Being an effective communicator, especially as a people leader, is more than just being able to speak or write well; it’s about understanding, listening, and adapting your communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Not only do you need your messaging to be on point, but you also need to be aware of who you’re speaking to, their background and any factors that may affect the way they understand what you’re saying. When communicating with your team or peers, you need to create genuine connections, foster understanding, and build relationships based on trust and mutual respect.  

Psychological Awareness

A person’s emotional and behavioural patterns are important when it comes to effective communication. Understanding these subtleties of human behaviour and emotion can significantly improve how we communicate with one another and our teams.  

Communicators who are self-aware or have psychological awareness can understand other people’s actions, feelings and thoughts. It allows us to understand the effectiveness of our communications and quickly change direction if something isn’t working.  

Emotional Intelligence

As we know, being an effective communicator is much more than just exchanging words. It involves understanding and being able to use your own emotions in a positive way to relieve stress and empathise with those around you. Communicating allows you to build and develop strong relationships, especially as a people leader or manager.  

Emotional intelligence is important for both verbal and nonverbal communication cues. It is an essential skill to develop as an effective communicator, especially when managing a team. It can help you communicate in stressful situations and boost problem-solving and leadership abilities. It allows you to empathise with people, pick up on emotional cues, recognise dynamics in a group and understand emotions, needs and concerns.  

Socio-Cultural Awareness

According to UCD Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, cultural awareness is defined as “the awareness of our own cultural identity, values and beliefs and the knowledge and acceptance of other cultures”.  

Like with emotional intelligence, socio-cultural awareness is reflected in verbal and non-verbal cues. It involves understanding how someone’s culture can affect how our words, gestures and behaviours are understood.  

Situational Awareness 

BlackBerry defines ‘situational awareness’ as “the ability to perceive, understand, and effectively respond to one’s situation. It involves understanding a given circumstance, gathering relevant information, analysing it, and making informed decisions to successfully address any potential risks, hazards, or events that might occur”. 

As an effective communicator, having situational awareness involves understanding your environment, the people involved, their roles, emotions, and any other relevant aspects that could influence the communication process. It means recognising the context, circumstances, and dynamics involved in communicating.  

At Springboard Communications, we understand the importance of being effective communicators, whether internally or externally. Our People Leader Communication Training will help you hone your skills, enabling you to effectively communicate with your team through tailored plans and strategies.   

For more information on Management Communication Training and how we can help you, contact hello@springboardcommunications.ie