Communication and Effective Leadership

Welcome back to this week’s blog!  Today’s posting will focus on Communication and Effective Leadership. Does a leaders communication skills affect his/her leadership abilities?  And, how and why is it so important? In most cases the lack of communication skills negatively affects a person’s leadership abilities.  Leadership is important for many reasons because it helps develop, inspire and strengthen the core or organizations.  Leaders have impacted the lives of many people whether they know it or not, whether good or bad.  Where can we focus our leadership development? By increasing effective leadership skills and improving performances more leaders may be ready to meet the difficult challenges of effectively leading.  The ultimate goal and voice of leadership is to learn how leaders inspire, influence and achieve results.  Leadership and communication goes hand-in-hand with success.  In preparing for leadership roles we must remember that our goal is to motivate others to achieve.

In today’s demanding and critical work environments, CEO’s, President’s, managers and other frontline supervisors are constantly challenged to find new and innovative ways to promote a cohesive working environment that fosters an atmosphere for effective communication.   In working to find this common ground, leaders can sometimes hinder the communication process if their leadership skills and abilities are lacking.  Many of the communication pitfalls that wreck relationships come from poor leadership abilities and the inability to influence people.  We tend to be slow to listen and quick to speak our minds, which often results in confusion.  In these tough economic climates good leadership traits are essential for organizational success.  Focusing on internal and external communication skills could prove to be vital in achieving communication goals and objectives.

How Do We Communicate?

One of the most important elements of any successful team is open and honest communication with each other.  The sharing of opinions and information are certain to open the air ways of communication.  Excellent communication between employers and employees is an important channel of communication.  Communication is more than just our ability to talk, but also our ability to listen.  As we communicate with each other, the first part of the process is listening and in order to fully understand the communication process, we must be diligent in seeking understanding and learn how to become active listeners.  We should also examine the manner in which we communicate with each other.  Our forms of communication should always be presented in a professional manner.  We should also be aware of our body language and facial expressions as we communicate to others.  These areas are often time responsible for the breakdown in communication. We should develop a certain level of awareness where this is concerned.

Let’s talk about the different ways we can foster effective communication within a team or organization. It is very important that we cultivate an atmosphere where individuals feel at ease and we inspire them to commit to better communicating.  Taking the time to schedule regular face to face meetings with the entire team or organization, encouraging communication between other employees, listening to what each other has to say and encouraging questions are some techniques that have been incorporated within my organization.  We must provide an example to others to aspire to and allow the atmosphere to break down barriers.  Encourage honest communication for the purpose of correcting what isn’t working, create anonymous ways to gather data, so people will feel comfortable in coming forward with important information.  Reward employees who can communicate problems intelligently.  All of these techniques have been suggested within an organization that I am affiliated.

We should also be aware of our verbal communication, “which is used to express emotions, to teach and to inspire.  Verbal communication is the exchange of messages using orally spoken words.”  Verbal communication strategies can help to ensure clarity and accuracy of messages being exchanged.  Think about what you are going to say before you say it because often time the message can be unorganized and lacking in clarity without some thought, which results in more confusion.

Multimedia Communication

In today’s advanced and tech savvy society, the concept of multimedia is very present in the communication arena.  People communicate through a variety of ways through multimedia.  What is multimedia communications? It is referred to as communications through media, such as phones, email, television, magazines, newspapers, web, podcasts, blogs and text and any other format of relaying information.  Basic multimedia communication is the technology that covers a wide range of multimedia devices, such as sound cards and graphic cards that permits users to create visual presentations that output sound and/or images.  Multimedia usually means that combination of two or more continuous media namely audio and video. The role of multimedia in communication is to combine text, audio and video to communicate a message. 

Internal & External Communication

Internal communication involves the communication that exists within an organization.  It is the function of responsibility for effective communication among participants within an organization.  Why is internal communication so important?  Effective internal communication is one of the key enables of employee engagement and key to the success within.   Most experts on organizations, management and leaders say that there cannot be too much communication. 

External communication is the process of exchanging information and messages between organizations, groups or individuals outside a structure.  The goals of external communication are to facilitate cooperation from outside groups and to present a good image to potential customers.

How well we listen to others and what we say and what we don’t say can strengthen or damage the very relationships that we try to mend.  As we strive for better communication we have to work on understanding others and being understood, which may be the essence of good communication.  The leadership skills of management attract a stream of criticism and are often not forgotten.  Different strategies are required to cope with the ever changing social climate which requires new, fresh and innovated ideas.  As times are changing and new and younger leaders emerge the focus on social change is greater.  This generation of communicators recognizes the diversity needed to make a difference and embrace the constant change. 

Effective Listening

Effective Listening

Welcome back to my blog! This week’s post will focus on an interesting subject "Effective Listening".   Have you ever found yourself to be in a position where you felt as if there was a breakdown in communication with someone you were trying to communicate with? Is it possible that the breakdown came because of the lack of ones listening skills?  Most of us believe that we listen well but studies have shown that this skill is one that we lack the most.  Effective listening is a very important aspect in effective communication.  They both go hand and hand in the communication process.

Let's examine what we mean by effective listening.  Effective Listening requires us to put forth an effort to acknowledge and to understand what others are trying to communicate to us.  It allows the receiver to understanding the content and the emotions behind what is being said.  Is listening a natural skill or does it require some work and nourishment?  Some say it is a natural skill but can be cultivated and improved upon.    We listen to gain knowledge and understanding or even to just acquire some kind of information. Expressing our feelings, wants, needs and expectations clearly and effectively are only part of the communication process.  The other part is listening and understanding.  

There are benefits to listening effectively, you will get more information from the people you manage, may increase the amount of trust your employees have in you and reduce conflicts and misunderstandings.  It builds trust, it brings about credibility and support.  Why does effective listening matter? To some degree effective listening can be closely related to effective leadership.    Within this whole spectrum of communication and leadership many facets work together to form this entire process.   How do we become a better listener?  Become interested in the conversation, involve yourself by responding to what is being said, evaluate the message and most importantly neutralize your feelings about the matter at hand.

So does how we communicate effect how we listen?  I believe so, sometimes there are barriers that hinder us from actively listening to what someone else has to say.  Those barriers can include hearing your point of view or your side and no one else’s, trying to think of rebuttals to what is being said or even just not being engaged in the conversation. 

In my opinion, effective communication and listening exist between two people when the receiver interprets the sender’s message in the way it was intended.  Developing good listening skills will encourage success and speaking from personal experience others tend to respect those who listen well.

 

Opinion Leaders: Who Are They and How are They Developed

Opinion Leaders: Who Are They and How are They developed?

Welcome back to my blog!  This week’s topic will focus on Opinion Leaders.  Let’s define who or what an opinion leader is: An opinion leader is one who sifts through ideas and information in order to provide guidance to the public.  The people that business leaders turn to or look for guidance to as things change according to a particular industry.  They are agents of change who more than likely are active, savvy media users.  According to the Washington Post, “Opinion Leaders shape business and industries, influence study and debate, spread ideas, expand the conversation and affect policy decisions”.    

Have you ever thought how and why some people have the influence that they have?  What makes these individuals highly sought after for their opinions? Is it because they are good sales people, or have they been trained and groomed to highly influential? Or, perhaps do they just believe passionately in everything they promote?   But what makes a person so valuable? What qualities does a person possess to make them this esteemed opinion leader?    These are all questions that come to mind when I think about how an opinion leader becomes who they are.  Simon Sinek said it best when he said “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.  He says that you inspire organizations on how they think, act and communicate from the inside out, not the outside in. Meaning that people buy into your purpose, your cause and your beliefs.  These things are major factors in becoming an influential person. All and all there must be a certain level of integrity, trust, and reliability in a person to even begin to be seen by its peers as an opinion leader.

Because this study is so interesting to me, I asked some of my co-workers what characteristics or qualities they thought an opinion leader should possess?  It was very interesting to hear them respond with such qualities like the following: have strong charisma, they must be forward thinkers, visionaries, have people skills, be persuasive, be risk takers, like to talk, be self-confident and in general be innovative people. Another important quality of an opinion leader is they must have a lot of exposure to different things.  The more you are exposed to the better and wider the range of choices you have or broader view you have to the worldwide.   

Looking back over time, I have always been intrigued by individuals who have this skill or this innate influential trait and ability to lead and influence a group of people. I ask the question, are these people born with the ability or is something that is learned and cultivated over a period of time? Some say this ability you are born with and others believe that it can be a learned behavior.  I personally believe that this is something that can be learned.

There are different types of opinion leaders in various business and industries.    Let’s examine some examples of opinion leaders like pastors, mayors, governors, other elected officials, principals, president’s and others.  Thinking back on the position that each of these individuals hold, what did they have to influence the people? In my opinion it is so hard to actually put this ability into words.  I feel that you can’t describe it but you know it when it’s in your presence.  Before entering into a class on Media and Leadership, I didn’t actually know that this group of people were referred to as “opinion leaders”.  I referred to them as leaders in general and as I think about the definition of opinion leaders what better category to describe them.  I value being connected to this type of individual, not because of materialistic reasons, fame or fortune but because of their ability to inspire change and cause action.  Not all people know or even care about inspiring others to make a change and be present in life decisions. Being an influential member of society should be a goal for the average person.   An opinion leader reaches a mass number of audiences and has a major impact on decision making.

In an article I once read it stated that one reason organizations or other entities have such an issue with getting people to listen to them is because the audience doesn’t believe in them. We should remember this as we strive to be leaders.

Are you an opinion leader? How do you get good people to listen to you?

Introduction & Background

Wow! Me a blogger, I never would have imagined in a million years that at this point in my life I would add yet another skill to my resume…Blogger…

Welcome to my BlogSpot, I am Shearese Gipson, graduate student attending Troy University majoring in Strategic Communications.  My plans are to complete the program by fall 2015.  I received my undergraduate degree, several years ago, in Human Resource Management from Faulkner University, Montgomery, Alabama.    

I am currently employed at a local technical college and hope to utilize the knowledge gained from my graduate studies as a stepping stone to impact organizational communication with my organization as well as improving my communication skills as a whole.  I am also a licensed Realtor for the State of Alabama and will use the knowledge gained as an intricate part of my marketing strategies.  Somehow, after school and work I find time to be an active member of my church where I serve as the Marketing and Public Relations leader among other duties.   I feel that my studies will definitely enhance my ability to effectively serve in that capacity.  I have a passion to connect with others, to effectively reach individuals where they are and to learn how to strategically promote ideas. 

My blog will focus on strategic communication, what it means exactly and the ever changing media outlets from radio, television, print, email, twitter, Instagram, Facebook, IM, PDA’s, etc. and how the trends are constantly changing.  I believe these trends have heavily influenced how we connect with others.  We will definitely elaborate more on this as we move through the course.  I plan to post weekly regarding this and other related topics to leadership and communication.

I welcome your feedback and constructive criticism, as this is the very first blog I have ever created.  My blog address is shearesegipson.blogspot.com.  I look forward to conversing with you throughout this term and others to come.  I truly hope that there is something said on my blog that will help cultivate effective and strategic communication as we consider new ideas.