By Tom Davidson
The very fact that you are taking time to see employees in person sends a clear message that you care. Put the ‘oxygen’ in your conversations, be personable.
Just because you have a title, doesn’t mean that you have credibility. This blog series is about the four factors that everyday leaders need to weave together on a consistent basis to earn that credibility.
Using the analogy of fire, which requires for factors to burn, here are the four factors you need for communication credibility:
– Heat – Being first with the message
– Fuel – Being honest in the content
– Oxygen – Being personal in the delivery
– Chemical Reaction – Being connected with your audience
Today’s topic is “oxygen.”
Oxygen – Being personal in the delivery
We have so many communication “tools” available to us these days (and so little time), that supervisors and managers often overlook the one tool that makes a real difference in their communication – personal communication. Talking with people directly (i.e., in person) is absolutely the best choice, but, in a pinch, telephone and two-way video linkups are reasonable options as well.
“What you do is so loud I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
There’s no good substitute for going to your audience. First, the very fact that you are taking time to see them in person sends a clear message that you care. Second, this gives you a chance to read their body language and let them read yours. Third, this allows the best chance to have a dialogue about the issue, take and answer questions, and clear up any misunderstanding in the moment.
In short, get out from behind your desk or steering wheel, and go see the audiences that matter to you – in person.