Do you ever feel like your team doesn’t listen to your instructions? Or that they don’t really care about the work? You can probably relate to these feelings. That’s because communication is hard, and it can be even harder as a manager. It’s not easy making sure everyone understands what you mean when you ask someone to do something or tell them how important their work is. However, by working on your communication skills, you’ll become a much more effective manager. A more able one too! According to researchers from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, a lack of organizational trust was the most common reason for poor communication in organizations. But don’t worry, there are ways to improve this aspect and create an environment where everyone feels comfortable talking openly and honestly with their colleagues. Check out these 6 effective communication strategies for managers
Effective Communication Strategies
Talk to your team regularly
Keeping communication lines open is essential in any type of team or organization. You never know when someone might have a brilliant idea, or have a question about a project. Keeping communication lines open will allow your team to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, and also allow you to check up on them more frequently. This will also help you detect team members who may be struggling with their workload or someone who may be in need of assistance.
Always be building relationships
It’s important to keep building relationships within your team. Effective managers always look for ways to connect with their team and create a supportive, open atmosphere where communication is encouraged. This can be done through one-on-one meetings, informal gatherings, or even conversations over a cup of coffee. While you’re at it, why not see if you can invite one or two members to join you for a cup of coffee every now and then. It can feel very unnatural at first, but it’s a really useful way to build relationships and get to know each other better. Not only that, but it’s a great opportunity to discuss work with someone who may be well-informed and provide useful feedback.
Don’t speak before you listen
No matter how experienced you are as a manager, you’ll make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from these mistakes, and not make the same ones again. When you’re first starting out as a manager, it can be tempting to try and lead the team in discussions and have them follow your lead. However, this is never a good idea. Instead, you need to listen to your team members before you try to have an active role in discussions. This way, you’ll build trust and create a more comfortable environment for everyone. If you feel like you need to have a discussion with your team, try and find a time when you have more room to do so. For example, you could try setting aside a specific time during your weekly meeting. This can make it much easier for everyone to listen to what you have to say.
Show that you care by taking a moment to explain your reasoning
Managers who take the time to explain their reasoning behind decisions and actions will set a great example for their team members. It can be easy to forget exactly why you’re doing certain things, so it’s important to take time and explain your reasoning behind every decision. The best way to do this is to take a break from your workflow, and write down your reasons. Then, try and explain them to your team. Human beings are often unable to fully explain things with words, so using diagrams, images, or even a pen and paper can really help.
Be willing to re-evaluate your communication strategy
Communication strategies need to be evolving as well as evolving. It’s important to re-evaluate your communication strategy as a manager. Now, while you don’t want to make a complete overhaul, it is useful to take a step back and see if there’s something you’re doing that may not be working out. For example, maybe you’ve been trying to speak to your team members too much. If this is the case, it may be worth scaling back on the amount of times you speak to each person. Instead, try and find a few times during the day/week where you can have a quick chat with each person.
Stay flexible and be open to feedback.
When you’re re-evaluating your communication strategy as a manager, it can be useful to take some of your strategies and try them out with your team members. This can be particularly useful if you’ve recently changed your communication style. Try and have a few conversations with your team members during these initial stages. That way, you can gather some useful feedback that can help you re-define your communication style. It can also be helpful to try out new strategies with your team members ahead of time. This way, when you’re in a situation where you need to use them, you’ll have some experience under your belt.
Conclusion
Communication isn’t easy, but it can be really useful as a manager. That’s why it’s so important to keep building relationships with your team members, and re-evaluating your communication strategy. It can also be useful to try a few out new strategies with your team members before you need to use them. By doing this, you can make sure that you’re comfortable using them. And that you’re not getting into any awkward situations where you feel like you’re being forced to talk. If you keep these communication strategies in mind, you’ll have a much more effective team.
