You’re struggling to communicate with your team. How can you improve your supervisory skills?

1 Assess your communication style

The first step to improve your communication skills is to understand your own style and how it affects your interactions with others. There are many models and tools to help you identify your communication style, such as the DISC, the Myers-Briggs, or the VAK. These can help you discover your strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and blind spots. For example, you might be a direct, assertive, and task-oriented communicator, or a friendly, expressive, and people-oriented communicator. Knowing your style can help you adapt to different situations and audiences, and avoid misunderstandings or conflicts.

2 Listen actively and empathetically

The second step to improve your communication skills is to listen actively and empathetically to your team members. Active listening means paying attention, asking questions, clarifying, summarizing, and giving feedback. Empathetic listening means showing respect, understanding, and compassion for the other person's feelings, needs, and perspectives. Listening actively and empathetically can help you build trust, rapport, and collaboration with your team, and prevent or resolve issues. It can also help you learn more about your team's strengths, challenges, and motivations.

3 Choose the right channel and mode

The third step to improve your communication skills is to choose the right channel and mode for your message and audience. The channel is the medium you use to communicate, such as email, phone, video call, or face-to-face. The mode is the way you deliver your message, such as formal, informal, verbal, or non-verbal. Depending on the situation, you might need to use different channels and modes to communicate effectively. For example, if you need to give feedback, you might want to use a face-to-face channel and a verbal mode, rather than an email or a text. If you need to share information, you might want to use a written mode and a formal channel, such as a report or a memo.

4 Be clear and concise

The fourth step to improve your communication skills is to be clear and concise in your message. This means using simple, direct, and accurate language, avoiding jargon, slang, or ambiguity, and providing relevant and specific details. Being clear and concise can help you avoid confusion, errors, or misinterpretation, and ensure that your team understands your expectations, instructions, or feedback. It can also help you save time and energy, and improve your credibility and professionalism.

5 Seek and provide feedback

The fifth step to improve your communication skills is to seek and provide feedback regularly and constructively. Feedback is essential for learning, improvement, and performance. Seeking feedback can help you identify your areas of strength and development, and adjust your communication style accordingly. Providing feedback can help you recognize and motivate your team members, and guide them towards their goals. When giving or receiving feedback, you should be specific, timely, balanced, and respectful, and focus on the behavior, not the person.

6 Learn and practice

The sixth and final step to improve your communication skills is to learn and practice as much as you can. Communication is a skill that can be improved with continuous learning and practice. You can learn from various sources, such as books, articles, podcasts, courses, or mentors. You can practice by applying the tips and techniques you learn, and by seeking opportunities to communicate with different people and in different situations. Learning and practicing can help you enhance your confidence, competence, and creativity as a communicator, and as a supervisor.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?