There’s a lot to be learned in the area of effective communication. After all, people communicate in different ways and, as a leader, how you communicate may not be how someone else does. Some people on your team may not be as interested in pleasantries and prefer only the facts, while others need to have a conversation prior to diving into details. But one thing is for sure: Consistently talking through problems, issues and goals is always a wise thing to do.
In fact, effective communication with your team isn’t just important, it’s crucial to ministry success. Here are seven reasons you should communicate effectively:
Communication is best for the other person. Communication helps people to grow by clarifying any dysfunction and not enabling a wrong behavior to continue. Some leaders may have a 20-year-old Christian that is no more than a 1-year-old in Christ. They have lived the same year 20 times and have never learned the basics of the Christian faith.
Communication helps a leader deal with problems before they escalate into a full-blown crisis. There is something to be said about Barney Fife’s old adage “nip it in the bud!” When problems are addressed quickly there is less of a chance that they will turn into crises.
Communication that is based on real-time problems becomes a release valve for frustrations—yours and others. When we fail to address problems, our attitudes can be skewed toward the person involved. We may end up wishing he or she were not a part of our team for no other reason than we just don’t want to address the problem. Communicating your policy and boundaries helps people to know if they are a fit for their positions or not.
THE FINAL FOUR REASONS, ON PAGE TWO
