Effective communication is at the heart of every high-performing team.
It leads to successful projects, engaged colleagues and better decisions.
And communications skills are enjoying a renaissance.
But effective workplace communication can also be tricky in the age of remote work and multiple distractions.
And that is before we even get on to limiting beliefs.
So, how do you build better team communication and improve the communication skills of individual team members?
Dan Boniface and Darren Draper, two of our expert tutors - and hosts of The Sound Leadership Podcast -tackled these questions alongside our CEO, James White, during our latest complimentary webinar, which you can watch here.
And they began by exploring why communication skills have become more crucial.
“Now we have these tools like AI, soft skills – like communication – have become more important,” Darren said.
“It is those deeper conversations we have with the people around us which differentiate ourselves from the machine learning tools.”
So, how can you ensure you and your team are best prepared to communicate?
“Preparation is crucial with any communication,” Dan said.
“You can’t wing it.”
To get this preparation right, Dan recommends using the IMPACT model, which we often cover during our management and leadership training courses.
It stands for Intention, Message, Persona, Audience, Coaching and Timing
Intention: Be clear on the purpose of the communication and the impact it will have on the audience.
Message: What is it you need to say? Have one message and land it. Dan said: “You do this by sticking to the three Cs – clear language, ensuring you are concise, and being consistent.
Persona: This is about the person who delivers the communication. Dan said: “Are they energetic, enthusiastic and passionate? Have they been chosen because they have a lot of knowledge? Understanding this can boost confidence.” Persona is also about ensuring the person delivering the communication makes the right first impression.
Audience: Know who you are talking to. Dan said: “Understand personality types, learning styles and how different people like to receive communication. A reflective learner, for example, may need more time to offer solutions or give feedback. Also, look to remove status – titles are not helpful in communication.”
Coaching: Coach before and after the communication. Dan said: “We often think about communication as an intervention when something has gone slightly wrong. But coaching should be used to help someone get ready to deliver the communication. Help them be clear on the message they need to get across. Run through the communication with them. Our new AI-powered training companion – Thirty Seven – can also help with this.”
Time: Make sure there is time to practice and rehearse the communication. But don’t aim for perfection. Dan said: “Don’t let perfection get in the way of good. We’re all human. We will stumble sometimes or use a few filler words – don’t worry about them.”
James added: “The great thing about this model is you can use it to help prepare someone delivering a piece of comms. But you can also use it as an individual and think about the different elements of the model to help make you a better communicator.”
What about delivering a message you don’t believe in?
No matter how much you prepare, you may find yourself – or someone you coach - needing to communicate a message you are unsure is the right one.
It’s a common situation for leaders and managers.
For Darren, the answer is to listen, challenge and commit.
“I’m going to listen to all the opinions in the room,” he said. “And I will challenge it.
“But, if I have to deliver this message to my team, I am going to commit to it.
“I can be open with my team and say, ‘It wouldn’t have been my choice, but we need to make it a success’.
“If we do not deliver the message in a strong way that shows we are committed, it is doomed to fail.”
Radical candour
There’s also a role here for something called ‘radical candour’.
No, not ‘radical candle’ as I initially misheard it – although I think that would make a good band name.
Darren said: “It is a mindset. It is about going, ‘I will challenge directly’, “I will give that difficult message’, or ‘I will communicate in this way’ because you care about the people you are communicating with.
“So, if you think about feedback, which is often seen as criticism, you change it to a growth conversation.
“That simple reframing of our thoughts can change the behaviours we show in the communication and the language we use.
Feedback
One communication challenge many of us face is giving and receiving feedback – it is an issue delegates often raise during our management training courses.
Darren said: “People often think feedback is critical, but it is about growth.
“Someone has given you feedback on something you have done because they care.
“Feedback should be live and, in the moment – not held on to for annual reviews.”
SBI
SBI is a tool our experts recommend is used to prepare and shape feedback.
It is a model Dan describes as “the game-changer”.
It stands for Situation Behaviour Impact.
The situation part paints the picture. An example might be an onboarding session for a new cohort of team leaders.
The behaviour aspect is about what happened in that situation. So, it could be that during that onboarding session, the person you are giving feedback to used a lot of HR jargon and did not check if people understood what was being said.
“Often, the part of this model that is missed is the impact,” Dan said.
“We talk about the situation and someone’s behaviours or actions, but don’t go into what that means.
“So, in this onboarding scenario, the impact could be that some of the new leaders looked confused and asked for clarification during the lunch break, and this could impact their confidence.
“Now, we can see the impact and the feedback is more meaningful.
“Once you’ve done that, you can get into what they will do differently next time.”
Darren added: “It’s also vital to remember SBI can be a positive feedback tool.”
The GROW model
Ready for another model?
GROW follows on neatly from SBI and leads us into coaching.
“What we don’t want to do is own the solution to something that has just happened,” Darren said.
“And the GROW model allows the person you are coaching to take responsibility for their next steps.
GROW stands for Goal, Reality, Options, Will
Goal: What do you want to achieve?
Reality: What is happening today?
Options: What could you do if you are in that situation again or to move forward?
Will: Out of all the options, what are you going to do?
Darren said: “It is all about the person you are speaking to – ‘What if your goal?’, ‘What is your reality?’, ‘What are your options?’, ‘What are you going to do?
“The ‘will’ part is vital because they take ownership of those actions going forward.”
James added: “Getting someone to identify their options is more powerful than telling someone what you think they should do.”
What else can you do to improve communication?
Rackham communications theory
It is a powerful tool, devised by Neil Rackham – widely recognised as one of the founders of modern sales theory - for understanding different communication styles and adapting your approach.
Communication is split into three colours – blue, green and red.
Blue is your opinion and what you want to say – ‘I think this..,’.
Darren said: “As a leader – or a leader you are trying to coach - we often go into meetings and feel that we have to say something.
“But if you go into a room where you are trying to find a solution to something and say, ‘This is what I think we should do’, you are potentially setting the tone for ‘yes boss’ responses.
“And that destroys innovation of thought.
“So, you need to move into the green communication behaviours, which is about asking questions and giving a voice to others.
“You still have your idea in your back pocket. And if you still go back to it, at least others will feel heard.”
What about red communication behaviours?
“These are when we prevent others from being heard,” Darren said.
“It might be talking over them, finishing their sentences, or the ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ approach.
“And all you are doing here is devaluing someone.
“What Rackham was able to prove was the difference between a performing manager when things are in their control, and a manager that will achieve even when things are outside of their control is the 60/40 split,
“When things are in your control, you tend to use 60 per cent blue communication behaviours and 40 per cent green. When things are out of your control, you spend 60 per cent in green because you are gathering information and knowledge. “
Is there a time for red communication behaviours?
Darren said: “If you are coming to the end of a meeting, with just a few minutes left, there is a place for what we call ‘label shutouts’, where you say something like, “I’m just going to stop you there’.
“But you want to minimise that because you are stopping others from feeling heard.”
Managing difficult questions
What about handling those awkward or uncomfortable questions that can come up and you wish were never asked?
Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a better way of dealing with them?
The bridging technique is the answer to your prayers.
It is a media training technique taught by our sister company, Media First.
“You could question how this is relevant to meetings, coaching and working with people,” James said.
“But there is a place for it when handled with sensitivity and discretion.
“If you are asked a question you don’t feel capable of answering or you don’t feel it is appropriate to answer in that format, I would encourage you to use it.”
How does it work?
“It has a simple ABC approach,” James said. “You Acknowledge the question and then build a Bridge to what you want to talk about. And then you Communicate that subject.
“So, it might be something like, ‘That’s a great question, and I understand why you are asking about that. But at the moment, it is crucial we focus our time on… And what I can tell you about that is…’.”
Top communication tips
Let’s pull this expert advice together into a handy summary.
Here are Darren’s top tips:
- Prepare with and for IMPACT
- Be curious and lead with questions and practice
- Use techniques like SBI and GROW
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