The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/230349
smart moves Manage Your Message: Effective Communication with Staff by William Dabay How you interact verbally as a team lead leaves an immediate and lasting impression. One of the most difficult yet important skills I have tried to develop is one that allows me to use the right level of communication for the given circumstance. Whether I am explaining to a team member how I envision a project developing, verbalizing the action plan for achieving an assigned goal or telling someone for the third time the correct way to perform a task, my tone needs to have the appropriate timbre, inflection and emotion. Equally important to knowing how to say something is knowing what to say. I try to use a gauge of five distinct levels of leadership communication to manage the message more effectively. Conversational Conversational communication should be relaxed, nonthreatening and engaging. I find when I get staff to open up, I learn more about them: what their interests are and what is important to them. Knowing what is important allows the basis for building trust and a better working relationship. I often spend 10 minutes of the day visiting different departments with the sole purpose of offering a greeting and inquiring how the day is going. Some days there is not much response. Other days I find out exactly what is on their minds — things that are working and things that aren't. In many situations, I find I can steer the conversation by asking open-ended questions to draw out what they have to say, what is meaningful to them and what they believe is important. 24 Peer to Peer Characteristics: • Two-way conversation • Comfortable, informal flow • Normal voice patterns to provide open exchange of ideas and opinions Informative When conducting meetings, introducing new topics, providing a high-level view of a new project or task, and when setting initial expectations, I tend to use an informative tone. I employ a certain level of excitement in my voice, periodically changing inflection and sometimes deliberately speaking softly to emphasize key information that is particularly important. Sharing information sets an expectation for cooperation, invites buy-in and develops an open atmosphere for partnership. If questions ensue as a result, all the better! Questions tell me they are listening, participating in the conversation and exchanging information. Characteristics: • Two-way conversation • General exchange of knowledge