ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on leader characteristics that are particularly susceptible to refinement. Communication is conveyed both directly through language and indirectly through gestures, posture, and so forth. It is a two-way process that ensures accurate receipt of the message but also includes receipt of information by the leader as well. There are four main elements of communication skills in regard to leadership. Oral communication is often considered the most prominent. Oral communication takes different forms, from speaking with individuals or small and large groups to communicating via electronic media. Social skills are a major pillar of a leader's skill set, overlap extensively with communication and influence skills, and are occasionally subsumed under them. Social skills are the ability to interact effectively in social settings and to understand and productively harness one's own and other's personality structures. Influence skills meld the actual use of sources of power with concrete behavioral strategies.
