When asked what the most important management skill for a small business manager was, Executive Director Gina Maciula’s answer was short and direct: communication. Not only do managers need to be aware of what they are saying, but how to listen as well.
Statistics reveal that a typical audience retains about 5% of what is said. That means that during a one-hour meeting, they might retain three minutes of what you said. Why is this?
- Staff feels like meetings are a waste of time to begin with
- Staff members dislike or have personal issues with the speaker
- The speaker uses emotional arguments instead of facts
- Audience has different political or cultural views
- The speaker has poor or dull presentation skills
For example, a manager who begins a meeting with, “I think we should stop usability testing on the new website, what do you think?” has shut down communication with the team by providing their specific recommendations first.
One of our speakers, Gina Maciula, offers a few different communication seminars in San Francisco that covers how to give and receive feedback, called The Dynamic Management Team. This is a key management skill and a subset of listening.
