What is Communication Skills
Communication
skills are key to achieving any goal or enabling any process. A leader with
great ideas and strong skill is of little or no use if he is unable to
communicate his thoughts, opinions and plans to the team following him. Vision,
command, innovation, bravery and foresight are all indispensable traits of a
good leader. However, these strengths are hardly handy if the person isn’t able
to get his ideas across to the others clearly, succinctly and passionately
enough for them to understand, appreciate and be inspired to complete the task
at hand.
Organizational
communication skills are one of the most important qualities of a leader. It is
essential to be a good a communicator in order to be able to build positive
interpersonal relationships, prompt trust and faith amongst one another and
create an atmosphere of belongingness and teamwork, which then facilitates a
loyalty towards the team and the organization and a willingness to work well.
If one
is to spend time turning the pages of history, there is one thing that all
noteworthy leaders, from Adolf Hitler to Napoleon Bonaparte have in common. No,
we’re not talking about short stature! We’re talking about their unparalleled
communication skills. The greatest leaders of all time have not only been able
to put their point across, but have done so in a manner than has created a fire
in the hearts and souls of the listeners. While we don’t personally ascribe to
any one leader’s policies or doctrines, one cannot ignore the fact that men who
have the power to sway the hearts and minds of others with mere words, deserve
some respect as orators.
Strong
communication skills are not only important for the leaders to be able to show
their teams how to accomplish the task at hand, but also for them to be able to
receive ideas, thoughts, opinions, feedback and more from the followers
themselves. A person with great communication skills is well versed in both
tongues: that of words and that of silence.
Learning
how to be a wonderful communicator is a two-tiered process. One has to know
which words to use, when to use them and how to use them in order to make the
maximum impact on the minds of the listeners. Even more importantly, one has to
learn how to maintain silence and listen, when the party on the other end has
something valuable to offer.
A leader
is only as strong or as weak as the faith of his people in him. Powerful
communication skills enable the leader to establish a rapport with his people
and stay connected with their opinions and feelings. A leader who is in touch
with all that his followers are thinking and experiencing is more likely to
succeed than a leader who marches on to his own tune, nary a care as to what
his followers might be trying to tell him.
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