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Good managers know how to delegate, teach and lead a team.  But what separates the competent managers from the outstanding ones is their ability to communicate – not only to their team, but with other managers and the company’s leadership.

How do they do it?  Here are the top six communication secrets top managers share:

  1. They put themselves in their audience’s shoes. The best communicators ask, “What does my audience know? What do they need to know?  What is the best approach to help them easily grasp what they need to know?”  Then, they use their answers to guide the communication they prepare.
  2. They stick to the issues. Few things derail office communications faster than getting bogged down in personal confrontations or attacks, so the best managers never even begin. Instead, they focus on the issue or topic at hand, and direct their comments toward understanding and fixing it – not toward critiquing the other people involved.
  3. They rephrase. A classic communication trick many top managers have adopted is rephrasing another person’s statements to demonstrate they have heard and they understand. “So, we’re going to meet Tuesday at 3:00, is that right?”
  4. They take notes. The best communicators don’t rely on memory, which is notoriously fallible – especially when they are busy juggling the many daily tasks of a top manager. Instead, they take notes, put things in their calendars or have conversations over email or text instead of verbally so they have a written record.
  5. They teach others to communicate effectively as well. Even the best communicator will feel “stuck” if others around them struggle to communicate well. Top managers demonstrate the value of good communication by teaching their teams to communicate effectively as well.
  6. They’re willing to ask for outside help. The best managers know that no matter how effective their recruiting is, they’ll never have all the best resources under one roof – and they don’t try. They seek the best people to fulfill the company’s mission and goals, and when they need additional help, they turn to professionals like their staffing partners to help fill in the gaps.

At SMR Group Ltd, our recruiters specialize in connecting our biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device clients to the best sales and marketing talent in the business.  Contact us today to learn more.


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