Communication Skills Tip: Building Our Corporate Communities

As a business owner, I have often felt that I had no one to turn to when it came to certain aspects of running my organization. Then, I met my fiancé who is also an entrepreneur. Once we started having conversations about issues and challenges we faced in our careers, it alleviated some of the anxiety associated with the rollercoaster of managing teams, projects, finances, goal setting and so much more. Still, there remain times that the lonliness associated with being the final decision maker creeps in. For me, I have found that being as candid with my team as I feel comfortable not only makes me feel better, but it makes them feel part of something greater than their day-to-day responsibilities. It makes me think of my theatre days and the joy I found being involved with theatrical productions. There was very little separation between the director, the actors, the stage manager, the lighting technicians and grips. There was always a sense of community and an underlying knowing that we were there to support each other. This feeling so often goes missing in the corporate workplace and is something that we all need back to reinvigorate ourselves as we bounce back from this economical downturn we are in. Find time to go the extra mile in supporting everyone on your team, including your senior leaders. (See Harvard Business Publishing article by Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay on succeeding as a new leader.) You can do it simply by saying something when you notice someone's mood has changed. Or by offering a genuine smile of understanding where you might not have done so in the past. You can even offer a suggestion where you see something that has gone unnoticed. There are many ways we can communicate to show each other that we are human, that we care and that we are in it together. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.

Communication Skills Tip: The Two Steps

When I was a teenager, I went to a performing arts high school. My major was theatre. Two weeks every year, however, we could trade in our focus for another performing art. I chose dance. Every day for two weeks I'd spend four grueling hours at the ballet bar trying to get on my toes or do a plié with some form of grace. Truth is, two weeks was never enough time to get past the sore muscles and over the learning hump into a pirouette. I did learn, however, that for every two steps back, I was beginning to take a leap forward. I am sure that if I had continued to study dance along with theatre I could have become a trained dancer--maybe not a professional ballerina, but definitely a dancer. I have found with most of my coaching clients that learning a new language or perfecting a presentation skill can sometimes be frustrating. The more information they are juggling, the more confused they could get. I also have seen that with discipline and desire, most of them make it past the first two weeks. For every lost word or every forgotten gesture, desire and determination were able to allow them to improvise until they found themselves gracefully communicating. Just remember that whether you are learning to dance, developing a new language or attaining new communication skills, you can do it with the right amount of practice, persistance and passion. Stay with it and you'll be dancing your way forward. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.

Communication Skills Tip: Boost your message

I was standing in line at Jamba Juice today and after ordering my carrot juice, the cashier said, "Boost?" I didn't say anything because I didn't know he was talking to me. Plus being an infrequent consumer of the juice shop, I didn't even know what "boost" meant. When I saw we were in a stalemate, he pointed to the sign in front of the cashier that offered shots of Vitamin C, protein, etc. "No thanks," I said. And we completed the transaction. What was missing? A fully composed question, "Would you like one of our energy or vitamin boosts with that?" What does that tell me about communication? Being too brief can be misleading and off-putting. Know your audience and never make assumptions about what they know or do not know. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.

Communication Skills Tip: Silence Is Golden When Negotiating

In one of my coaching sessions this week, we were discussing the power of silence when presenting ideas. The conversation spilled over into negotiation and we all agreed that we lose power in our deals, interviews and even daily conversations when we respond to our own proposals. Zig Ziglar (listen to Ziglar's podcast on closing skills) is one of the best known experts on sales and he will tell you “the number one reason people may not buy from you is because they don't trust you." People who talk too much can be hard to trust. Especially at the negotiating table. Maybe it is because it seems that they only have their best interest at heart. Even if they are genuine, the overtalking can raise doubts about what's in it for us. In Lanartco's tip of the week June 3, 2009, I mentioned silence as an important component in our negotiations. Too often we fill those white spaces with fillers, repetition or non-essential information. It takes a conscious effort to follow a full stop with an intentional pause. Yet, it is something we all need to do. Whether you are selling yourself in an interview, selling an idea in the boardroom, or selling a product or service to a customer, try silence after your point to gain confidence from your counterparts and watch your negotiations turn for the better. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.