"Communicating with IMPACT" - Patrick Donadio, MBA

Effective leaders understand that good communication also involves the ability to give clear direction and productive feedback. Here is another of my leadership communication skills tips to help you communicate your message more effectively: Communicate both priorities and deadlines. Sure you can walk up to an employee and ask for a list of tasks to be done. But without context, the employee might not do the tasks in the order you expected or might not complete them in the timeframe you wanted. Effective leaders communicate priorities and/or help employees prioritize. Effective leaders also are not afraid to ask, “When can you get this done?” Whenever possible, it is a good idea to create deadlines together. An employee might have several other projects going at the same time, and while you might not want to compromise time, you don’t want to sacrifice quality. ACTION During the next few weeks pay attention to how often you communicate priorities and deadlines. 1. Are you communicat...

Effective leaders understand that good communication also involves the ability to give clear direction and productive feedback. They also know when to ask questions and how to encourage new ideas among their employees. Here is another of my leadership communication skills tips to help you communicate your message more effectively: Use Questions to Uncover Information. “Effective leaders use great questions.” When an employee comes to you with a challenge, instead of giving them an answer (the default mode for many leaders) ask them a question instead. Questions allow you to collect information before you give the answer (diagnose before you prescribe). Questions can empower employees by helping them think through a challenge and forcing them to search for answers or new ideas on their own. If they uncover the answers, employees are more likely to embrace them. Leaders can also use questions as a check for understanding and to see whether the listener got the essence of the message. “...

Effective leaders understand that good communication involves sharing the bigger picture! Here is another of my leadership communication skills tips to help you communicate your message more effectively: Explain the “why” behind the message. More and more, people want to know the reasons behind what they are being asked to do. Not explaining the “why” often means employees won’t be engaged with what you are saying. By taking the time to explain why something needs to be done, you create an atmosphere of understanding and engagement. The more engaged the better result. ACTION During these challenging and hectic times, after you communicate a decision, a new policy or a change in existing procedures... take a few minutes and explain the “Why” behind the decision. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing a few areas that can help leaders communicate their messages more effectively. So be sure to check back. In the meantime, if you have any successes or questions about leadership commun...

Effective leaders understand that good communication also involves the ability to give clear direction and productive feedback. They also know when to ask questions and how to encourage new ideas among their employees. Here is the first of my leadership communication skills tips to help you communicate your message more effectively: Adjust your message to the personality of the listener . When having an interpersonal conversation it helps to know the person's communication style. There are four communication styles. For today's discussion I will look at two - 1. Introverts 2. Extroverts . Based on where the person falls on this continuum you can adjust your conversation style to improve communication. Here are a few practical tips for dealing with each these two styles: ACTION If they are an Introvert ? You may want to ask open ended questions to draw out their thoughts. Also be patient. They may need a little time to think before they respond. If they are an Extrovert ? Yo...

Communication skills are a fundamental tool to becoming a great leader. While simple tasks can often be communicated in a traditional way, the majority of communication is much more complex. In today’s work environment we are getting away from linear communication. Instead, our communication has shifted to being a two-way street, embracing situations involving teamwork and dialogue. Over the next few weeks I would like to talk about some key communication skills that leaders need to lead in these challenging times. Today let's start with the three components to interpersonal communication : 1. Words 2. Voice 3. Non-verbal action Words tend to be the focus of most people who are trying to communicate, but in reality they may make up only 7-15 percent of the message. The rest of the message is communicated through vocal inflection, tone and body language. ACTION - So during these hectic times before you communicate be sure to stop... and ask yourself... what tone and body language ...

Work smarter not harder in 2009! I help my clients grow their business by working “smarter not harder”. Here is one of the techniques I teach my clients in my new workshop, The Business Attraction Factor . One secret to working smarter not harder is to “systematize” your business. One area to systematize is your sales/marketing process. Here is how you can create your own sales/marketing system: First, choose your top 15-30 best clients from the past 2-3 years. Then, by looking backwards, analyze how you obtained them and what you did to help them make this list. For each client, begin asking and categorizing the answers to these three questions into three sections: 1) Before - What did you do to get them? 2) During - What did you do while you were servicing them? 3) After - What did you do after the sale to keep them or sell more to them? After dissecting each client you will begin to notice certain patterns you are repeating --common denominators. Write these common denominators on ...

Traits Successful Leaders Possess - Responsibility Improving leadership skills increases the performance of those you work with and enhances your opportunities (and the opportunities of those you lead) for advancement within a company. As a leadership communications coach I have identified 18 traits successful leaders possess. Over the next few months I would like to discuss a few of these key traits that can help you grow and develop as a leader. Today let’s talk about Responsibility Leaders accept challenges as well as successes. Employees will never respect a leader who deflects criticism towards the team. Successful leaders think of themselves as “we” not “I.” It is a leader’s responsibility to ensure that everyone shares in the team’s success and that the team learns from its mistakes. If an employee makes a mistake, it is your responsibility to help him or her improve as well. Here is an assignment for this week: Look for "Learning Opportunities”. When you see an area wh...