This is a very common challenge. As a leader, you must be able to effectively communicate with everyone on your team. And you must create a culture where effective communication is prioritized. When this isn’t the case, the team experiences frustration, conflict, confusion and reduction in productivity.  

If this is something you are working on, here are some things to try:

1. Ask for feedback. Meet with each of your team members and ask for their input. Start this conversation with something like, “I am working on communicating better and wanted to ask for your help. How can I communicate more effectively with you?” And really listen to their responses. Ask clarifying follow up questions like, “What would work better for you?”

This does a couple of things. When you sincerely ask for help, people want to help. You send a message to your team that professional development is important. This will encourage them to keep working on their skills too. And when you share that this is something you are working on, they are much more understanding when you miss the mark.

2. Be clear and concise. Effective communication doesn’t mean using ALL the words. Rambling on and on can actually create confusion. Avoid using words or phrases that they may not be familiar with. Make sure your message is easy to understand. And then ask them. “Did I explain that clearly enough?” “Does that make sense?” “What additional information can I provide?”

3. Listen more than you speak. When you really listen to people, you can better understand their motivators, stressors, and what is most important to them. Gaining this better understanding of them will help you identify commonalities so you can relate to them better. In addition, each person has a different perspective and knowledge. Listening gives you access to that information that you can use when making decisions.

4. Adapt to them. Not everyone communicates the same way. Pay attention to the cues they give you so you can adapt how you communicate with them. Are they fast paced? Detail oriented? Task or people focused?  Pay attention to how they communicate with you and you can adjust your communication to best reach them.

5. Address issues early. Leaders can’t avoid difficult conversations. Approach them with honestly, clarity and empathy. But address them. It doesn’t need to be confrontational, especially when you address it early. And the earlier you address it, the more likely you are to correct the issue before it blows up and causes significant damage to the team and to their trust in your abilities to lead.

There is a lot more on communication! I have personally found the DiSC model to be most effective. The practical approach provides really effective techniques, so you best communicate with anyone. If you would like more information or to learn more to see if this would be of benefit to you, reach out!