Effective Communication Between a Manager and Employee
Awareness Advantage Podcast
Effective Communication
Kevin McCarthy, and Likky Lavji
Effective communication between a manager and employee is critical for creating a productive and happy work environment. Here are some things that make communication more effective between a manager and employee:
- Clarity: The message should be clear and easy to understand.
- Active listening: Both the manager and employee should listen to each other and ask questions if they need more info.
- Openness and honesty: Both parties should feel okay with sharing their thoughts and opinions respectfully.
- Two-way communication: The communication should go both ways, with the manager providing guidance and the employee providing input.
- Regularity: Communication should happen often, not just sometimes.
- Timeliness: Communication should happen quickly when it's important.
- Feedback: The manager should give helpful feedback to the employee.
- Body Language: Body language and tone of voice can be important for understanding what someone is saying.
Effective communication can help build trust, create a good work relationship, and help the team and company be successful. Other things that are important for effective communication include:
- Empathy: The manager should try to understand how the employee feels and be understanding.
- Respect: Both the manager and employee should treat each other nicely.
- Flexibility: The manager should be open to different communication styles.
- Goal-oriented: Communication should be focused on achieving specific goals.
- Follow-up: The manager should check in to make sure the employee understood what was said.
- Confidentiality: The manager should keep private information private.
- Cultural awareness: The manager should be respectful of the employee's culture and communication style.
Good communication is key for a happy and productive workplace. If managers prioritize good communication, they can create strong relationships with their employees and have better job satisfaction and success.
Raising your self-awareness and emotional intelligence will make you a better leader. High self-awareness equips you to identify and conquer the blind spots that lead to poor decisions, strained relationships and high levels of stress. Awareness is the leader’s superpower that drives engagement, inspires retention and shifts culture. Awareness gives you the advantage you need to influence and inspire the people you lead.