Communication is one of the most critical skills for legal professionals and leadership figures alike. If you are in a leadership position within your law firm, it is crucial to understand how communication can benefit your position and help you be the best leader possible. Communication means more than simply getting information across to people working for you. It is a two-way street, and being able to listen effectively is just as important.
Being an excellent communicator can help you to grow your law firm, nurture talent and provide a first-rate service for your clients. You will need to understand how to adapt your communication techniques to suit different settings and demographics, and having the ability to put people at ease can be invaluable.
Building strong relationships
For a team to work effectively together, they need to have strong working relationships. This applies to all working relationships from the top down. As a leader in your law firm, you must lead by example and show more junior staff the proper ways to communicate with others in the workplace. This requires constant work and attention on your part, as communication is a skill that can always be improved upon. You will also need excellent active listening skills, which will ensure that your team feels heard and valued within the law firm.
Setting expectations
As a leadership figure, it is your job to ensure that everyone working under you knows what is expected of them and what they can expect from the law firm. This is a critical part of maintaining a happy and productive workforce. Being open, honest and transparent about the business, any upcoming changes, and future goals for the company is crucial to keep the team working as a cohesive unit. You will need to be able to get your expectations across in a concise manner, no matter who you’re talking to.
Providing clarity
Clarity is crucial when communicating with employees and clients. It is one of the central tenets of being an effective communicator and can make or break your standing as a leader. Being able to communicate clearly can seem deceptively simple, but it is actually far more challenging in practice. In addition, communicating clearly helps to improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace, as a lack of clarity can result in back and forth until understanding is reached.
Influencing change
Being persuasive when communicating is a key skill for any legal professional, leader or not. As a leader, you will need to be able to use your communication skills to influence change in the business. This could be in the form of advocating for a new company policy or convincing a client to use your argument in a court case. Being able to influence change can massively benefit you in your career, so it can help to undertake some additional training to help improve the skill. A communication and influence course could be the perfect solution for a legal business leader.
Increasing employee satisfaction
Employees feel happier, more secure and valued when they feel they are being kept in the loop with important business decisions. Communicating vital information with employees on a regular basis can be invaluable to help boost satisfaction and help you retain the best talent. Listening to and offering feedback to employees can also help them reach their full potential, ensuring that your business operates with its people’s best interests at heart.
Improving empathy
Empathy is a crucial skill for business leaders and one that goes hand in hand with effective communication. Ensuring you actively listen to the opinions, concerns and ideas of employees and clients can help you understand what is important to them. This can help you gain greater empathy towards others and know where they’re coming from in a business setting. The ability to empathise with your team and clients can make you a much more effective leader and lawyer.
Learning to read people
Communication can be a great way to read people, which is a crucial skill for a business leader. The better in tune with peoples’ emotions and wants, the better placed you will be to negotiate both in and out of court. The more effectively you communicate, the better you will get at recognising bluffs, tells and reading between the lines of what people are actually saying.
Motivating your team
Another primary function of a business leader is to motivate your team. Communication can help you do this by giving you the tools you need to encourage, advise and constructively critique employees. You will need to know when to use the different motivational tools at your disposal and understand which techniques can work for different employees.
Conclusion
Your ability to communicate says a lot about you as a leadership figure and can have a significant impact on your success in your role. It is important to keep an open mind and be continuously looking for new ways to improve your communication skills in ways that benefit you, your team and your clients.
