Send a clear message

When I consider all of the businesses with which I have been involved in my career, whether as an employee, a partner or an adviser, the issue that defined them most distinctly was their communication approach.

Poor communication within a firm can lead to misunderstandings, dissatisfaction and that most disruptive of elements: the overactive grapevine. So, how can a businessperson optimise communication skills?

Lifestyle coach Anthony Robbins said: “The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” Consequently, if you are positive and complimentary, you will attract more of that into your own life.

Everyone likes to be recognised for the contribution that they make at work but not all employers are good at acknowledging and rewarding hard work and effort. If the people who go the extra mile are not appreciated, they will stop making the effort pretty quickly.

So, what makes a good communicator? First, the speaker has to have credibility. When they stand up, they need to be trusted and respected. If they have a reputation for not being true to their word, or prone to favouritism, then whatever they say or however well they convey their message, no one will believe in them.

Indeed, I have worked for people who I didn’t fully trust, so I paid little or no attention to anything they said. This is a perennial problem faced by politicians of all parties who have backtracked, obfuscated and sometimes lied. As a result, many surveys put politicians as one of the least trusted sections of society – even lower than estate agents.

The next most important issue is transparency, which creates a sense of togetherness and honesty. I once worked as a junior manager in a firm that published its quarterly results. It was supposed to make us feel that ‘we were all in this together’ and understand the importance of billing and recovery rates. I liked the idea.

Although I have never seen any other firm try this since, it may be well worth considering. If employees realise the firm is, say, 10 per cent beneath budget, they will also realise that this will have repercussions and perhaps encourage people to work a little harder. They may also understand why their pay rise
is a little disappointing.

The final issue is non-verbal communication. Management consultant Peter Drucker’s comment that the most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said has never been truer. Some people have a credible demeanour: a result of appearance, mannerisms and how relaxed they are. This does, however, lead to superficial judgements.

In the 28 US presidential elections between 1900 and 2011, the shorter man won on only eight occasions. Tony Blair was well known for his open-handed gesturing when speaking and his quote that he was “a pretty straight sort of guy”. For a while, that worked very well and made him the most electorally successful Labour party leader in history. Eventually, his credibility dropped.

It is important to remember that communication means talking as well as listening with sincerity. Looking over a person’s shoulder when they are talking to you or looking at your smartphone is not communicating. It is telling the person that you have no interest in what they are saying. That person will eventually think of you in the same way as you think about them.

Ultimately, being a good communicator will help to recruit, motivate and retain staff. It will also help to extend your vision of the business to the whole firm. And a happy workforce will be a productive workforce.

Geraint Jones is a private client partner at Reeves

He writes the regular in-practice article on doing business for Private Client Adviser