Mindful Communication
Is communication an issue for you as a leader?
The thing with communication is that it is multi-faceted. You need to be able to communicate in 1-on-1 conversations, in group conversations, run meetings, send emails, send texts, phone calls, video calls, etc. Communication also involves the words that you are saying, your vocal quality, your body language, and listening to what the other person is communicating.
When you think about the different elements above and add to that having to communicate with a variety of personalities, then no wonder it is a challenge.
This is why communication skills are something that you should be continually looking to develop and improve.
One strategy that I use during my coaching and encourage my clients to use is mindful communication.
Mindful communication is communicating from the present moment. It is using mindfulness principles in our interactions with others. There are three key parts to it:
1. Give the other person or people your full attention - Allow yourself to eliminate any distractions such as your phone, computer, or the environment around you, and give your full presence to the conversation. This will allow you to hear what they are truly saying and make them feel valued.
2. Use active listening - This involves listening to understand rather than listening to respond. The tendency when someone is talking is to think about what you will say next. When using active listening, allow yourself to put your full attention on the other person and what they are saying. Then once they finish, you can formulate your response.
3. Be authentic and mindful with your speech - Allow yourself to speak openly while also being mindful of how your words may impact the other person. In speaking this way, you can pick up cues from the other person and may decide to adjust what you are saying.
Mindful communication is something that takes intentional practice. You may choose to have one interaction per day that you are going to focus on using this technique. Then gradually expand this to more and more interactions. Don’t just limit yourself to using this at work as well. This is something that can dramatically improve the quality of all of your relationships!
