July 30, 2007

Build managers' communication skills from the bottom up

Of all the skills a manager needs to be successful, effective communication is perhaps the most important—and the hardest to improve. This is because communication isn’t a single skill. It’s actually a complex set of skills that build upon one another.

Through all our work with managers, we’ve identified these skills —25 in total—and organized them into a hierarchy of skill groups, starting with foundational skills and building to more advanced skills.

Whether you’re initiating a new program for helping managers communicate more effectively, or just trying to enhance your current program, think about these skill groups and how to:

• Build them into job descriptions
• Integrate them into your company’s performance management process
• Use them as the foundation for a managers’ communication training program
  

Here’s an overview of each skill group, starting with the most fundamental:

• Interpersonal skills are the glue that holds communication together. Knowing how to successfully engage and motivate employees, and build relationships with leaders and colleagues can mean the difference between a manager’s success and failure. Managers need to be good at: 
  • Listening
  • Delivering information
  • Responding
  • Communicating verbally
    
    
• Collective/team skills help managers more effectively lead groups and work as a team in both formal and informal settings. Managers not only need to possess one-on-one communication skills, but they must also know how to lead and facilitate effective group communication. They must be adept at:
  • Communicating via e-mail
  • Brainstorming
  • Negotiating
  • Resolving conflicts
  • Communicating goals
  • Recognizing their team
    
    
• Comprehension skills enable managers to create understanding for people who work for and with them—translating messages from leaders, and ensuring employees grasp the company’s strategy and business goals. To accomplish this, managers need to know how to deliver information, influence beliefs and motivate employees to try new things. They must be accomplished at:
  • Communicating through storytelling
  • Making information relevant
  • Communicating persuasively
  • Facilitating dialogue
  • Writing
  • Coaching
  • Presenting
    
    
• Process skills help managers more effectively create and implement business processes that impact company performance. These include:
  • Making meetings matter
  • Communicating performance
  • Interviewing
    
  • Dismissing staff
    
    
• Leadership skills are at the top of the communication skills hierarchy. High-performing managers are expected to demonstrate leadership.  And, because communication is an integral part of being an effective leader, the best managers have extremely strong interpersonal communication skills enabling them to be effective at:
  
  • Communicating change
  • Motivating employees
  • Building consensus
  • Getting leadership buy-in