How to be a better communicator

Refining your communication skills will enhance all aspects of your life, including improvements in all aspects of your work.

You can have the best strategy in the world and a superstar team in place to execute it, but none of that matters if you don’t have the ability to communicate your ideas. Strong communication is one of the pillars of great leadership, but it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. The good news is this is a learnable skill, and one that you should practice and polish as you rise in your career.

If you feel like you need a basic refresher (and even if you don’t feel that way, it’s a good idea to check yourself at least once a year) you can review the PACK model, which provides four simple steps for executives to drastically improve the impact of their communications. You can read the steps here.

If you feel you are communicating well but are struggling to get your team to open up, there are several exercises you can try with your team. Groups of…