 Coaching, Consulting & Training
Did you watch the World Series?
There was one inning, actually one half of an inning, when the Yankees made history in a way they didn’t want. They made errors. Not just a couple of errors, multiple. And not just ordinary errors, extraordinarily simple errors, the kind you see every weekend if you have a kid playing little league. A centerfielder dropped a routine fly ball. A pitcher didn’t cover first base for the easy out. Mistakes spread like a contagion in the moments that followed. The result? Within minutes the Yankees slid from the security of having a five run lead to the vulnerability of a tied game. They not only lost that game, but the entire series.
This story makes a crucial point – Even the world’s best performers make rookie mistakes. Those amateur mistakes can have major consequences.
How does this happen? By overlooking the fundamentals.
As the year moves through its closing rhythms, see to it that you are not overlooking the fundamentals of your most powerful tool: communication.
Communication Fundamental #1 – Turn Your Camera On
Last month a client baffled me with a story of how one mistake led to millions of consequences. Unfortunately, those “millions” were the dollars lost when a customer decided to walk away from their contract. The small mistake? A rep didn’t turn their camera on.
I know. It sounds ridiculous. As ridiculous as a millionaire major leaguer dropping a fly ball during the World Series. But these things happen.
In the case of my client, this tiny act of omission – their rep not showing up on camera during virtual meetings – magnified a feeling that was nagging their customer, a feeling that they were not a high priority. Being unable to see their primary rep caused them to make assumptions. Was the rep not taking the relationship seriously? Their feeling of disconnection led them to make negative judgments. Those negative judgments gave them a tipping point that justified their decision to walk away.
My Decker colleague Maurice Teffel says, “People will forgive imperfection. But they are less forgiving with a lack of connection.” My own experience with clients confirms this. The most influential communicators prioritize connection over perfection. One of the most effective ways we connect with others is by being seen. Yes, there are situations where turning your camera off makes sense. Yet there are also critical moments when fostering connection through the camera can make or break a relationship.
Prioritize connection. And whenever possible, turn your camera on!
Communication Fundamental #2 – Prepare With Your Listener in Mind
Kobe Bryant was famous for going to the gym when nobody was there. He planned his life around maximizing the time he could practice without being interrupted. As the year winds down, take advantage of the quiet soundscape and do some uninterrupted work of your own. Now is a good time to take a look at how you prepare for all types of communications.
Most people prepare by thinking only about their ideas. They spend time gathering data and proof to make their case. Once they’ve assembled enough compelling information, they’re ready to make their appeal, outline their plan, or ask for buy-in.
What is missing in this preparation ritual? Thinking about the listener.
Make a deliberate effort to concentrate first on your audience. To prepare differently, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Who are my listeners? Do I know their current mood, fears and goals? Do I have a clear image in my head of what success looks like for them?
- What is the big picture here? Can I say it in a single, memorable sentence?
- When I’ve delivered my message, what exactly do I want them to do?
- Where can I find stories that will help my listener see my point?
- How good is my virtual setup (for virtual meetings)? Is my camera lens clean, is there good lighting on my face, is the audio ok?
- Why should they do what I’m asking? What is in it for them?
Take advantage of the slowdown at the end of the year. Spend some time uninterrupted, and prepare with your listener at the front of your mind.
Communication Fundamental #3 – Get Feedback
Watching film is a universal practice for improvement among athletes. Why? Awareness. There is no more powerful form of feedback than seeing yourself.
Becoming aware of the experience you create when you communicate is the quickest pathway to improvement. If you’re willing to record yourself, what you’ll see may astound you – good and bad.
Prepare a message and record yourself with your phone. Or record your next Zoom meeting. If that sounds too tough, try a simple audio recording. Any of these practices will give you instant awareness of how you’re coming across.
If you’ve taken the brave step to watch or listen to yourself, the next courageous move is to invite someone else in. This is where a good coach can help you. At Decker, we coach communicators every day, and we start by pointing out what is already working. Then we look for specific elements to improve. The highest performers recognize this need for feedback from someone they trust. A trusted coach helps you sharpen what’s already good, and provides guidance about what’s holding you back. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing something – a good coach will always bring more out of you.
As this year comes to an end, you may be consumed with how fast and insistent the new year will thrust its demands upon you. No matter what business you’re in, at the center of all of those demands will be the need to communicate effectively.
Effective communication comes down to the basics: connect, prepare, and get feedback. By focusing on these basics, you can have the confidence of knowing you are ready for the intense days that are just around the corner.
The post Don’t Drop the Ball – Master the Communication Basics appeared first on Decker Communications.
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