Effective Communication: 

The importance of good communication 

"Teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others." 2 Timothy 2:2 NLT 

Here’s a bit of time-tested wisdom that will help get you the results you want in life: become a good communicator. Whether you lead in the church, the workplace, or the home, you must take the time to communicate clearly with people in order to succeed. One of the things virtually every employee wishes he or she had with superiors is better communication. Unfortunately, when those employees become managers, they forget to communicate with those they manage. This isn’t the case of Sally Frame Kasaks, who became CEO of the Ann Taylor clothing store franchise. She placed a new emphasis on quality products and on "more and better communication with employees at all levels". Within a year, sales rose over 30 percent. Paul Kahn had a similar agenda when he became chairman and CEO of Safeguard Services. He had his head of operations, Richard Interdonato, change the internal company strategy to emphasize three things: 

• Open doors - Leadership became more accessible to employees. 
• Visibility - Interdonato spent about 40 percent of his time just talking with people. 
• Sharing information through a daily newsletter and frequent open forums with employees. - It worked. Within a year, earnings increased by 13.1 per cent.

When you’re on top, always remember the issues that are important to those below you. Why? Because no matter how great your vision may be, without the cooperation and commitment of those below you, your vision will never be fulfilled. Paul, who was a great communicator, wrote, "Teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others." 

Prayer point: 

Lord, please help me to be someone who takes the time and cares sufficiently to communicate clearly with others. Help me to be person-focused and not just task-focused. Help me to be accessible to those who need to speak to me. And help me not to sacrifice communication when I feel under pressure to save time or increase productivity.  

Acknowledgements: God’s Little Devotional Book for Leaders (Colorado Springs, CO: Honor Books, 1997) 89