How Great Leaders Communicate

Effective communication is at the heart of great leadership. For managers aiming to lead their teams to success, understanding how to communicate with clarity, purpose, and impact will be an essential leadership tool.

Whether you’re managing a fast-paced department or guiding a company through change, your ability to convey ideas, inspire action, and listen to your team can make the difference between average performance and exceptio nal results.

Great leaders know that communication goes beyond speaking clearly or sending emails. It involves listening actively, adapting to different audiences, and understanding both verbal and non-verbal cues. Whether it’s during a one-on-one meeting, addressing a group, or navigating challenging conversations, the way leaders communicate influences company culture and shapes how employees engage with their work.

So, what do great leaders do to make their communication so effective?

Using Clear, Simple Language

21st century leadership is all about inclusivity. This doesn’t just mean equality for underrepresented groups; it’s about levelling the playing field to ensure all elements of a team are given an equal amount of equity.

Great leaders don’t look to flex their knowledge and experience to intimidate – they share knowledge and use their skills to empower the team around them. Always use the most clear and simple language possible when speaking in groups and one to one. Consider an ‘acronym amnesty’ where acronyms are discouraged – avoid using jargon and always think about the knowledge level of your audience when communicating.

Effectively Motivate

A big part of your effectiveness as a leader comes down to how well you use communication to motivate your team.

For many reasons it can be difficult to inspire motivation in your team when it is lacking; continual challenges within the team, reduced focus, and even a lack of self-confidence on your part can prevent you from being the motivational leader you aspire to be.

The most effective way to benefit from consistent motivation from your team is to create a culture of intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation means that you don’t have to constantly cheerlead your team – motivation inherently runs through everything they do.

How can you create intrinsic motivation in your team?

Regularly recognise accomplishments, encourage collaboration between employees and teams that work well together, and provide constructive feedback – this will reinforce a sense of ownership and personal fulfilment, driving intrinsic motivation across the team.

Active Listening

Knowing when to listen and truly take on board what others are saying is a really valuable skill. As a leader it can mean the difference between a team who see you as a separate entity, or as someone on their side who is invested in their challenges and their successes.

When leaders actively listen, they demonstrate respect and empathy, making team members feel valued and understood.

Do you ever find yourself:

• Anticipating what people are about to say?
• Creating a response to what someone is saying before they have finished?
• Not actively paying attention to how your body language or tone of voice is contributing to what you are saying?

Instead, remember to employ the following when speaking to your team, both in-person and online:

• Don’t listen only to respond – truly take on board what the other person is saying. Try to put yourself in their position and imagine the conversation from their perspective. What might they be feeling? What might they be hoping to get from this conversation?
• Pay attention to your tone and body language – be aware of how distractions or other priorities could lead you to bringing a preoccupied atmosphere to your conversations.
• Ask confirming questions – sum up what others have said to ensure you’re both on the same page, using details to highlight you were taking the important information on board.

Adapting Your Style

Great communicators can easily adapt to any audience.

In a team, every member has unique communication preferences, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds. A leader who can adjust their communication style to meet the needs of their team is more likely to facilitate understanding, collaboration, and trust.

For example, some employees might prefer direct instructions, while others respond better to a more collaborative, open-ended approach. A leader who recognises this can tailor their communication to ensure each person feels valued and understood.

Finally

Effective communication is one of the most powerful tools great leaders possess.

At the heart of their communication lies clarity – great leaders distil complex ideas into simple, understandable messages. They tailor their communication style to fit the audience, whether it’s addressing an entire company, having a one-on-one conversation, or managing a crisis.

They back their words with actions, reinforcing their vision and values through everyday behaviour. By doing so, they create alignment and confidence in their teams.

Ultimately, great leaders don’t just deliver information; they inspire, motivate, and engage through intentional, adaptive, and empathetic communication.

Until next time,

Julia Carter

About Julia Carter

Julia Carter is the MD of Zestfor?Ltd and specialises in working with leaders and managers of virtual and hybrid teams to improve team effectiveness.

Effective leadership involves numerous competencies, but it also requires a core mindset which is rarely explored in leadership programmes. Julia’s mission is to instil this core mindset into as many leaders as possible so that they can empower their people in their areas of specialty...and hopefully in their personal lives too.

In 2009, Julia founded Zestfor - a training consultancy and continues her mission.