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.

1. Choose words carefully
2. Include, restate, or paraphrase the sender's language
3. Break down messages into simple components
4. Compensate for absence of non-verbal language by adding more adjectives
5. Think before speaking

• They don't blurt messages impulsively.

1. Use appropriate etiquette
2. Are careful with what is said in writing and face-to- face
3. Don't vent emotions
4. Are careful of what might be offensive to other people, groups, or cultures
5. 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
6. Refrain from judging or accusing
7. Communicate with civility
8. Respect others

• Effective leaders watch for possibilities of misinterpretation.
   
• They confirm, empathize, and sympathize.

1. When disagreeing, they try to respect the other's position and look for common ground
2. "Listen" and pay attention to what a participant is saying
3. Don't "flame" or use aggressive language
4. Don't attack or criticize
5. 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.