Your Leadership Success Hinges on Communication Habits

Being a leader means setting direction, making tough decisions, and managing an audience. Yes, you read that right: responsible for an audience. Employees don’t do what they’re told. They are people who evaluate and react to how you communicate your intent and direction. They are influenced by what you say and what they perceive, which impacts their performance.

I’ve had the privilege of observing several leaders from various organisation and industries and can quickly decipher their audience commitment. Some are on point, hyper aware of making sure their people are at ease, that they’re accessible, and they understand that whatever they do will send positive or negative ripples through their organisation. On the other side of the spectrum there are leaders who are told to address a topic, but by the end of the presentation their focus migrates to what they’re doing, feeling, and what they’re interested in. The great differentiator is their communication habits which highlight whether the leader is focused on the audience or themselves.

I differentiate this as a habit, and not a skill, because someone can know what they should do — understand the science and techniques — but habits wiggle out when the unexpected happens, when one’s more tired, or when they feel forced to address something that is of little importance to them: self-interest emerges. Habits are formed through choice and to develop constructive habits one must choose to be better, acknowledge a behaviour needs to change, and set objectives. Baseline self is focused inwards, especially when you’re a leader with a lot on your plate, with many demands. However you need focus your attention outwards to reach your audience and the following points outline 5 comms habits to help you achieve this:

Fill Information Gaps

• The brain is a prediction machine focused on safety, and when there are information gaps or inconsistent behaviour (i.e. the leader does one thing and says another) people assess and weigh up the dissonance until they discern an explanation that fits their understanding and past experiences. Moreover, if you’ve known about this concept or change for weeks and this is their first time hearing it, you’ll need to set a relatable foundation/premise to lead them to the level of understanding you’ve built up over time. By focusing on what your audience needs you’ll paint a full picture, preventing confusion and scepticism while encouraging full participation and performance.

Drop The Jargon

• Crafting what your audience needs to hear with words that resonate saves both you and them time and patience. Different areas have differing vocabulary and you need to shift the verbiage to achieve something meaningful and sticky. For example, if you’ve spent months working on a new strategy with your leadership team, you’ve invested time and energy developing what the words mean for you, however they won’t have the same meaning for your audience. Personalising the communication to the group’s language preferences will increase understanding and the alignment you need.

Ensure Content Relevance

• Is what you’re sharing of interest to your people. Do they have a reason to care about what you’re saying? If your content isn’t relevant than they’re not likely to remember what you said or follow through with your ask. Before you finalise a presentation or email sense check each part for the audience’s ‘What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)?’. If you can pin point and shift content focus to what matters to them they’ll have a reason to listen and remember.

Establish 2 Way Communication

• Communication is more impactful when people feel they’re involved in a conversation. Speaking at people is one dimensional and doesn’t allow you to test if they accept or understand what you’re sharing. A conversation enables deeper engagement by building trust and it provides an opportunity to confirm that the message resonates with the audience. Furthermore, it’s a chance to demonstrate authenticity through imperfection and build trust as you’re allowing yourself to be vulnerable, stepping into a scenario where you only have control over your reaction. Please note, this is a habit that should be built up slowly over time: conversations are a dance and you need to make sure the trust and willingness to engage is reciprocated to achieve the benefits of 2 way communication with your staff.

Have A Sounding Board

• Identify someone in the target group to test content and ensure it resonates, especially when identifying the WIIFM. As a professional communicator I test my material ALL THE TIME. Getting a second opinion is best practice and builds your insight and understanding of how an audience ticks.

Human beings seek stability, relatability and relevant conversation and as a leader it’s imperative that you respect the amount of power you have by investing and improving your your outwardly focused comms habits. Take the time to test your content, recognise you can’t do it alone, and view it as an investment in your leadership success.

Book recommendations

• Neuroscience for Organisational Change by Hilary Scarlett
• Beyond the Babble by Bob Matha & Macy Boehm

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Rebecca Sangster-Kelly is a Communications specialist and CIPR Member, who works across Energy, Public Sector and Pharma. She leads Chaucer’s Communication’s Practice and delivers strategic and leadership communications for clients. Her current focus is the Digital Space, helping Agile Squads, Product Owners, and Leaders communicate with their audiences. She has an MA in International Relations, and is completing an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, using this knowledge to bring a cross-disciplinary understanding to the topics of Communications, Change Management and Stakeholder Management.