What are the essential communication skills for effective group leadership?

Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to respond. Ask open ended questions to understand better. It will also force you to listen better.

Before our titles and job responsibilities, we are people. Effective group leadership thrives on recognizing our shared humanity. Authentic, heart-to-heart conversations, where we speak from a place of authenticity, are at the core of building strong teams and fostering effective communication.

I believe that the best leaders listen more than they speak. The really smart leaders surround themselves with people smarter than her, which is even more reason to listen carefully.

I have found it helpful to listen to the other as if their life depended on it - because it normally does. Listening in this way allows the protagonist to experience a sense of validation - which drops the temperature amongst other things.

Whenever you want to learn insight of something always start by listening to the perspective of others it will help you better understand and take a step or make the right decision. Listening is the basic pillar of communication. Start with some steps like 1. Research 2. Others perspective 3. Make a strategy 4. Share your point of view 5. Stay open to critique and feedback In order to avoid any kind of conflict follow the basic steps so that you can understand better, learn better and then can make better strategies for the team.

Effective leaders are able to express their thoughts, opinions, and expectations assertively but respectfully. They are able to communicate their needs and boundaries without being aggressive or passive.

Its important to gain the confidence of team member showing assertive expression of understanding the situation, feelings and opinions. It shows the degree of willingness from the leader to resolve the conflict

Assertiveness is often a controversial issue. While the coaching in this article and elsewhere extols the value and benefits of assertive expression, one recurring area of conflict is resistance to what is perceived as dominance and arrogance! It is really important to know your audience and to be able to gauge their level of tolerance for assertive expression. However, if your communication style is far from being dominant (S-Style in the DISC Framework), then be sure to incorporate these tips to enhance your assertiveness!

Assertive communication is by no way inferring being rudeness or being brash. Rather, it removes ambiguity in communication, as well as unrealistic expectations between both parties.

Be assertive expressing your thoughts, emotions and stances in a polit way. Train yourself daily to be assertive as it is not easy job. Being so, will help you to grow professionally and will make of you a rich resource for organization

I agree that there is skill in giving constructive feedback. Many managers avoid giving feedback for fear of demotivating their team members. In my experience, feedback is best received when counterbalanced with positive feedback and presented in a way to promote growth and skill development. While it's important to share feedback to help a team member develop and grow, we also need to recognize and reinforce what is going well, which builds trust and leads to a supportive environment. Regular positive feedback also reduces the likelihood that constructive feedback will be met with a defensive reaction.

I always remember and share the 3:1 ratio of negative to positive information. Our brains exaggerate and blow negatives out of proportion so starting with 3 positives and ending with 1 negative is the most constructive way for me to keep a transparent, mature conversation.

A mix of clean language and non-violent communication(NVP) models can be quite useful when giving feedback. Largely because these two models of communication encourage empathy, openness, active listening and clarity. My experience in leading technology teams and digital transformations has shown team synergies lack when there is feedback that is left unsaid. Therefore the person(s) keep repeating the same behaviour unaware of how it affects their performance and overall team dynamics. This goes both ways in the chain of command. The 2 models of communication provide clear structures for teams to deliver unbiased and emotionally intelligent feedback to each other, especially when the conversations are more difficult than expected.

I agree to providing regular feedback to the team but not only on a regular base but also on the spot, when something worth being mentioned is observed. Send praise or things to be considered for improvement when you see them. I find this option better than gathering a list and taking more time to help the team mate remember what happened at that specific point in time. Stay connected and engaged to the team.

It is also important to consider that the appropriate way to give feedback differs across cultures, and in my experience this can be the source of many misunderstandings and conflicts. If working with a multicultural team, it's worth clarifying expectations in advance to make sure the feedback is effectively received.

Leadership is not only limited to lead the team and resolving the conflicts but it also requires to adapt changes within him / her self. Receiving feedback from the team members is the most logical / important aspect to understand areas of improvement.

Two questions on my side: 1. Why are you telling me this: do you want to steam off or actually want me to change something? (both welcomed) 2. Would doing/changing X from my side help solve the problem in the future? YES/NO IF NOT then what would your expectation/idea be?

Great leaders are not only able to hear constructive feedback, but they encourage it. Leaders who are able to take feedback with grace and understanding also encourage their team members to do so. It starts from the top, and a leader who is able to improve and show their team that they are appreciated and respected goes a long way.

Being able to heal your triggers and traumas (yes that’s what is happening when you get defensive) and learning that very few things in life are personal, is a rare yet vital skillset. It helps to view it objectively. I use human design as a tool for external self-validation. It’s a bridge that creates a permission slip to view your traits as objective and makes it easier to avoid being defensive and healing your triggers.

One tool that always works for me is looking into my values and other people's values/ SCARF profile/ personality profile. Any of the categories work. See what it means to you in terms of "threats" and "rewards" and compare it to them. What could you do balance those mismatches?

The scientifically-validated tool of Process Communication Model has defined 4 myths in interpersonal communication : (1) I cannot make you unhappy. (2) You cannot make me unhappy. (3) I cannot make you happy. (4) You cannot make me happy. In a situation of conflicts, people tend to project their distress and influence the conversation with either blame, attack, avoid or submission. But these are not the foundations of a healthy and constructive communication. Learning to take ownership of our thoughts, emotions and behaviours is the first step of living a life where conflict are here to nourish a business relationship on the long term, rather than release stress uncontrollably.

In conflict resolution, something that works best is when all parties involved are told to give their version of why the conflict originated in a same forum. This will work as a root cause analysis and will weed out the main problem driving this conflict and solutions will follow easily.

One thing that I have always useful is to create an environment where people people trust you enough to bring their conflicts to you for resolution. Part of this being willing to know your teammates on a deeper level, which takes time and commitment. Another part is understanding that each person has a vision of success in any conflict. Work towards creating wins for everyone involved.

In conflicts try to understand what feuls it, what are reasons behind it. Then try to understand at what point is this conflict? Can I solve it alone or do I need the mediation/ intervention of a third party. and remeber a win-win strategy is always the best for all.

Once you start realizing that not everything is about you, it becomes easier to connect with your team. Reality is, most people are so concerned about themselves and their own version of events that they do not even hear what the other person is saying. We need to all learn to really listen to the other person and try not to answer with something about yourself. Listen to understand and you will be steps ahead of everyone else.

Agree that it is important to recognize, understand and manage your own emotions and the impact they have in everything you do - both professionally and personally. Not managing your emotions well can lead to consequences you may regret for the rest of your life.

One thing I've found helpful is to listen to understand, not to respond. I have learned to "sit" with criticism and constructive feedback, or any tough situation, and allow myself to absorb the situation and not respond instantly with emotion. Regulating emotions and taking my personal feelings out of situations has very much helped me grow as a team member and human being. People will always remember how you responded in tough situations, it is important to handle them with grace and set an example for others around you.

It's not an obvious insight to everyone so I thought it'd be worth sharing. There are multiple studies now confirming that practicing at least 8 weeks of mindfulness develops our prefrontal cortex and boosts empathy that stands behind emotional intelligence. Worth practicing if one's struggling with EI trainings. For those who have children I also highly recommend putting their child/ren in the place of the other person. It usually activates the oxytocin system that was developed during labor and upbringing.

Emotional intelligence is important. Recruit for the skill as part of your hiring process, then make it part of your corporate strategy, and ongoing training.

If you cannot legitimately view the conflict from the opposing views with an open mind, then you truly do not completely understand both sides of the conflict.

Sincere 2-way engagement. It is important to Not only listen what they like YOU or the group to hear but to create an environment where they can freely express what they WANT to express.

Vulnerability can unlock leadership opportunities. Putting on the side the ego and the mask the business world push leaders to wear is very powerful. I believe that if leaders open up and have raw conversations about their success, mistakes and lessons, team will relate more to their stories. To that extend, they'll be seen more as a Human first.

Since the topic is group leadership, I would advocate transparency in communication. Create clear schedules, eliminate secrets, and cultivate common ground.

Always work with the principal of Feel, Felt & Found - Feel : To get into the shoes of Team member and understand about their feeling, thought processes. Felt : Share your thoughts on similar situation faced in the career and your insights as a leader Found : Share your experience of how you handled the situation and possible solution of the situation. If a leader can establish the relation basis his / her personal experiences, Team members will feel the empathy and should yield the desired outcome.