Communication Skills: A Must-Have for the Business Owner

As a business owner, you are the leader.  Are you leading?  How well?

The leaders' paramount responsibility is to:

• Establish the organization's goals
• Communicate the goals to the employees, customers, prospects and general public
• Demand - and reward - behaviors that demonstrate the company's values and standards

Just as a child looks to the parent for clues as to whether to be excited, fearful, or non-plussed, your employees look to you for what is and what is to come. Your customers and prospects look to you for this as well.

What messages are you giving to those that look to you for guidance? Are you aware of the messages you give?  Are you aware of the importance of your messages? How your messages are being received?

The future of your company is determined each day through communication. Moreover, your company itself - its culture - is determined by the communication that occurs within it each day. And it is you - the leader - that sets the tone and culture. Your people will adopt your attitudes, priorities, methods and style. They will place importance on the things on which you communicate and demonstrate importance.

"Communication is considered a soft skill," explains, Diane DiResta, author of Knockout Presentations. "But it has bottom line impact".

And so we begin an important series on effective communication skills. The series will provide you with the basics of effective communication - verbal, non-verbal, media, public speaking, group, one-on-one - and we'll show you where you can get professional guidance and training.

It cannot be emphasized enough. A business begins with the vision of the owner/leader. That vision must be clearly and artfully articulated to the employees, customers and marketplace in a manner that is engaging and clearly understood if it is to be successfully executed.

In a leadership position, the chief's prime responsibility is to get things done through and by other people - clients, colleagues, peers, employees. The quality of the leader's vision and decisions is irrelevant if he or she is unable to explain them clearly and inspire teamwork.

Communication, therefore, is the business owner's most valuable tool. Powerful and effective communication skills help the leader showcase his competence and confidence, gain the necessary cooperation and motivate others to buy into ideas and vision.

The ability to communicate with more impact is a skill that can be developed by almost anyone in the right learning environment. In today's fiercely competitive marketplace, one mixed message can mean thousands of dollars down the drain - a lost client or employee. One powerful presentation can add meaningfully to the bottom line.

For now, consider the messages that you deliver each day. Are you inspiring optimism? Authenticity? A culture of positive action? Productivity and performance?  q

Jill Chernekoff contributed her expertise to this article. With an extensive media background, she now consults in the areas of public speaking, media communications and presentation skills and can be reached at www.chernekoffcommunications.com.

Diane DiResta also contributed her expertise to this article. Diane consults in the areas of presentation skill, interpersonal communication, and media training and is the author of Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz. She can be reached at www.DiResta.com.

This article is the first in a series on Communication Skills for the business owner.

> This issue: Communication Skills: A Must-Have for the Business Owner

Sept-Oct 2005 issue: Business Owner as Chief Communicator

Nov-Dec 2005 issue: Message Crafting

Jan-Feb 2006 issue: Non-Verbal Communication Skills

Mar-Apr 2006 issue: One-on-one Communication with a Client and Prospects

May-Jun 2006 issue: Public Speaking: Free Publicity and Instant Credibility

Jul-Aug 2006 issue: Communicating with the Media

Sept-Oct 2006 issue: Communicating During Crisis Situations

Nov-Dec 2006 issue: Dealing with Difficult Employees