Have you ever noticed how we buy from people we know, like and trust? I notice this in myself when I am at the doctor’s office, when I shop for clothes in a store or food at a restaurant or when someone tries to convince me to buy into his/her idea. It has been proven that we are more likely to “buy” (material goods or ideas) from someone we like than someone we don’t. Think about your own shopping experience or even when someone is making a case for something they believe in. Have you ever felt like walking out of a store when you didn’t feel comfortable with whomever was helping you? Did you ever stop listening when someone you didn’t trust tried to sell you his/her idea? Admittedly, I have.
What’s the most important skill to develop when constructing an intelligent argument or convincing someone of your point of view? Know your audience. Because if you don’t make your argument about them, you’ll struggle to even get their attention. How do you accomplish this?
Mary was a young emerging leader full of promise at the large company where she worked. Her skill set was exceptional… She was extremely bright and very creative. She exceeded expectations in most all of her work responsibilities and she was identified as a high potential. One area of concern, however, was around her communication style. I was asked to do an assessment. When she and I got together, she told me that she wanted to be perceived as self-confident, competent and credible. Mary looked the part…she dressed nicely, she stood tall and she made eye-contact when she spoke. Her voice however, did not align with the visual image or the way in which she wanted to be perceived.
Avoid wasting your money until you are ready. Let me explain…
You’ve decided that you have some communication issues that you would like to improve upon and a coach is the solution to help you achieve your goals. Resolving to make change is a wonderful goal but too often, people with best intentions are unable to achieve their goals. Too often, we have unrealistic goals and don’t realize how difficult change can be.
Are you trying to persuade someone (or a group) to see your point of view but your
message seems to allude them? Working with many clients over the year, there are speaking habits that are detractors and ultimately (but unintentionally) affect the speaker’s credibility. The speaker may be totally oblivious to the distraction, too, unless they have sought out the feedback or someone has boldly spoken up. Most people don’t give their opinion though as they feel unqualified to do so or they are afraid of offending the person needing the feedback. Since a lot of distractions occur without knowledge that they exist in the first place, here’s a crash course to help you identify potential issues. This checklist of common distractions are easy to fix with self-awareness and self-monitoring. Remember that any behavior that causes your audience to think about something else (and not you, the speaker) will take away from your message. As soon as that happens, your credibility suffers.
Have you seen this video that depicts the elevation and demotion of popular brands over 7 years? It’s a fascinating visual of brand changes for familiar large organizations. Take a look at this video:
It only takes seconds to make an impression. It seems the research varies from 1/10th of a second to 30 seconds (with an average of 7 seconds). The fact remains, we judge quickly and others are doing the same when we first meet. The question is, what can we do about it?
A lot of people take for granted the powerful tools they have to create lasting impressions that help them every day in their communications with business customers and colleagues and help them to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Do you like the sound of your speech and voice? Are you aligned? By that I mean do you sound like the executive leader that you are? If not, let me tell you how great communicators benefit when they align and sound like leaders using their speech, language and voice skills:
Your tone of voice says a lot. It indicates your friendliness, confidence, and how authentic you are. People will choose whether they want to do business with you based on the way you sound. There are both positive, uplifting tones that we can feel encouraged by and there are other tones of voice that can demoralize and demotivate. Sometimes, people don’t recognize that their vocal tone is so disheartening. Even if they do, they aren’t sure what it is about their tone that makes them sound that way. Below are three vocal tones that should be avoided in the workplace and an explanation of what is happening through speech, language and voice characteristics.
Are you fast talker? If you are, you may be losing the most important person in the room: the listener! A good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per minute (wpm). A rate higher than 160 words per minute can be difficult for the listener to absorb the material. There may be some areas of the country that speak at faster rates but a slower rate is preferable. Too slow of a rate may give the listener the perception of slow thinking, incompetence and being uneducated. If you have a foreign accent though, speaking slowly is crucial since pronunciation may be a challenge for the listener. Use a speed that is closer to 140 words per minute.
Have you ever noticed how we buy from people we know, like and trust? I notice this in myself when I am at the doctor’s office, when I shop for clothes in a store or food at a restaurant or when someone tries to convince me to buy into his/her idea. It has been proven that we are more likely to “buy” (material goods or ideas) from someone we like than someone we don’t. Think about your own shopping experience or even when someone is making a case for something they believe in. Have you ever felt like walking out of a store when you didn’t feel comfortable with whomever was helping you? Did you ever stop listening when someone you didn’t trust tried to sell you his/her idea? Admittedly, I have. 
