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Research has been revealing in recent
decades that for the best results organizations are becoming more
team-dependent. Evidence suggests that women often have innate
team-building skills and other natural leadership qualities that are
critical to the highest and most long-lasting results in organizations.
Such vital skills that women often demonstrate relate to the following:
communication, emotional intelligence, collaboration, facilitation,
negotiation, entrepreneurship, coaching, and mentoring.
Most women are naturally endowed with relational and networking
skills, which are being identified more and more as keys to
problem-solving, opportunity creation, access to resources, and maximal
productivity in organizations of many kinds. Some women are also natural
leaders. Research has shown that women are commonly task-oriented
and results-focused. Commonly, females are hard working and
Research has further revealed that an effective leader demonstrates
the following qualities: inquiring mind, determined drive to improve
the status quo, eager willingness to move in new directions , strong sense of
social responsibility, resilient ability to recover from criticism, open
attitude toward learning from mistakes, and positive channeling of anxiety and
energy. Effective leaders are confident, pro-active, visionaries who
see the big picture and who inspire, encourage, and facilitate others to
participate in productive teams, organizations, and networks toward significant
and far-reaching goals. As they effectively bring others on board, they use
interpersonal, intrapersonal, and public relational skills that include
professional communication that is positive, constructive, influential, and
respectful. They empathize, "listen," look for common ground, refrain from
attacking, and avoid judging. They communicate nonverbally and verbally and in
positive, constructive, and relevant ways that inspire, facilitate, and support
others to produce positive collaborations, community, and results. They are role
models who generate, inspire, and facilitate effective leadership, networking,
and communication skills in others. highly productive. Women should develop
their natural skills and work at using them as effectively as possible.
What are the marks of a female leader who is especially effective in
networking with other capable women?
They value and respect others. Their focus is not on using others but
serving, supporting, and facilitating others. They encourage personal, team,
partnership, and community success by avoiding negative attacks and criticism
that generate the following: confusion, misunderstanding, conflict, withdrawal, and even
personal/professional paralysis. They guide and promote high standards and
expectations in a context of praise, encouragement, and mutual respect. As role
models, they lead by example and generate, inspire, and facilitate effective
leadership, networking, and communication skills in others. They guide by their
lives and words. They are calm and enthusiastic. They are intense but not tense,
passionate but not impulsive. They are expressive and articulate but not rudely
blunt. They correct with patience and gentleness. They facilitate functional
people and relationships. They know that healthy people, relationships, teams,
and community produce the most positive, long-term, lasting, and multiplying
results and products.
Here are basic guidelines for effective professional interpersonal, intrapersonal,
and public
communication. These personal and professional relational communication skills guard against potential irritation,
conflict, and divisiveness. They generate mutual respect, willing cooperation, and positive
responses.
Non-Verbal Communication Skills for Effective Leaders:
- Leaders convey sincerity or insincerity about their commitment
to people and projects by their body language.
- Proxemics is important. Leaning in and getting close to partners
and participants, without violating their personal spaces, demonstrates
sincerity and concern for others.
- Maintaining eye contact with others engages them.
- Affect is significant. Smiles convey desire for the well-being
of participants. Effective communicators convey by their facial expressions
and body language that they are intensely involved in and committed to those
with whom they are engaged.
- Appearing visually interesting, warm, others-centered, connects
audience to the subject and speaker.
- Using hands is impacting. Reaching out to others communicates
caring. Gesturing deliberately and naturally with hands at about waist
height conveys energetic desire to connect with others.
- Using body language that is confident generates in others the
desire to participate. Using open gestures is inviting to others.
- Staying to the side of or in front of technical equipment keeps
a presenter as the central point of a presentation with technological
reinforcement.
- Technology should not upstage speakers. When presenters get as
close to participants as possible and use remote controls or assistants to
operate equipment, the participants are more connected to the presenter and
presentation.
- The presenter is a picture worth a thousand words.
Wearing color in clothing can make the speaker look more alive.
- When the leader is calm, confidence is instilled in
participants.
- Effective leaders display open, responsive, warm eye contact.
- They do not appear aloof, distant, and unapproachable.
- They look at those who are speaking with a warm, relaxed face and
body.
- Skillful leaders smile, when possible, because it communicates acceptance, respect,
and good wishes.
1. They understand that
communicating without affect contributes to confusion and conflict.
2. They avoid negative non-verbal communication that
includes knitting brows, crossing arms, leaning back...
Verbal Communication Skills (On-site and Online) for Effective
Leaders:
- Effective leaders use appropriate greetings or salutations.
- They choose language carefully.
- Choose words carefully
- Include, restate, or paraphrase the sender's language
- Break down messages into simple components
- Compensate for absence of non-verbal language by adding more
adjectives
- Think before speaking
- They don't blurt messages impulsively.
- Use appropriate etiquette
- Are careful with what is said in writing and face-to- face
- Don't vent emotions
- Are careful of what might be offensive to other people, groups,
or cultures
- Are careful with the tone of messages
(a) Are not so short, concise, or direct that messages sound brusque or
rude
(b) Use adjectives or adverbs to clarify tone
(c) Avoid sarcasm
(d) Avoid demanding or threatening
- Refrain from judging or accusing
- Communicate with civility
- Respect others
- Effective leaders watch for possibilities of misinterpretation.
- They confirm, empathize, and sympathize.
- When disagreeing, they try to respect the other's position and
look for common ground
- "Listen" and pay attention to what a participant is saying
- Don't "flame" or use aggressive language
- Don't attack or criticize
- Are gracious and careful in wording and phrasing
- They practice civility and utilize good manners.
- They do not speak or write that which is not fair, honest, or
constructive.
- Skillful leaders try to consider various sides of issues.
1. Avoid oversimplification
2. Avoid exaggeration
3. Avoid blaming and finger-pointing
4. Give the "benefit of the doubt"
5. Practice patient, kind, consideration
6. Ask questions
7. Seek understanding
8. Practice empathy
9. Respectfully agree to disagree, when there is a difference of
opinion
- They avoid negativism, non-constructive criticism, intimidation,
threats, blaming, cynicism... because it will breed more of the same
and create a toxic environment that does not facilitate maximal
personal/professional health and productivity.
- They are patient, kind, and respectful.
- They use appropriate closings.
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References
Conrad, L. (2002). E-mail
Addiction, A
12-Step Recovery Program. Retrieved August 11, 2002 from
http://www.nacubo.org/website/members/bomag/1097_conrad.html.
Elam, P. (1997). A neophyte's guide to effective e-mail.
WebNovice.com.
Retrieved August 11, 2002 from
http://www.webnovice.com/email.htm.
Fielden, N. (2001). Internet research. Jefferson:
McFarland.
Grayson, C. & Baldwin, D. (2007).
Leadership Networking: Relate, Collaborate, and Get Things Done
Leadership Networking: It's About Relationships. Center for Creative
Leadership. Retrieved January 8, 2008
from
http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2007/OCTnetworking.aspx.
Helgesen, S. (2008). Everyday
Revolutionaries: Working Women and the Transformation of American Life.
Sally Helgesgen. Retrieved January 8, 2008 from
http://www.sallyhelgesen.com/book.cfm?isbn=0385480253 .
Helgesen, S. (2008). The Female Advantage:
Women's Ways of Leadership. Sally Helgesgen. Retrieved
January 8, 2008 from
http://www.sallyhelgesen.com/book.cfm?isbn=0385419112.
Howard, D. (2007) . What is at Stake in Observation of Leaders? The Psychology
of Leadership and Role
Modeling Influence. Diane Howard. Retrieved January 8, 2008 from
http://dianehoward.com/What_is_at_Stake_in_Observation_of_Leaders.htm .
Muoio, A. (1998) Women and Men, Work and
Power. Fast Company.com, 71, Issue 13. Retrieved
January 5,
2008 from
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/13/womenofpr.html.
Porter, K. (2003).
Women Leaders: Strategic Yet Invisible
Assets. Link & Learn E-Newsletter. Retrieved
January 9, 2008 from
http://www.linkageinc.com/company/news_events/link_learn_enewsletter/archive/2003/05_03_women_leaders_porter.aspx
San Diego, G. (2002). The art of writing e-mail.
Online Marketing Since 1994. Retrieved August 11, 2002 from
http://www.net-market.com/email.htm#salutations.
Dr. Howard's Books
Speak Skillfully and Successfully:
A Guide
to Developing Diction
and Voice-Over Excellence
Enhanced by
Technology, Not Diminished:
A Practical Guide to Effective, Distance Communication
Autobiographical Writing and Performing:
An Introductory,
Contemporary Guide to Process, Research in Speech Performance
Dr. Howard's
Papers and Presentations
Contact Dr. Howard
dhoward@vvm.com
On-Site and/or Distance
Communication Consultation
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