There’s a real art to improving team communication that fosters both a peaceful and collaborative atmosphere in the workplace. No matter what leadership role or type of company are involved, learning these techniques will make someone a better communicator and enable them to navigate different personalities and attitudes. The key to getting across important messages and resolving conflict with potentially hostile co-workers and clients is to provide constructive feedback, for which there are four components.
The first is stating a factual observation about a particular situation. For example, someone in a leadership position may tell an employee or contractor, “it’s Tuesday and your work was due Monday.” That’s a simple observation, whereas saying “you forgot to hand in your work on time” carries judgment. The second rule is for the leader to reveal the feeling that the work breach triggered. It could be as simple as saying, “I feel disappointed that the work was due yesterday and it didn’t come in today.”
Expressing this feeling also allows leaders to display their humanity, which builds trust and loyalty. The third rule is to state why there’s a need to complete the late task, while the fourth rule involves making a concrete request for action to meet that need. For example, the leader may suggest, “why don’t you come over to the office, and we’ll work through this task?” While it’s simplistic to assume that using these tools will enable leaders to successfully negotiate the desired outcome every single time, they at least offer a solid structure for interacting constructively with others.
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