Great Leadership Is About Great Communication

To be an effective leader, you need to become an exceptional communicator. Here are four strategies to help you motivate and inspire your team with your words.

• Use simple language to write about complex things. Long, complicated sentences make written ideas hard to understand because they demand more concentration. You’ll win more supporters if you replace long words and sentences with shorter, more straightforward ones.
• Choose sticky metaphors. When you introduce a new or abstract idea, your audience will search for something they recognize to help them make sense of it. A metaphor is a powerful tool that compares or equates a new, abstract idea to a familiar image or concept.
• Humanize data. Slide decks with statistics and charts are helpful, but limited. The trick to making any data point interesting is to humanize it by placing the number in perspective. Any time you introduce numbers, take the extra step to make them engaging, memorable, and, ultimately, persuasive.
• Emphasize your mission. Shine a spotlight on your company’s purpose across communication channels: meetings, memos, emails, presentations, social media, and marketing material. If your mission stands for something, then stand up for it.

Read the full article: "How Great Leaders Communicate."

We're going live Wednesday, January 18, at 12 PM ET, with Ian Bremmer, the president and founder of Eurasia Group, the political risk research and consulting firm. We’ll discuss global risk and how the business world can best prepare for political and economic disruption in 2023. RSVP here.

Join HBR on March 6 for a one-day virtual conference exploring the best ideas in management and what’s next for business. Hear from top CEOs and attend mini-masterclasses led by the world’s leading thinkers on strategy, innovation, growth, DEI, and emotional intelligence. Register by January 24 and receive 25% off the regular ticket price.

Learn more:

Successful Remote Teams Communicate in Bursts

Stop Rambling in Meetings — and Start Getting Your Message Across

Enjoying these management tips? Unlock unlimited access to HBR’s content with a subscription. And for a daily version of this newsletter, sign up here.