Consciously Communicate

Effective Communication – the Art of Motivation and Collaboration

Are your teams motivated to succeed?
Is there effective cross-departmental communication?
Do your managers run effective meetings?
Are your managers aware of the complexities of managing across cultures and generations?

Success in the modern business environment is determined by the ability of your people to work collaboratively. With flatter management hierarchies, a higher degree of competence in communication is an essential skill in the manager’s toolbox. Managers who employ a wide range of communication skills, including awareness of emotional intelligence, will better motivate and engage their people. Engaged employees listen rather than hear, therefore they contribute and become more valuable and proactive players in the strategic vision of the organization.

Communicating effectively

Effective communication has its foundations in the ability to understand the emotions that drive people forward. It requires managers to accept and encourage information flow to be a two-way street. Understanding that when this is the case people respond with greater engagement knowing that their contributions will be validated and considered. Ask:

How do your managers run team meetings?
Do they listen to their people and use their understanding of those team members to create a collaborative approach to problem-solving? If not, what is the cost?

Only when a manager employs effective communication skills will their people begin to respond positively. The ability to communicate is the ability to motivate. This is what we call inspired leadership.

Breaking down the communication barriers

Working with executives, we find a number of common barriers to effective communication. These barriers are often transferred to colleagues and employees, doubling the communication roadblock that is at the root of workplace conflict and apathy for the strategic vision. Common barriers include:

Mindset can be locked in the traditional methods of management: dictatorial rather than collaborative. Stress caused by this mindset often leads to the misreading of nonverbal signals. Reflex actions overpower a more thoughtful approach to conflict resolution. We ask leaders to be conscious of their listening patterns. Our filters interpret what we hear.
Inconsistent or negative body language and energy often contradict the verbal message, leading to the listener sensing dishonesty and disagreement.
Multitasking managers often lack focus and fail to notice non-verbal signals during meetings and appraisal sessions.

Building communication intelligence with a new collaborative and engaging approach

In this information wealthy world, organizations with a flatter management hierarchy that uses collaboration as a communication tool are rapidly moving to the head of their industries. In these organizations, managers and business leaders know how to communicate consciously. They disseminate a consistent and continuous message through their effective use of communication techniques.

We help build communication skills and abilities by first tackling the need to become engaged listeners, working on emotional intelligence, and collaborating to effectively resolve conflict.

Forward Focus has well over a decade of direct experience helping clients be more effective in their communication at every level. Increasingly we work with firms that face issues of culture clash within the same office and across borders. Together, we co-author team building activities with our clients and provide creative solutions to their needs so that they reap the benefits of their diverse workforce.

We’ll work with you to create meaningful and fun team experiences that get real business results. We’ll design activities that target:

Increasing emotional intelligence
Strategic planning and focus on team purpose
Building trust and commitment
Understanding different communication styles
Effectively resolving conflict

The Consciously Communicate Newsletter from Forward Focus keeps its subscribers informed about communication complexities in the corporate environment, helping leaders who are faced with the challenges of creating inspired leadership. In each issue, readers discover how to:

Motivate by using individual and team profiles
Engage with team bonding exercises and activities
Benefit from leveraging existing expertise
Inspire creativity and innovation
Communicate during times of change

When you understand how to communicate effectively with your workforce, you’ll benefit from the advantages of inclusion and diversity. Find out more by subscribing to the Forward Focus Newsletter today.

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