Universal Principles for Effective Communication in Leadership

Abstract

To lead you must communicate. Be it verbal or non-verbal, communication ensures common understanding and the actualization of ideas into action. It is quintessential to the military commander and a fundamental part of operational art and leadership. In both British and US Army doctrine, the importance of communication and its relevance to operational art is clearly articulated, however a method to enable effective communication is not. This study sought to identify a set of principles to enable effective communication by using a structured focused analysis of two case studies. The study found that common aspects of effective communication were evident in both case studies. Analyzing these common aspects, the study ascertained that the universal principles for effective communication are understanding, adaptability, content, standards, context and reflection. Finally, the study recommends that the identified universal principles for effective communication be adopted into both British Army and US Military doctrine. If nothing else, the study attempts to inspire all military professionals to consider and reflect on their own communication style to ensure we continually get the best out of our people.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 24, 2018
Accession Number
AD1070961

Entities

People

  • Michael J. Brigham

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Army Personnel
  • Case Studies
  • Civil War
  • Cognition
  • Command And Control
  • Doctrine
  • Literature Surveys
  • Military Doctrine
  • Military Operations
  • New York
  • Personality
  • Psychology
  • Reasoning
  • Training
  • War
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Theoretical Analysis.