Becoming a better leader through communication skills.
Vital Germaine
I recently experienced a very unique and memorable Leadership Excursion. What made it so memorable is that horses were both the teacher and the student. The experience reinforced the power and impact of our non-verbal communication.
Here are 3 crucial take aways that will make you a stronger leader and more effective communicator.
1. Self-awareness
The Horsemanship Leadership Excursion began with the trainer (Kaitlyn), and owner Kri, helping us understand the fragility in developing a strong bond between the horse and the trainer. Be trustable, likable and relatable - this definitely applies in real world scenarios. Each horse is very unique, as are humans. Both the horse and the human participants are observed in regards to their characteristic strengths and weaknesses. That information is shared to help build self awareness (emotional intelligence), with the objective that leaders and employees can grow and improve their skills and clarity of communication and elevate engagement.
An organic synergy needed to be developed between horse and trainer, with the horse being very sensitive to all levels of the trainer’s energy and personality. The stronger and more streamlined the synergy or relationship is, the greater the odds of success… perhaps this sounds just like the workplace and client experiences you live.
2. Clarity and Simplicity
For those of you familiar with Albert Merhabian, you will know that 55% of communication is body language, and only 7% are words, with the remaining 38% based on facial expressions or tone of voice. Most of us confuse our colleagues because our words and facial expressions don’t fully align with what our body is saying. We complicate the communication with unnecessary information. If Mehrabian’s 7%-38%-55% rule is true, then how often have I (you) potentially confused team members through incongruent communication.
Miscommunication costs organizations money!
David Grossman reported in “The Cost of Poor Communications” that a survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees. Debra Hamilton asserted, in her article “Top Ten Email Blunders that Cost Companies Money,” that miscommunication cost even smaller companies of 100 employees an average of $420,000 per year.
A Watson Wyatt study found that companies that communicate most effectively are more than 50% more likely to report turnover levels below the industry average compared with only 33% for the least effective communicators.
3. Anticipation
The horse trainer highlighted that the major component of effective interaction and “teambuiling” was her need to anticipate the horses behavior. This made me think of how great leaders are sensitive/aware to the pulse of their workforce. It allows them to make needed adjustments ahead of time, minimizing roadblocks or loss of enthusiasm. Equally, in order for business and organizations to remain relevant and competitive, they must be fully aware of shifts in markets and trends… they must anticipate on all levels.
Bring it together. Implement these 3 steps and experience a significant improvement in all your personal and business relationships. Employee productivity and company efficiency will also increase.
THANK YOU
Vital Germaine
President of ENGAGEteams360
Top-selling author, Vital Germaine is also Las Vegas' most dynamic keynotes speaker and corporate trainer. His sessions are an experience designed to inspire extraordinary performance. BOOK VITAL TODAY for:
https://engageteams360.com/communication