Less Chatter, More Matter: The Communications Podcast

#119 5 things leaders can do to improve their communication

• Season 1 • Episode 119

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Effective communication isn’t a nice-to-have for leaders, it’s essential. But here’s the problem: 9 out of 10 employees say their leaders aren’t cutting it when it comes to communication, and 6 out of 10 new managers receive zero training in this space. No wonder so many leaders are overwhelmed and underperforming.

In this episode of Less Chatter, More Matter, we explore five practical, no-cost ways leaders can improve how they connect, share, and support their teams. Even if you're in your first leadership role or mentoring someone who is, these strategies will help cut through the noise and bring more clarity, trust, and impact to your comms.

What you'll learn:

  • How to ask your team what they actually want from communication (and keep asking)
  • Why setting a predictable rhythm builds trust and reduces confusion
  • The value of short, sharp messaging (and the danger of email overload)
  • Why it’s okay to say “I don’t know”—as long as you follow up
  • How showing up authentically builds stronger relationships and drives change

 Leadership communication isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being intentional, consistent, and human. Let’s get into it.


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Here's a bit of an alarming stat for you. Nine out of 10 employees say their leaders lack effective communication skills. A 2017 study of a thousand employees found some of the key communication issues included, not recognising employees achievements, not giving clear direction, not having the time to meet with their team members, or even refusing to talk to people lower down the food chain. And despite knowing how critical effective communication skills are, research by Gartner has also found that six out of 10 new managers report they never received any training when they took on their first leadership role. So is it any wonder why six out of 10 new managers then fail within the first two years in their roles? It's all well and good to be promoted to a leadership role, but if we are assuming that the title automatically comes with communication skills, then we are setting everyone up to fail. So in the absence of training and mentoring, what can leaders do differently? That's what today's episode is all about. Hi there, friend, and welcome back to another episode of Less Chatter More Matter, the Communications podcast. Side note, also the name of my new book. Hint hint, I'm recording this on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal people here in Meanjin, also known as Brisbane. And today's episode is about a topic I've had quite a few conversations about over the past few weeks. Leadership communication skills. Or more specifically, the lack thereof due to the lack of training and support provided when people become leaders for the first time. I still remember when I got my first leadership role basically just thrust into it and assumed that you would know what to do, and I had absolutely no idea. But we all know that leadership communication is critical to employee engagement, driving change, and delivering organisational strategic goals. Right now, it would appear that leaders are not being given the training and support they need to develop those critical skills. It is a perfect storm of working in a world of increasing frequency and scale of change. Bigger expectations on leaders to deliver, combined with a lack of support and training for new leaders. Is it any wonder new leaders in particular are feeling burned out? Now, While we can't solve the bigger organisation cultural and training issues in one short podcast episode, what I can do is provide five tips for new leaders so you can start improving the effectiveness of your communication right now. And you can do that without having to ask for a training budget. It's all free. You are welcome. So let's get into it. Tip number one, ask your team what they want. Simple as that. Find out what they want to know more about their preferred methods of communication, how often they want to meet, et cetera, et cetera, and keep asking them, because preferences will change over time if you just assume that a weekly email or teams meeting will meet what they need. You are probably on the wrong track, especially during times of change. You really need to have your team members' communication needs at the top of your mind to help them build that sense of certainty and comfort with the change that's gonna be so necessary to actually getting the change done. So co-creating your team's communication channels and rhythm is not only a great way to make sure you're giving them what they want, but when they're also involved in the creation, then they're going to be more invested in making sure it's a success. And on the co-creation front, don't be afraid to also let them create some content. You don't have to do it all and nor should you. Your team might actually enjoy the opportunity to develop communications and learn and build their own skills as well. So for example, why not rotate chairing team meetings every week and that person whose turn it is, they need to come up with the agenda, they need to keep things on track. They might even, you know, share a bit about themselves in that session as well. Or maybe you have a Team Wiki site or Viva Engage Feed, where people share what they know, their own expertise, but also their news updates on projects they're working on, those sorts of things. There are lots of ways that you can share the load of content creation while also encouraging skill building in your team. A couple of points on this one though. Number one, once you've asked your team what they want, don't just set and forget. Get feedback constantly. Don't wait for the ENG engagement survey or for someone to leave and do an exit review. Instead, consistently ask, what's working, what's not working, and what ideas do people have to improve the way you communicate? The bonus part of this is you start to build then a culture of giving feedback in real time. That is delivered and taken in the right way as well. The second point on this is listen to understand not to respond. Sometimes we jump into solution mode. When team members come to us with worries or things that aren't working, let them talk and ask curious questions to understand the real problem, what they need from you. Sometimes they just need to be hurt. They actually don't need you to do anything. Alright, The second tip is set a rhythm. People like things that are predictable. So after you found out what people want, set a rhythm with your comms and stick to it. So for example, you might have weekly check-in meetings on a Monday, more of a celebration, check-in on a Friday, maybe do fortnightly one-on-ones with team members. Maybe even post a thought of the week or a joke of the day in your team chat, whatever. But when I say stick to it, it's for a good reason. It's not just because people like rhythms, that's very important, but it's because everything that sends a message is a form of communication. So if you keep changing meeting times, rescheduling, canceling, et cetera, it sends a message that you don't care. Obviously, sometimes changing meeting is unavoidable. There are emergencies. But when that does happen, make sure people know why, that it's not common practice and what you're going to do instead. The other part of setting a rhythm is to make sure your communication is equitable. And what I mean by that is that everyone has the same opportunity to get the same information at the same time, and they have the same access to you as their leader. This is getting harder in a hybrid world. No two ways about it, but equitable access to communication is so key for your team members, especially during change. So think about how you could make sure everyone on your team has the opportunity to hear directly from you in a timely way no matter where they're working or what shift roster they're on, that sort of stuff, and that everyone has a regular chance to talk to you one-on-one. The danger we have in this hybrid and remote working world is a little thing called proximity bias, which basically means if you're outta sight, you're outta mind. So there's a good chance that as a leader, if you see someone in the office more often than one of their colleagues. You are more likely to give that office-based employee more opportunities and to think they're a better performer, even if that's not the case. So that's just something to keep in mind as well, when we think about equitable access, it's also equitable opportunity. Okay. The third thing to keep in mind when improving your communication is. Say more with less. I've seen leaders get caught in the trap of long-winded emails and team calls, especially when there's a lot of change going on, or they're not quite sure themselves why something is happening or even why you're having that meeting in the first place. Sometimes the fact is your people are probably time poor, more than likely busy, and they need the information they need to do their jobs and then enact change quickly and efficiently. Also when people waffle, they risk that core message getting lost in all the words, and people are left confused. And by the way, if you're wondering how much people are actually reading of your emails, the answer is not much. Campaign monitor found that emails of between 50 to 125 words will result in a response rate of just 50%. Anything longer than 125 words, that response rate plummets dramatically. Also, on average, people spend only nine seconds reading an email. About 41% of people spend just two to eight seconds reading any email. So keep it short and don't assume that poor communication is solved with more communication or longer communication. Okay, tip number four. Find out the answers. As a leader, that's your job. Find the answers to your team's questions. So if they're wondering why a change is happening and you can't explain why, then it's your job to go find out. I know many leaders, not just new leaders who can struggle with admitting when they don't have the answers, but the thing is, nobody actually expects you to know everything. The only person putting that expectation on you is you. It is okay to say you don't know something. And then commit to finding out and reporting back. It is not okay to make up an answer. Say you don't know and not to shoot the messenger or say you'll find out, but you never do. As a change leader, your communication is not just about finding out the why, when, how, et cetera, but it's also how you make that change meaningful to your team in particular. So work out what it means for them, the way they work, the systems and processes, platforms they use, roles and responsibilities, who they're gonna work with in the broader business, et cetera. Again, co-creation can be a really great tool here to get buy-in. So for example, you and your team could actually work together and if, if appropriate, of course, given the change, you could co-create what that change means for you. And obviously you can't do that in every change situation, but it can be a great tactic to get people on board and inform them at the same time. Okay, the fifth, but. Potentially the most important thing that you can do to improve your communication right now is to be more authentic. People can see through the leader mask we sometimes put on. We know when somebody is putting on an act. It's not just the vibe, it's also the language you use, your body language, the things that you actually say that tell us, we're not getting the real you. I do know why some people put on that alternate leader persona. In some ways it helps people feel less vulnerable because they've kind of put a barrier up. They're not as personal with their teams. For others, sometimes it's making up for this sense like imposter syndrome, love or hate that term. It's a thing. Uh, for others maybe it's perhaps they've all, all they've ever seen leaders do. So monkey see, monkey do, right? And that's the problem because authenticity builds trust. And trust is the basis for a team being engaged, for driving change, for responding well in a crisis and so much more. I'm not saying you have to be completely open and vulnerable to your team. You absolutely have the right to keep private things private, but you do need to connect with them as humans because that is what they are. And so that means that you need to let your real you shine through your communication. So if you think you might be wearing your leader mask right now, here's some ways you can take it off. Number one, use the words you would normally use if you were chatting to somebody at a barbecue. Basically, just talk like a human being, not a corporate robot. Listen to understand and then paraphrase to respond. So check that you did understand what people were saying. It shows that you're really listening and that's part of being authentic. Be clear on what you know, what you don't know, what you're worried about, that you need the team's help with. Basically, be open and honest again, within boundaries, and most importantly, show empathy. Humans are social creatures. We care about each other, especially those in our in-group. So show you care. Being standoffish, avoiding hard conversations or hard feelings is not gonna cut it in your communication. Okay, it's time for your episode recap. So today we talked about five ways new leaders or any leader really can improve the effectiveness of their communication. And we know that's important because the stats tell us that employees feel like their leaders are not effective communicators. And yet we are not providing leaders with the training to build those skills. And that is especially critical in a world of constant change. So those five tips were, number one, ask your team what they want and need from your communication. When you just make assumptions, there's a really good chance you are missing the mark. And once you've asked, make sure you ask again and again and again because circumstances and preferences will change. Number two, set a rhythm. People like predictable patterns. But remember, you don't need to do it all yourself. You can get your team involved in developing content and stick to the rhythm to show people you value their time. Say more with less. Keep your communication short and to the point, but not at the expense of authenticity or tone. People are busy and they get frustrated by waffle, but equally it can come across as blunt or rude if you're too short. Number four, find out the answers. That's your job as a leader. Find out what you don't know and share it back with the team. It is okay to say you don't know the answer. Just commit to finding out and reporting back. And number five, be authentic. Your real you is the ev you everyone should be. Seeing. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have boundaries, but people should be able to build a rapport with you and that builds trust. Okay, friends, a short but sharp episode today. I hope you found that useful. Maybe you wanna share this with somebody who could find it useful as well. Somebody who's aspiring to be a leader, who is a leader, who is struggling, maybe somebody who, uh, you work with, who coaches, leaders, uh, every share helps. And of course, if you can take just six seconds to rate or leave a review. On the podcast, on your app of choice, that would be a huge help. It helps this show being seen by more people helps to spread the learning, improve the quality of communication even more. And as I said at the top of the episode, my second book is now out. Thank you to everybody who has bought a copy so far. Love your guts. Don't forget if you leave an review on Amazon within the next 30 days or so for every review. I will donate 45 minutes of my consulting or training time to a nonprofit organisation, and you'll also get a free ticket to my upcoming webinar where we work through the skills framework that I mentioned in the book. That's it for today, folks. Thanks again for listening. Keep doing amazing things, and bye for now.