To be a wonderful leader 10 communication skills matter.

“Who you are is speaking so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Great leaders are excellent communicators. They understand people and say the right things that multiply people’s potential. 

They energize, motivate and inspire with their words and their actions create a precedent worth emulating.

Great communicators are deliberate about engaging people with sincerity and passion.  

Here are 10 things that great communicators do that we can duplicate:

Understanding our audience

Great leaders are modest. They don’t worry about impressing people with their insight and wisdom. They focus on delivering a message that’s beneficial for their audience. It’s all about the recipient, even if its constructive criticism.

Understanding body language

Great communicators read people like a book. They pick up on body language and instantly revise their message to invoke the appropriate response. They are masters at adaptation.

Understanding the need to be honest

Great leaders are honest and understand the importance of telling the truth. When you weave a web of lies it’s impossible to categorize fact from fiction. Honesty builds trust and trust builds loyalty. 

 “You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life” - Zig Ziglar

Understanding the need to be genuine

Great communicators don’t create a character for public performance. I’ve told my on-air meteorologists for decades just be yourself. So many people get behind a microphone and become somebody else. Be yourself and you won’t have to remember all the idiosyncrasies of your false identity.

Understand the need to be authoritative

Great leaders get straight to the point. They don’t dance around difficult decisions or vacillate over challenging choices. They speak with conviction!

Understand the need to make everyone feel included

Great leaders don’t play favorites. When they speak to a group, everyone feels included. Everyone feels involved, and no one feels alienated. 

Understand the need to listen

Great communicators understand the art of listening. They appreciate the importance of hearing what the other person has to say so they can better understand their feelings. They aren’t preoccupied with contemplating their next sentence. They listen attentively to appreciate the other persons perspective.

Understand the need to apologize

Great leaders admit their mistakes and they do it immediately. They are always accountable and maintain integrity. They don’t sit around hoping their mistake slips through the cracks. They own it immediately and move on without fanfare of drama.

 “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you” - Dale Carnegie

Understand the importance of feedback

Great communicators don’t assume people understood everything they said. They appreciate interpretation is highly subjective. They follow up and confirm their message was understood. If it wasn’t, they seek affirmation without blaming someone for being stupid. 

Understanding the word proactive

Great leaders stay ahead of gossip and innuendo. They share unpleasant news in a timely fashion and provide details to ensure goals are executed properly. There’s no misunderstanding about focus and direction, those things are communicated clearly.    

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said” - Peter Drucker

Sum it up

Great communicators personified honesty, trust, authenticity and humility. They are great listeners and they are master communicators because they value people.  

What other qualities make communicators great? Please like and share this article and include your thoughts in the comments section below. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the post program Anatomy of Success. Please reach out and connect with Steve on LinkedIn!“Who you are is speaking so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying” - Ralph Waldo Emerson