Communication Skills Tip: Building Cohesive Teams

When I was persuing an acting career, I spent a lot of time developing rapport amongst cast members. All good directors know that in order for a performance to be a success, the ensemble needs to act as a cohesive group. Actors will spend hours developing their improvisational skills. Improvisation in acting, however, does not mean being impulsive. It means being at the top of your game when it comes to being alert and ready to respond. It also means caring deeply about the group rather than just yourself. In business conversations, we so often focus on ourselves. "Is my point clear?" "Did I say enough?" "What else can I explain?" What would happen if we asked (as one of my partners, Lisa Parker says) other-focused questions instead, like: "Did I hear what she said accurately?" "Is he responding as though he understood my message?" "What can I add to her point?" By doing this, we have the opportunity to build business units that understand the true meaning of the expression: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 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: Lasting Second Impressions

I was on a flight to Myrtle Beach recently and while I was waiting for my delayed plane to board, a man seemingly disguised in black glasses, a straw hat and an iPod headset blasting from his ears, asked if he could sit next to me. "Sure," I said as I moved my purse from the seat. Minutes passed as he transitioned to his phone...to taking off his glasses...to swapping his hat for a cap...to flipping through his novel...to beginning to chat with the woman next to him. Hmmmp! Things were getting interesting. What I thought was the beginning of a pick-up conversation, turned into an exchange of entertainment and accolades between the man and all of the patrons stranded at Laguardia's Gate 6. This man's gregarious, warm nature took over as he was thumbing through and critiquing the songs on this woman's iPod. As the manager of a well known American band, he clearly has authority to joke about her country version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. He had us all smirking and laughing. When he and I got on the plane, we were sitting a few aisles away. He asked the flight attendant to pass his iPod to “his wife” (me) to make sure I recognized the great band he managed. My point is simply this: Let’s be sure not to judge someone only by their first appearance. Allowing ourselves to be surprised is so much more forgiving of human nature. I could not have felt more welcomed by this complete stranger who I most likely will never see again. 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: Transforming our Private Confidence into Public Speaking

How many of you are fed up with listening to everybody else's business while they converse with family, friends and colleagues on their mobile phones in public (cell phone etiquette)? I know that it drives me bananas. And like many of you out there, I aim to be considerate and limit the number of calls I'll take and the length of them while I'm not in a private place. But one thing I find fascinating is how animated, both vocally and physically, most people are when they are publicly speaking on their cell phones. It makes me ask why that animation often times doesn't translate into true public speaking. Why are we able to block out the hundreds of people witnessing our private conversations yet remain frozen by the same number of audience members when they are invitees? Doesn't it seem a bit odd? The good news for any of you out there who see yourself in this syndrome is that you can do it. You are capable of making appropriate hand gestures and dynamic facial expressions. And, yes, you can use volume and intonation well, too. Next time you find yourself on a cell phone call, take notice of how focused you are. Take note of how confident you sound and see if you can translate that into your business communication. Just a thought. 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: Our Dynamic Presence

Riding the train along The Hudson this past 4th of July weekend, I saw a lone kayaker bobbing up and down on the serene, yet dynamic river. For an instant, I felt like I was the moving water. When snapping back to the reality of the rattling train moving upstate, it made me think of presence and how powerful its duality can be. At the same time that presence is bold, colorful and expressive, it also is quiet, underspoken and balanced. Naturally, we ask ourselves if we all have presence and if it can be cultivated. I think we can all find our own unique state-of-aliveness the more still we let ourselves be. And the closer we get to the stillness, the closer we are to our personal sense of expression. Because life is a circle of opposites, we can find our true-self in silence which leads to the awareness of our self expression and then the outward manifestation of our unique presence. Think about it, get lost in it and discover something dynamic about yourself. 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.