoint

This is a humorous communication video that you should take a look at.

Communication skills are one of the most important set of skills one can develop to get employed and promoted. It forms the basis for leadership effectiveness—for without skilled communication, leadership styles don't work and leadership traits are ineffective.

This course is designed to improve leadership behaviors and communication skills for those in leadership roles and for those that want prepare themselves for greater responsibility.

The On-site Communication Workshop Option

While the course covers all the twelve skills, the workshop format allows you to customize your own skill set. For example, one could choose feedback and listening; intercultural and interpersonal; and so on.