Patrick Alain

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, innovativeness, 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 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.

About the Author

Patrick Alain is the author of The Quick and Easy Performance Appraisal Phrase Book now available in stores and on Amazon.com

With this book, not only do you learn how communication skills for leaders and managers come into handy, but also how you can gain them and use them to further your goals!