KCE Part Two: Communication

This is part two of GIFT's three-part series on Knowledge, Communication, and Empathy (KCE), GIFT's leadership framework. The first article on knowledge can be found here .

Communication is the means by which information is exchanged, be it through speaking, writing, or any other available means. At GIFT, communication is central to our leadership teaching and philosophy. It is also a core pillar of our Knowledge, Communication, and Empathy (KCE) framework. Today, we will be discussing the role and importance of communication, both at the business and societal levels.

GIFT's view on Communication

Communication between people is a process of exchanging experiences, views and ideas, which affects our knowledge. It includes both verbal and non-verbal interactions. It requires listening, being receptive to others’ opinions, and even a willingness to change one’s mind.?

Communication is more than just language skills, despite their importance in professional settings. It is the ability to effectively interact with others, learn from them, and appreciate other points of view, all affecting our sense of purpose.

At GIFT, we believe good communication has the following three qualities:

Assertiveness

The ability to speak up and communicate a point clearly and effectively is an important skill in both small teams and large organisations, for both extroverts and introverts, and across industries, sectors, and specialisations. In addition to having the willingness to assert oneself, it is important to know when and how to be assertive. One must be aware of cultural contexts and sensitive to others’ positions, which hinge on knowledge and empathy. Like any skill, it can be practised and refined.?

Conflict Management

Differences of opinion, clashes of style, and at times, even open tensions are common outcomes of working with others. To experience conflict is only human. The ability to manage and swiftly defuse disagreements provides a great advantage. A willingness to accept differences, or to agree to disagree, and still maintain a constructive relationship is a valuable asset within a team and an organisation.?

Presentation Skills

There is no escaping the need for effective presentation skills, applicable to both large and small groups, and both online and offline media. Effective presentation includes not just speaking skills, but also body language, tone of voice, adequate preparation, and logical flow of arguments, among other factors. As much as any other communication skill, the ability to deliver a confident, convincing, and influential presentation can be learned and developed. It is necessary for gaining the support to advance one’s purpose and drive purposeful impact.?

Nelson Mandela: A case study in communication

Perhaps the most famous communicator of all time is Nelson Mandela. He was the central actor in South Africa's peaceful transition from brutal apartheid to fully functioning democracy. This was something he was prepared to spend nearly 28 years in prison to achieve.

The son of a Chief, Mandela was a highly effective communicator during his 67 years of political life. A political life which we commemorate on July 18th, during Mandela day, for his significant contribution to humanity.

During his years in prison, Mandela opted to create a community-based opposition to prison cruelty with his fellow inmates. He used his skills to make connections with those around him, to great benefit. While in prison, Nelson took to organising his fellow prisoners to obtain better conditions and clothing, ending their hard labour, and eventually even gaining a prison tennis court. Yet this communicative approach was not limited to just prisoners. Even among his gaolers, he was well-liked. His guard, Christo Brand, for example, famously considered him a father figure , showing his ability to make linkages with people across a divide.

Following his release from prison in 1990 Mandela again leveraged his communicative skills, this time in the service of the nation. He urged racial reconciliation with White South Africa. This was against the wants of members of both sides of the divide. Mandela was compelled to use his persuasive ability to bring members of both the African National Congress (ANC) and the incumbent national party to the negotiating table. Eventually, South Africa was able to create a multiparty system that contained elements of both the previous party and the new state. Thus paving the way for a modern South Africa that, unlike so many other African states, did not see civil war.

Nelson Mandela clearly exhibited all of the skills we here at GIFT associate with effective communication. These are skills he used to relay his considerable knowledge and awareness of global affairs as well as empathy for his political opponents. That Mandela employed assertiveness is unquestionable. Throughout his life, he had to deal with opposition from the police, the state, and even members of his own party who had different opinions on the direction South Africa should take. He could not simply use brute force to overcome these obstacles as Mandela himself was often in a weaker position. He needed to become a master conflict manager, in order to prevent the disintegration of the South African state and to prevent the ANC from becoming another guerrilla party. This he was skillfully able to do throughout his life. Mandela's final feat was reinventing himself and South Africa's image following his release from prison. Using impeccable presentation skills, he was able to shore up South Africa's image as one of peace, liberation, and tolerance. This was achieved through his many speeches at the UN and at home, visits from foreign dignitaries and perhaps most famously his choice to support the Springboks at the 1995 World Cup. Many people in South Africa saw the historically white rugby team the Springboks as a symbol of apartheid. However, Nelson Mandela was able to unite the country through the Springboks for the first time in its history, cumulating in their 1995 world cup victory over New Zealand. In a post-match interview , a journalist asked team captain Francois Pienaar what it was like in the stadium having the support of 60,000 South African fans. Francois replied, “We didn’t have 60,000 South Africans, we had 43 million South Africans.”

The importance of communication in business

So far we have looked at communication on the world stage, but how about its importance to organisations?

For John Hooker, at Carnegie Mellon University, communication is fundamental in business, because business is a collaborative activity .  Ayub, Manaf, and Hamzah, meanwhile, argue that leadership is the backbone of any organisation and that effective leadership is underpinned by good models of communication that can provide clear direction and instil loyalty in workers. Finally, Groysberg and Slind, at the Harvard Business Review, state that shifts in organisational leadership models have put communication dynamics at the centre of business thinking. They state that new forms of technology, production and wider shifts in society have altered the traditional corporate top-down structure of industry. This means that managers and leaders can no longer dictate outcomes to their subordinates. Instead, traditional communication must give way to a process that is more dynamic and sophisticated. They argue that while physical proximity between leaders and workers is not always possible, mental and emotional proximity is. They especially stress the value of leaders who know how to listen. In essence, to focus on conversation over commands.

Effective communication is essential to good leadership, both within organisations and at the global level. For Nelson Mandela communication was the key to him becoming an effective leader and orator. This was something that was only made possible through his communication skills acting as a conduit for his considerable knowledge and empathy. The combination of KCE helped him become one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. In the sphere of business, we have also seen that there is no shortage of research that supports the importance of communication both in leadership and managing organisations. That is why at GIFT we advocate the importance of Communication, alongside Knowledge and Empathy as key components of effective leadership. This is something we incorporate into the leadership programmes that we run throughout the year that provide a platform for practice and feedback loops as well.

If you are interested in learning more about how we develop communication skills, amongst other qualities, check out our programmes below or get in touch.

For more information see: GIFT Leadership Development