Management communication that works
You can have the best ideas in the world, but if you can’t put them into action, they’re worthless. This is where communication plays a role. To steer the ship, management relies heavily on communication. Communication takes many forms, and depending on what a manager is responsible for, he may need to be skilled in a variety of them.
Email is a large part of how organizations and teams communicate in today’s business world. In many cases, this allows for efficient and rapid communication or information dissemination. There are, however, a few rules to follow.
Don’t use too many words. The more complicated the writing and the longer the paragraphs, the more difficult it is to understand for employees and even other managers. Bullet points, in fact, can help with clarity.
Don’t send too many emails. Every medium has advantages and disadvantages, and managing by email can be detrimental. Face-to-face communication and phone conversations may take more time and may be uncomfortable at times, but they have the ability to convey depth and meaning that email does not.
Communication with one person at a time
Managers must be able to communicate with their subordinates face-to-face. They interact with peers and superiors on a regular basis. To foster openness, effective managers establish comfortable links with their key contacts.
They must also be aware of people’s various personalities and communication styles, as well as find effective ways to convey information to their audience. It’s also a good idea to double-check that the other party understands.
In turn, a good manager must be a good listener in order to hear what’s going on in their business and with their team, as well as confirm and clarify their understanding.
Presentations
Managers in the corporate world are increasingly required to give presentations, whether for employee training, reporting progress to upper management, or communicating with other departments.
Powerpoint skills, as well as the ability to speak calmly, clearly, and with poise in front of an audience, are usually required. Organizing thoughts and information in a way that makes sense to the audience is also important for a successful presentation.
Writing reports
Managers, for the most part, have managers. They may also receive questions and interest from investors, community members, and boards of directors. Written reports are frequently part of the mechanisms by which businesses operate.
Managers must be able to communicate effectively about their progress, challenges, budgets, operations, human resource issues, and legal matters in writing. Writing that is clear, professional, well-worded, and concise is a plus. Readers expect clear, easy-to-understand, and brief, to-the-point writing when reading a report.
Spreadsheets
Numbers are a form of communication in and of themselves. The majority of managers will need to learn the language. Spreadsheets and reports are frequently generated from spreadsheets in today’s business world.
Spreadsheets are essential when working with budgets, revenues, costs, margins, profit and loss statements, and even internal tracking tools. Spreadsheets are used by many businesses, especially smaller ones without large internal databases, to keep track of processes and report on them.