The Leader as Communicator Can you imagine an effective leader who is not an eff

Question

The Leader as Communicator

Can you imagine an effective leader who is not an effective communicator? Leadership communication skills are very important. Some would call effective communication the most important leadership competency. Without the skills of effective communication, you will not be an effective leader, especially in this complex, fast-paced environment.

It is important for the leader to create an environment of open communication where ideas, solutions, and problems can all be discussed without fear. When employees understand that communication is open and encouraged, they will perform better.

online library resources, and the Internet, research communication competencies required for leaders.

Then, respond to the following:

What are some key communication competencies needed in leaders today?

Is individual communication more important than group or mass communication? Why or why not?

List 2–4 strategies that leaders can use to improve their individual communication skills. Which method is most important? Why?

Write your initial response in 300–500 words.

Explanation / Answer

The key communication competencies required for leaders today includes active listening which is essential to ensure effective leadership. Current generation admires leaders who can respond to both verbal and nonverbal communication by concentrating on the speaker and providing feedbacks during the conversation. This is possible only through developing active listening skills.

Another competency required is the ability to adapt to the situations. An effective leader should be able to choose the communication style suitable for the situation to impress the audience.

Another competency required is the use of appropriate actions including body postures, hand movements and facial expressions during the communication. The body movements reflect the confidence and values of the leader and hence the leader should use them effectively.

Another competency required is to communicate in clear language. The listeners would not prefer the leaders who cannot express the ideas in clear language.

In my opinion both individual and group communication are important for an effective leader. A leader should show good communication skill while communicating individually or communicating to a group because the leader is a center for attraction for all the time and the followers are always watching the methods followed by leader. The leader should set an example through his/her actions and exhibit the values irrespective of whether the communication is individual or group.

The strategies leaders can use to improve communication skill includes incorporating active listening in communication, ensure to provide clear verbal communication to the listeners, effective utilization of body language while communicating and adopt the strategy to change the style according to the audience. These methods will help the leader to be more effective while communicating individually.

In my opinion, the important method among the listed is the method where the leader changes his style according to the audience. Individual communication involves face to face communication between the leader and the follower and the character, capability and behavior of each individual can be different. The leader should be able to change the style accordingly so that he/she can influence the follower effectively and make sure the communication achieves its goals.

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