The Manager Superpower: Communication
Optimize team management in minutes with ManageBetter. Start your free trial now and join Uber and Microsoft in boosting performance, gathering insights, and generating reviews—all AI-powered, no writing required.
As a manager, it is an essential part of your job to be able to effectively communicate with the team and employees. You must be able to get your message across for all to understand. Communication goes beyond simply telling people what to do. You must be able to confirm their understanding and make sure the message is received.
Importance of Communication
Managers are given the task of communicating information and tasks to their employees. It is also important that managers share company information and goals in a meaningful way. With all of this information, it is crucial that meeting time is used effectively to convey group messages. Communication is also necessary to improve the trust of the team. The way you convey thoughts, feedback, and tasks to employees extend beyond simply speaking or sending an email. Consider the following risks of poor communication:
Uncompleted tasks
Misunderstanding of job responsibilities
Low attendance at an important meeting
Confusion regarding a due date
Lack of relationship between the team
These risks can be detrimental to the performance of the employees and can ultimately lead to low retention and decreased productivity. Communication is essential to make sure that employees feel supported and can complete their tasks with lower levels of stress.
See more: Subscribe to The Thougthful Leader newsletter to discover exceptional leadership insights to elevate your team's performance
Why is My Current Communication Method Failing?
Every manager conducts their communication differently. However, employees can mishear messages or be confused regarding tasks under the following conditions:
The employee did not hear you
In the hustle and bustle of office life, an employee might not hear you if you are speaking about an important topic in a noisy environment. In these situations, they may have missed bits of the assignment or comment and therefore were unable to meet your expectations.
The employee does not remember the conversation
If the conversation occurred in the past, the employee may not recall some of the details. This can happen particularly when the information is not repeated.
The employee was extremely busy and overwhelmed when you previously spoke to them
When the employee has a huge workload on a specific day, they may not be able to provide full attention to the conversation. This can also happen when the employee has experienced strong emotions, such as happiness or stress, and similarly does not hear the full conversation.
How Can I Improve Communication?
When you are experiencing instances of frequent miscommunication with your employees, consider employing the following tactics to make sure your employee understands your message thoroughly.
Encourage your employees to take handwritten notes during team meetings
If you are having a meeting with your team about important tasks and goals, have your employees take handwritten notes instead of using devices. This will allow more focus on the information being presented and will increase the likelihood of better understanding.
Look for body language
Employees will tend to nod or maintain eye contact when they are listening to you. Make sure you recognize these cues to ensure the message is being received.
Follow up with reminders about important information
Consider sending an email or message to your employees about something important you mentioned to them. This can include using an online board to list the employee’s tasks or a group calendar that marks important dates. Therefore, the employee will have another place where this information is presented in case they need to refer back.
Ask clarifying questions
In group settings or one-on-one meetings, use questions to engage with the employees and confirm understanding. Encourage your employees to repeat back their interpretations of the task or goals to make sure they understand.
Conclusion
Communicating effectively is a critical skill in being a successful manager. Making sure to engage with your employees to confirm their understanding is necessary. Simply stating something to an employee will not always work. Consider repeating tasks and following up on another platform, like email, to make sure the employee retains the information.
Sharpen Your Leadership Edge: Join 3,000+ executives receiving weekly, actionable insights from industry experts. Subscribe free to The Thoughtful Leader and elevate your team's performance.
