The Ultimate Guide to Leadership Communications

Strong leadership communication shapes how people see you, how they respond to you and how they act. When you communicate well, you influence decisions, build trust and help your organisation move faster.

When your message is unclear or inconsistent, people hesitate. They make assumptions. Momentum slows. That’s the importance of communication skills in leadership

Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball

Ben is the founder of Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London.  Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page. 

Your Practical Route to Great Leadership Communications

This guide gives you practical tools to improve your leadership communication. You’ll learn what great leaders do differently, how to speak with confidence, how to create engaging presentations and how to strengthen communication across your organisation. Leadership communication styles can vary – but the quality of communications must be high.

You’ll also find examples, case studies and links to deeper advice, including specialist coaching and training in communication skills for leaders.

This is based on the 15+ years of experience at Benjamin Ball Associates where our coaches have been helping leaders across the UK, Europe and the Middle East become more effective communicators.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

Why Leadership Communication Matters

People watch leaders closely. They listen to what you say, how you say it and what you don’t say. Your communication affects team morale, clarity, speed of decision making and your wider reputation.

Good communication helps you:

• Steer people through uncertainty
• Build trust during change
• Present ideas in a way that sticks
• Inspire confidence across your organisation
• Handle tough questions calmly

If you want quick practical guidance, start with this short article:
Seven Tips to Speak Like a Leader.

1. What Leaders Who Communicate Well Do Differently

Leaders who stand out tend to do the same things consistently. They keep their messages simple, speak with purpose and make it easy for people to understand what matters. Much of our leadership training is to show how to use the simplest possible language and structure it in a compelling way.

Great communicators:

• Use clear, plain language
• Share the reason behind decisions
• Listen actively
• Give people space to respond
• Stay calm under pressure
• Adapt their message to the room

If you want structured leadership communication training, this is a useful starting point:
Leadership Communication Training Courses.

For a deeper transformation across your organisation, see:
Transform Communications in Your Organisation.

2. How to Build Strong Leadership Communication Skills

Strong communication isn’t about being the loudest voice. It’s about being clear, confident and human. You can use proven communication techniques and at the same time be yourself.

Here are the core elements:

Speak clearly

People remember your message when you strip out jargon and long explanations. Clear leadership communication is simple leadership communication.

Helpful guidance:
Improve Leadership Communication Skills
and
How to Improve Your Leadership Communication Skills.

Use stories, not just facts

Facts inform. Stories persuade. When you add a short example to your message, people understand you faster and remember you longer.

How to tell stories in business

Use pauses well

Leaders who pause sound more confident and in control. Pauses help your message land and give you space to think.

Read about how to use pauses and the power of the pause

Adapt to your audience

Your team, your board and your clients each need different levels of detail. Tailoring your communication helps people stay engaged. You can read more about this here: How to talk like TED

For deeper help with this skill, see:
Improve Communication Skills.

3. Communication Skills Every Leader Should Develop

You don’t need to be a natural speaker to lead well. You do need a handful of communication skills that help you handle a variety of situations.

The ability to simplify

If your explanation is complicated, people won’t act. Make it simple enough for people to repeat.

How to talk about complex ideas using simple words

Confidence without arrogance

Confidence comes from preparation and clarity, not volume. Leaders who stay grounded gain more trust.

Learn how to project gravitas as a leader

Read more about how to develop executive presence

Active listening

Your team needs to feel heard. Listening also gives you better information.

How to be a better listener

Saying less, saying it better

Strong leaders resist the urge to explain everything. They choose the right words rather than more words.

Making an impact across the organisation

You can read more about how to influence without authority

If you want 1:1 coaching to practise these skills, explore:
Communication Skills Coaching.

For team-wide support, consider:
Communication Skills Training.

4. Leadership Communication in Presentations

Leaders who present well have an advantage. They win trust faster, shape the mood of the room and help people understand what needs to happen next. Here is how to present like a leader.

Start strong

People decide quickly whether to listen. Open with a short story, a clear problem or a simple, bold statement.

How to start a speech or presentation

This article offers practical ideas:
Give Engaging Presentations: Tips for Leaders.

Structure your message

A simple structure works best:

1. Set the context
2. Explain the challenge
3. Share your view
4. State the action required

Keep slides clean

If your slides are crowded, people stop listening to you. Use fewer words and more space. How to design a powerful presentations

Use your voice deliberately

Leadership communication is shaped as much by tone and pace as by content. How to make your voice more interesting and get rid of filler words

Rehearse aloud

Leaders who rehearse sound sharper and more relaxed.

To refine your presentation skills, these videos are helpful:

• How to Create a Compelling Talk
• How to Make a Stand Out Presentation
• How to Deliver Business Presentations and Public Speaking Skills
• How to Create a Knock Out Speech

5. Communicating Clearly During Change and Crisis

During difficult periods, people look to leaders for reassurance and direction. Your communication style can steady your team or increase their anxiety.

To communicate well under pressure:

• Be transparent about what you know
• Share what you’re doing next
• Avoid speculating
• Maintain a measured tone
• Deliver updates consistently

If you want specific guidance, this article is useful:
Best Crisis Communications Training.

You might also find this helpful:
Press Release Leadership Communications.

6. Building Strong Workplace Communication

You shape your workplace culture through the way you communicate. Strong communication helps teams collaborate, speak up and solve problems. Poor communication leads to confusion, misalignment and wasted time.

To strengthen workplace communication:

• Set clear expectations
• Model the behaviour you want to see
• Share information openly
• Encourage questions
• Keep meetings short and purposeful

For tools that help teams improve, see:
Workplace Communication Training.

For a deeper group experience, explore the:
BBA Communications Masterclass.

7. Leadership Communication in Practice: Lessons from Real Leaders

Seeing what other leaders have done makes ideas more concrete. Here are two case studies that show real-world transformation:

• How a property firm CEO sharpened communication across the business:
  Leadership Communication Case Study
• How a UK financial regulator improved leadership communication across the senior team:
  Public Speaking Coaching for a Leadership Team

These examples show how communication skills can influence culture, confidence and organisational performance.

8. How to Improve Your Leadership Talks

Leadership talks are an opportunity to influence how people feel. Whether you are updating your team, presenting to the board or addressing clients, the same principles apply.

Here are steps that help:

1. Decide on the single idea you want people to remember
2. Use a story to illustrate your point
3. Strip out unnecessary detail
4. Keep your language simple
5. Rehearse the opening and closing lines

A detailed guide is here:
Five Steps to Improve Your Leadership Talks.

9. Transforming Communication Across Your Organisation

When leadership communication improves at the top, the rest of the organisation follows. Leaders set the tone. You influence how others speak, listen and collaborate.

A communication transformation might include:

• Leadership communication coaching
• Team workshops
• Clearer message frameworks
• Consistent communication routines
• Stronger internal storytelling

You can read more in this practical guide:
Transform Communications in Your Organisation.

10. Your Next Step

If you want to improve your leadership communication, start small. Choose one situation this week where you want to communicate better and apply a tip from this guide. Keep it simple. Build from there.

If you want more tailored support, you can explore:

• Communication Skills Coaching
• Communication Skills Training

Stronger leadership communication helps you guide your organisation with confidence, clarity and credibility. When your message is clear, people move with you rather than wait for you.

To improve your leadership communications, call Louise Angus, our client services director who’ll find the right tailored programme for you or your team.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

Why Choose Us:
Transform your pitches and presentations with tailored coaching

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too.

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”

Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice for leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We’ll help you improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.

Some recent clients

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation