Improving your communication as a manager and understanding your team’s preferences

When talking to my assistant about writing this blog she laughed and said, ‘that will be easy you’re great at communicating!’. What she really meant is that I like to talk. There’s a huge difference between talking and communicating.

As a child I was called a chatterbox. As an adult I recognise that I have a strong extrovert preference which means I like to think out loud, voicing my ideas to see how they sound and the reaction they receive. I share details on something new I am learning as a way of embedding the information; also known as teach to learn. When I’m training I like to tell stories and give examples to bring theory to life.

So although I like to talk, talking is only one part of our communications skillset. There is so much more to the art of communication and being an effective communicator.

Talking

I’ve mentioned talking or verbal communication but take a moment to consider how you verbally communicate.

• Do you use few or many words?
• Do you create a vision, or share data?
• Do you talk about facts and figures, or do you prefer stories and anecdotes?
• How much time do you spend transmitting or are you asking questions?
• What is the purpose of your communication, are you sharing information, giving an instruction, trying to understand something better or are you trying to create a connection?

It’s useful to spend some time observing your communication style so that you understand what you do naturally and where you may have some gaps or need to flex your style for others.

Listening

This one is more difficult for me, I’m not a naturally good listener and I have to work much harder at it.

Often, we listen just enough so that we can respond, picking up key words and then immediately thinking about what we want to say on the subject rather than actively listening. Active listening requires you to listen attentively to the speaker, reflect on what’s being said and retain the information rather than just waiting for your turn to speak.

When we are present and doing nothing but being engaged with what the other person is saying we reap benefits in both what we hear and learn and also how we make the speaker feel.

How good are you at listening? Think again about your own listening habits and preferences.

Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication involves using body language to communicate and can include gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact, among other things.

This is where active listening can add value to any communication. Have you ever been in a conversation when the words and the body language don’t match? This may be as simple as someone telling you they are fine when their body language is giving an entirely different message.

As a manager, listening to what a person is saying with their body language can help you to be a more effective and supportive manager. It can signal that you need to ask more questions or observe someone that may be struggling but for whatever reason isn’t or hasn’t asked for help.

Writing

The use of written communication has increased with the use of technology. It is quick and convenient, however it is also more easily misinterpreted.

• Take a moment to reflect on your written style of communication.
• Do you prefer to send and receive things in writing rather than having a conversation?
• Do you often send one-word answers on text or WhatsApp?
• Do you like to write very long emails packed full of data and spreadsheets?
• Are you an angry key board warrior or do you write those angry emails and save them in your drafts until you’ve cooled down?

Understanding Communication Styles

As a manager have you ever experienced your team saying they understand how to undertake a task only to find the outcome completely different to what you envisaged?

Your communication style is only one part of the equation. Once you understand your own preferences, you need to consider what your team prefer to really be able to communicate effectively.

Let’s pick a scenario that as a people manager you hopefully do on quite a regular basis. Consider for a moment how you communicate objectives to your team.

Are you a big picture, visionary thinker so you keep your communications at a broad level, describing your ideas as a picture?

This may be your preferred communication style but what if your team prefer detail and like a plan with structure, milestones, and processes?

Your communication style could be what is holding your team’s performance back.

Consider what works best for each individual in your team. Take some time to observe your team and have a conversation with them about how they like to be communicated with. The results of this may mean you need to communicate objectives more than once and use more than one style of communication, but at least you know the message is getting through.

For example, the more extroverted members of your team may prefer the big picture and want the time to talk through ideas in the moment. Whereas introverts prefer to observe the conversation and reflect. You can follow up with these once they’ve had time to consider the information they have, read through material available or do more research. Cater to all preferences and encourage questions to be asked both face-to-face and in writing before you reconvene to re-state the message with any changes.

This sounds like more work, and it will take more time, however the results mean that your entire team will be more engaged and better connected to the objectives as you have flexed your style to meet their needs.

And remember, the next time something doesn’t go according to plan, consider how well you communicated before you assume the worst.

If you would like to know more about your communication style, take a look at Insights Discovery. It provides you with a report which reflects your communication style and helps you to better understand your teams communication preferences.

Click here to find out more.