The 3 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Need Communication Coaching

When you think about coaching, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For many entrepreneurs, coaching is synonymous with improving business strategy. And, while they may have heard that coaches are a worthwhile investment, they may feel like they don’t need to spend money hiring a coach, because they already know what a coach might be able to teach them.

However, despite how good they are at their business, entrepreneurs in every industry, sector, and company size can still benefit from coaching—specifically, communication coaching. There are several reasons for this: for one, a communication coach can help entrepreneurs get out of their own head and figure out how to have those crucial conversations, even if they’re hard.

Communication coaches can also help entrepreneurs figure out how to articulate their vision so that other people understand it and buy into it. Finally, communication coaches can guide entrepreneurs into discovering and embracing their authentic leadership style.

On almost every level, communication coaches can help entrepreneurs become more productive, more efficient, and more successful. In fact, they can mean the difference between success and failure. Let me show you what I mean.

#1: Leading a Business is a Lonely Endeavor

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that being a business leader is a lonely endeavor. Many times, there’s nobody to think things through with, especially when it comes to the big decisions. And, when you don’t have someone safe to talk things out with out loud, it can lead to all sorts of problems.

That’s where a communication coach comes in. Often, just having somebody there who can support you in thinking through how to have a productive conversation with a co-founder or board member, or deliver bad news to an employee, or smooth things over with an unhappy client, is incredibly powerful. A communication coach can also help you make sure the way something comes out is the way you meant it to, especially since sometimes we say things, only to realize—too late—that our words sounded much better in our heads.

When you work with a communication coach, you have access to someone who will keep what you share completely confidential, while at the same time bringing a fresh perspective to the issue. Because the communication coach has some knowledge of you, your business, and your goals, they can help you think through the ramifications of possible conversations and actions, and they can hear things in a more objective way.

As a leader, never being able to step outside of your own point of view and take in other perspectives is dangerous. But, because of the isolation every leader experiences, it’s a very real risk. Communication coaches mitigate that risk, and at the same time they bring objectivity and professional expertise to the table as well.

#2: Articulating Your Vision Can be Difficult

As an entrepreneur, you have to be able to articulate your vision, your mission, and your values to the people around you. To achieve success, you have to be able to show your employees, your investors, and your customers where you’re taking them.

Often, the vision that’s clear in your head isn’t clear to other people. It can be incredibly difficult to articulate your vision in a way that other people can understand and resonate with. However, that’s the only way to get others to follow you.

A good communication coach can fix that. They can work with you to tease out your vision, then help you develop the story of how you’ll communicate that vision to your various stakeholders. They’ll help you find ways to make your articulation more impactful. They’ll help you root out any potential areas of confusion and address them. Finally, they’ll make sure you are as clear and effective as it’s possible to be.

#3: It’s Hard to Find Your Authentic Leadership Style

The benefits of communication coaching don’t end there, not by a long shot. Another huge benefit of working with a communication coach is that they can help you find your own authentic leadership style.

Many entrepreneurs really admire certain leaders. They read their books and listen to their podcasts, and then they try to be just like that person—to show up the way they think that person would. The problem, though, is that this can come across as inauthentic, and it can make it much harder to forge a connection with employees and lead them effectively.

A person’s leadership style is in how they show up, how they respond to crises and frustrations, how they lead and inspire. It’s how they communicate, and how people view them as a leader.

All of these things reflect an entrepreneur’s body language, energy, tone, and their presence—and these are exactly the things that a communication coach can help develop, by guiding the entrepreneur in how to assess and understand their own style, then live in it fully and work on it from a professional development point of view.

Develop Your Credibility and Authenticity

Ultimately, a communication coach is the key to helping people see you for who you really are. They will help you take the best parts of yourself and lean into them more, while at the same time giving you tools to mitigate and manage your weaknesses.

As you master how you communicate in words and also through tone, energy, body language, presence, and more, you will be able to develop your credibility and authenticity. That, in turn, will foster more cohesiveness and commitment in your team, which will help elevate your company to the next level.

No matter where you’re starting from or what you need help with, investing in yourself by hiring a communication coach will be immensely beneficial. The truth is the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who are completely comfortable in their own skin. They’re the ones who are best able to leverage the strengths that make them great leaders, and at the same time mitigate the things that may be creating some challenges.

Written by Monique Maley. For more advice on how improving your communications can have a massive impact on your business, you can find “Turbulence: Leadership’s Unsexy Solution to Streamline Rapid Growth” on Amazon.