What do you do if your team managers struggle to effectively communicate with their team members?

1 Assess your communication style

The first step to improving your communication skills is to understand your own communication style and how it affects your team members. You can use self-assessment tools, such as the DISC model, to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a communicator. For example, are you more dominant, influential, steady, or conscientious? How do you prefer to receive and give information, feedback, and instructions? How do you deal with conflict, stress, and emotions? How do you communicate your vision, goals, and values? By knowing your communication style, you can leverage your strengths and work on your areas of improvement.

2 Listen actively and empathetically

The second step to improving your communication skills is to listen actively and empathetically to your team members. Listening is not just about hearing what they say, but also understanding what they mean, how they feel, and what they need. You can practice active listening by using techniques such as paraphrasing, summarizing, asking open-ended questions, giving non-verbal cues, and providing constructive feedback. You can also practice empathetic listening by showing genuine interest, respect, and compassion for your team members, especially when they face challenges, frustrations, or conflicts. By listening actively and empathetically, you can build trust, rapport, and collaboration with your team members.

3 Adapt your communication style

The third step to improving your communication skills is to adapt your communication style to different team members, situations, and contexts. You can use the DISC model or other frameworks, such as the VAK model, to understand the communication preferences and styles of your team members. For example, are they more visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners? How do they process and retain information, feedback, and instructions? How do they respond to different tones, words, and gestures? By adapting your communication style, you can tailor your message, delivery, and format to suit your audience and achieve your desired outcome.

4 Communicate clearly and concisely

The fourth step to improving your communication skills is to communicate clearly and concisely with your team members. You can use the 7 Cs of communication to ensure that your message is clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous. You can also use the SMART criteria to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals and expectations for your team members. You can also use the STAR method to give specific, timely, actionable, and respectful feedback to your team members. By communicating clearly and concisely, you can avoid confusion, ambiguity, and errors, and ensure that your team members understand and follow your directions.

6 Communicate positively and constructively

The sixth step to improving your communication skills is to communicate positively and constructively with your team members. You can use positive language, tone, and body language to convey your appreciation, recognition, and encouragement to your team members. You can also use constructive language, tone, and body language to address issues, challenges, and conflicts with your team members. You can also use the sandwich technique to deliver constructive feedback by sandwiching it between positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. By communicating positively and constructively, you can boost your team members' morale, motivation, and performance.