Poor communication costs businesses on average $12,506 annually per employee. This can be a crippling cost for small businesses. For larger organizations, it can have a similar impact on a large workforce.
A growing number of businesses are investing in communication training for their executives as a strategy to improve operational efficiency and achieve long-term success.
What does effective communication training look like? And how can you make sure your leaders speak confidently and clearly?
Leadership Communication Training: Core Focuses
To train leaders to speak with confidence and clarity, it is important that they understand and implement a few key principles:
Create a sense control
Confidence is a sign of control. This can have a strong impact on others. Leaders who are composed, clear, and focused will be more trusted by the public.
Communication training should be focused on the mindset and delivery of messages to help leaders achieve this feeling of control.
Begin by gaining self-awareness. Encourage leaders to consider how they respond when under pressure, and to identify triggers which may affect their composure. Techniques like breathing control, mental pauses, and grounding exercises will help leaders remain calm and centered, even during high-pressure discussions.
Then, pay attention to the tone and body language. Leaders need to be taught how to keep eye contact, make purposeful gestures and maintain an open posture. The tone of their voice should be assertive and measured, with a varied pace and appropriate pauses for emphasising key points. These nonverbal signals convey confidence and authority.
Preparation is crucial. Leaders that know their material, anticipate questions and are confident by nature will be more successful. To help them communicate clearly, equip them with communication frameworks like the “PREP method” (Point, Reasons, Examples, Points) that are structured.
Promoting simplicity through clarity
Leaders may feel under pressure to show their expertise using complex jargon, or by providing excessive details. This approach can backfire, confusing the audience, and diluting your core message.
Clarity is the key to effective communication. Leaders should be trained in this area. Encourage them to communicate their ideas clearly and concisely in a language that their audience can understand. It may require distilling complex ideas into easy to understand insights and focusing only on the most important takeaways. But it is a skill which will ensure that the message gets across loudly and clearly, without confusion.
Understanding your audience
Communication in business is a skill that leaders must master. They need to be able to customize their message for their audience. Each setting requires a different tone and structure.
Leaders should be taught to take into account not only the message, but also the audience’s expectations, knowledge, and priorities. Technical jargon, for example, may be appropriate when speaking to peers in an internal meeting but could create confusion or alienation with clients or stakeholders.
They take the time to understand who they are talking to and adjust their message accordingly. Strong communicators choose language, examples and delivery styles which resonate with the specific group. You can help leaders deliver their messages with precision and impact by incorporating this audience-first mentality into communication training.
Leadership Communication Techniques that are Confident and Clear
Leaders must speak with authority and impact, not just carefully planned messages. Also, they need tools to effectively deliver these messages. These techniques will help leaders to project confidence, remain composed and connect with their audiences.
Use nerves to your advantage
Leaders should learn to channel their nerves productively, rather than try to eradicate them completely. If managed effectively, a manageable amount of nervous energy can sharpen focus and improve performance.
Introduce practical breathing techniques, such as the 4-7-8 technique, which involves inhaling for four second, holding it for seven seconds, and then exhaling eight, to help calm nerves prior to speaking. This technique calms your mind and slows down the heartbeat. It also allows you to deliver your speech with more confidence.
The power of a pause
Learn to pause. It’s one of the most effective ways to communicate.
Strategic pausing gives leaders the opportunity to gather their thoughts, to draw attention to themselves, and to create space to deliver key messages.
Speaking too quickly may indicate nervousness or a lack of preparation. Leaders can demonstrate control and composure by deliberately slowing down. This technique improves the clarity of your message and gives listeners more time to absorb key points. Encourage leaders to use deliberate pausing as a regular practice. This will help them refine their delivery, and command the audience with greater presence.
Confident body language
Nonverbal communication can often speak louder than words. Leaders should be aware of the impact that eye contact, posture and gestures have on how their message will be received.
Amy Cuddy, a Harvard psychologist, has found that adopting ‘power poses’ before entering a space can boost confidence and reduce anxiety. Simple actions such as straightening your spine and keeping shoulders forward can have a positive impact on mental state and audience perception. Crossed arms, fidgeting or a slouched position can signal dissatisfaction and undermine credibility.
Communication training should also include feedback on nonverbal signals to help leaders present a confident, strong presence in any setting. Leaders who are trained to maintain eye contact, make open gestures and stand tall to show confidence and authenticity will be better equipped for grabbing attention and being heard.
Leaders can practice these techniques in workshops, coaching sessions, mentoring sessions or on their own. Some techniques come more naturally to others, while others may need time to perfect. It does not mean that leadership is poor; it simply means that everyone has different abilities.
Investing In Leaders & Your Organization
It’s worth investing in leaders to improve their communication skills. Poor communication is costly and it’s important that you focus on this aspect. You can choose to have the training in-house or opt for an online communication coach that focuses on specific areas. This will help leaders speak confidently and clearly in any situation or role they may find themselves.
These vocal skills are valuable to your organization, and will have a positive impact on communication across the board.
