Be an active listener

One of the big mistakes people make is to guess what a person is going to say or prompt them to say what they would say if they were in the same position instead of actively listening. Cutting people off or putting your own words into their mouths shows them no respect and is far more likely to escalate into conflict. By listening to the whole story, keeping an open mind and waiting to make sure the person you are listening to has finished, you may hear something which surprises or enlightens you. It is worth persevering and being patient when listening to people because sometimes the best insights are saved for last. Active listening involves allowing the speaker to find their way to the point they want to make without trying to steer them there more quickly or even in a direction they do not wish to take. An easy trick to use to improve your ability to listen all the way to the end of someone’s point is to always wait a couple of seconds after they have finished before responding.

Wait to be asked to help

It is also worth remembering that it is often not necessary to solve someone else’s problem but more important to be their sounding board. Many people find the best way to reach their own solutions is to talk through the problem or issue and have time to hear their own concerns aloud. In these situations they simply need someone to listen, not to solve their issues for them. When someone asks directly for advice or your opinion then feel free to give it. However, they may be looking for their own path ahead and simply need to voice the issue to gain clarity of the route they must take next. Try to allow the time you spend listening to be devoted to the other person’s story. Keep your own issues, opinions, experiences, your own need to compete or impress, in the background. If they want your advice or know that you have experienced something similar which may help them, they will ask.

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Be Aware

The first step is to simply be aware that cultural issues play a part in the way we communicate. While English is the main language of business globally it is not always the first language of business associates, customers or employees. To ensure everyone is clear about what you are communicating to them it is essential to use simple, direct language. Be aware when referencing historical events or stories which have a cultural significance to you that not everyone has grown up with the same tales, education or even expressions.

Online communication

Using the internet to do business has opened up vast geographical possibilities to anyone with a computer and a modem. However as business communication becomes more remote we lose many of the visual clues that humans use for communication. No amount of emoticons or acronyms can replace the information we pick up from body language. This makes it more important that communication via email, web sites or social media is clear, open and easily understood. Subtle changes of intonation or facial expression are lost on a computer screen so the words need to be more powerful, meaningful and focused.

Need an interpreter?

When there are genuine language barriers then it is time to get help. Investing in an interpreter or translator can save time and money, especially if contracts or legal arrangements are involved. If it is likely that there will be an on-going relationship with a customer or supplier who does not speak English then it can be important to find an interpreter who can build a relationship with them on your behalf. Trust is particularly important in distant or culturally diverse business relationships so finding a go-between who you can rely on to deliver information and bridge the cultural divide is essential.

The key components of good communication still hold true
No matter what the cultural differences, the key elements of good communication remain the same. Be honest and open in your communication and it will build trust. Be clear and do not try to appear clever by using complex language or technical terms. Clarity, respect and the ability to listen are far more important than an in-depth knowledge of another person’s culture. Keep an open mind and you may be surprised by what you can learn from communicating cross culturally. There are many ways that widening your exposure to other cultures can improve the way all forms of communication take place. Increasing awareness of cultural diversity in business communications could be the key moment in opening up new business opportunities and developing better communication methods across all parts of the business.

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Business today

Every year the pressure on businesses grows, there are so many areas which can impact on the profitability and sustainability of a company. Financial pressures from global economic changes or the local commercial climate affect all businesses. Competition from overseas is growing, access to cheaper labor, the internet and globally sources services are squeezing everyone in the commercial world, even the established giants of business. With consumer demands for better quality products, delivered at a more competitive price, without harming society or the environment, the modern business needs to find ways to keep customers interested and stay ahead of the competition. This is where communication skills come in and a business with good communicators can become a truly great enterprise, no matter how big or small. Good, open corporate communicators are the answer to how business can succeed in the 21st Century.

Good communicators make a difference.

It is essential for efficient, customer focused delivery that a business’ workforce is full of good communicators. This enables them to communicate effectively internally, minimizing opportunities for mistakes, conflict or inefficiency. It is also important that communications with customers, suppliers and industry regulators are handled well. A business’ reputation is one of the most valuable things it has. If the organization has great communicators at every level there is far less chance of lost time resolving conflicts, lost production due to mistakes and misunderstandings or lost opportunities due to a lack of discussion of issues and ideas.

Learn from your communications

Communication channels with customers should also help to define the business’ path forward and identify issues management should be focusing on. It is unnecessary to spend money on market research or trend analysis if there is a clear two way dialogue with your customers. This will show the business what the customers think about your service or product, the kinds of products they are generally interested in, the level of service they expect and the price they are prepared to pay. Talking to customers gives a business the most important intelligence it needs, therefore communication channels need to be open, frequently used and constructed in such a way that all parties can share information and listen to one another.

Good communicators build good relationships

Dealing with other organizations, whether they are suppliers, government departments, local commercial interest groups or industry associations should also be carried out by good communicators to get the best out of those external relationships. If changes are ahead, solutions need to be found or good ideas shared, it is essential to have established methods of communication in place with all external parties managed by people who understand the importance of good relationships and interactions.

What makes a good communicator?

There are many sources of information on what makes a good communicator. Essentially communication should always be two-way involving listening as well as talking. For more information about how to become a good communicator and how this could help your career take a look at some of the earlier blog posts for ideas or contact me about coaching or training opportunities.

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Be a good communicator

One of the main reasons businesses and individuals are ineffective and inefficient is because communication is poor. If staff, customers or suppliers are unclear about your requirements, what you need delivered and when, there is a big opportunity for problems to occur. Many issues in the workplace which delay production or disrupt project delivery are due to misunderstanding and miscommunication. Be clear with all your communications, internal and external, what it is you want to achieve and when you want to deliver it by.

It is incredibly important to start off on a good foundation. Set out the priorities for your organisation and continue to communicate them regularly to everyone you interact with. If everyone knows what is at the core of your business proposition they will know what your priorities are and be better able to deliver their contribution to them. When problems occur, be clear from the start about how you propose to resolve them and be open about them. The only way to ensure lasting good communications within business is to build trust and that only comes from an open and transparent approach to dealing with people.

Learn from the best

There are many ways to benefit from other organisation’s experience and learn from proven smarter ways of working. Networking within your own field or industry provides a great way of picking up on the latest success stories and their business approach. There are many blogs, books and trade journals which highlight success stories and innovation in business. Think about the businesses you know and admire then contact them directly and ask about their processes, communication methods and business philosophy. Most business leaders are happy to share their experiences and thoughts on ways to work smarter so do not be afraid to ask. One of the best, simplest and quickest ways to identify ways of working smarter is to talk to your employees, clients and other direct contacts. They will be able to give you feedback and ideas. Many of those people will have worked with other similar organisations which may have given them ideas for how things could be improved. Listening is the key to learning and improving, so be prepared to listen to many people and their ideas.

Use technology wisely

Technology is not a panacea for modern, smarter, working practice. Many companies have lost valuable time and money implementing costly IT systems which were intended to make processes quicker and more efficient but actually resulted in confusion and delay. Ensure the technology you use is fit for purpose and is not going to direct staff time and energy away from the core business activities you need to focus on. There are many benefits to using IT and new media solutions but they must work for you and not result in your business resources becoming tied up in unproductive activity.

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If you have no negativity in you at all, then we wish you all the continued happiness. However, we ordinary mortals often find ourselves trapped by our fears and this can come across as negative – when it’s not meant to be.

Here are three top ways for us to trap ourselves before we’ve even started, “negative thinking traps” if you like.

“It’s Impossible!”

Audrey Hepburn had the right of this when she said; “Nothing’s impossible, the word itself says – I’m Possible!”

If you believe something to be impossible, it almost certainly will be. With the exception of certain physical laws, people have done the impossible on a regular basis for centuries. Roger Bannister was told it was impossible to run a four minute mile, nowadays because we know that’s not true people do it everyday, it’s so possible – that it’s unremarkable.

“It can’t be done”

It’s closely linked to “It’s impossible” but think back to when you were younger and how frustrating it was to be told “it can’t be done” even when you could clearly see that it could be done.

James Arthur Baldwin said; “Those who say it can’t be done, are usually interrupted by others doing it.” There’s a great deal of truth to this. Even the smartest of people put limits on the world and find themselves falling a little short of the line at times. One of the easiest ways to be able to do things is to assume you can do them in the first place.

“It’s too hard”

This one’s a little further from the other two. It’s always worth asking yourself when you think something’s going to be too hard; “What in life that is worthwhile isn’t hard work?”

Relationships take effort to maintain and remain rewarding. School work may have been hard but it put you in the career you’re in today. Learning to drive can be a frustratingly difficult task but you wouldn’t give up the freedom that being mobile brings would you?

Real work is real work, but because something is hard doesn’t make it less rewarding – it should make it more so.

However, many things that appear to be hard work – aren’t. They look hard because they start out as mammoth tasks. We’ve all heard the old line; “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” What it means is that we need to break down tasks into manageable chunks. We’re not incapable of doing mammoth tasks if we see them as a series of small and easy ones.

Once you start avoiding the negative thinking traps you can start to be greater immediately. These aren’t difficult concepts to put into play, but they quickly remove the psychological barriers to delivering great results. If you still find it hard to work through these barriers by yourself, or you’d like to find out how much greater you can be – you might want to consider working with a coach to realise your full potential.

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Communication

Communicating, clearly and confidently, enables you to reach your audience (both peers and superiors) in a way that makes it much harder to ignore your contribution. It doesn’t matter whether you’re introverted or extroverted, you have to be able to get your message across.

Relationship Building

“No man is an island.” It’s a cliché but an essential one. No-one can make progress without the support and cooperation of their colleagues. If you alienate the people around you, no matter how good you are, you can’t be effective.

Leadership

This could easily fall into the first two categories. Inspiring and empowering people is key to both. It’s also vital that you know when to lead and when to follow. Just because you have the highest rank in the room, it doesn’t mean there aren’t times when you shouldn’t step back and let someone else lead.

Personal Advocacy

Sometimes you need to blow your own trumpet. Do you know how to portray your agenda in a way that enables others to support you. Can you communicate not just your achievements but your roadmap in meaningful way to your higher management? You’ll be very lucky if during your career you can find one other person to clear the way for you – you certainly can’t rely on it.

Making Decisions

Do you dilly-dally and procrastinate every time a hard (or even an easy) call need making? It can be difficult for many people to even now how they can make a decision that delivers what they want. Ideally your decision making should also enable learning and progress your career by opening up avenues of opportunity too.

Defining Boundaries

Do you find it difficult to divide, work from home? Is it a struggle to meet both social and professional obligations? In that case you’re probably finding it difficult to define and protect the boundaries of your work life. It’s important to recognize what is important to you, particularly what you need and what you want from each are of your life. After that you need to structure your work life around boundaries that you create to protect these needs and wants.

It’s these six most basic of skills that many of us find so difficult to develop in full. Yet, they offer powerful keys to our own development and in turn that development offers great opportunities to employers that harness individuals with these skills. It’s not selfish to want to be better, it’s smart. All of these skills can be developed, and all of us need different levels of help to succeed with each of them. This is an area where coaching can be really beneficial because it allows for a fully tailored approach to personal development – something that most training courses can’t do.

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It can be easy to get stuck in a comfort zone and find that life has become an endless round of the same routine. However, once in a while it is good to find a way to break with comfortable daily patterns and deal with life in a different way. By challenging yourself to try a new skill, new mindset or new activity it is possible to get a new perspective on your life and abilities. Taking a new approach to life, work or how leisure time is used, can often bring huge benefits in attitude and energy levels. Challenging yourself and opening up to new experiences will also take you on a journey of personal growth and development which can provide great rewards.

Try Something New

Many people are discouraged from trying something new due to a fear of failure or a lack of self belief which leads them to assume they will fail. These are self limiting fears which can be turned around by making the decision to ignore doubts and negative comments. When you make the decision to take a positive step towards a new goal or achievement that is the beginning of a journey away from the limitations that you, or the people around you, have placed on your life. If you do not try, you will never know and, even if the journey does not take you exactly where you imagined, the experience will provide an opportunity for learning and growth. Once that process has begun it builds momentum which can help overcome the barriers that have been previously considered too difficult to overcome.

Take Control Of Your Life

Setting out towards a new level of personal achievement can often be the beginning of a journey towards happiness, more confidence, increased energy and more self fulfillment. Accepting that it is possible to reach a personal goal and finding the initiative to progress towards that target brings new personal growth, a wider perspective on life and a better understanding of the attitude needed for success. The pride you feel from taking control of your own life and taking on new experiences with an open mind will further build the positive energy you are creating for your journey. These changes in perception alone can contribute to a life affirming shift in your outlook. The personal development and growth in confidence from accepting a new challenge can lead to far wider benefits for your life and mindset.

The power of challenging yourself is that it may lead to discovering new skills or achieving things that were previously though to be out of reach. By setting a personal target beyond normal levels of experience or daily activity it is possible to discover a new sense of achievement. Disregard any ideas of your own limits or lack of ability and make a positive decision to achieve something which has previously seemed out of reach. The results from aiming higher can be startling and success in reaching a personal goal will lead to further confidence to go on accepting challenges. Once you start the journey towards a long held ambition or target it can be just one step in an incredibly fulfilling and motivating life experience.

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• Let information flow. Understand how powerful information can be in helping others do their jobs and making them feel valued.
• Serve don’t bully. You became a leader to serve people not to exert power over them. You want them to succeed and you’re committed to helping them do so.
• Appreciate others. Leadership can sometimes be a lonely role but you understand that the job isn’t about being appreciated, it’s about appreciating the contributions of others. You take time out to make your people feel special because they are special.
• Respect others. Respect is an act of caring, and it’s because you care that you are in a leadership position. People work harder for people who care for them. They like people who care for them and most of all they give respect back to those who respect them.
• Concentrate on the things that matter. Leadership isn’t about the trivial. Micro-management isn’t something that anyone enjoys. It takes away from your ability to communicate your vision and to inspire others to achieve. Your every word and action should show what’s really important. Don’t get bogged down in the details, trust others to do so.
• Be Driven. It is important to succeed. Be responsible and accountable for success. Enable others to be the same. You should be able to share a clear picture of what your success will look like and be able to facilitate that picture for your people. Everyone wants to be a part of something great and you know how to achieve that.
• Reflect on your actions. Take the time to understand what impact you are having on others and how you can adjust your behavior for better results. Admit your mistakes and commit to putting them right. Be seen to be responsible for the things you do.
• Don’t neglect your body. A healthy body enables a healthy mind. Take time out each day to exercise and keep your body in shape so that you can be on top of your game.
• Learn, learn and learn some more. You know how important it is to be the best and you know the only way to get there is to develop. You inspire a learning culture in your organization and involve others in coaching, mentoring, training and more.
• Show humility. It’s OK to not have all the answers. Give yourself permission to seek help and assistance when you need it and encourage others to be the same.
• Commit to your people. Show them how motivated you are by their success. Be passionate about them.
• Set an example. People follow you because you’re someone they aspire to be. Try not to forget that everything you do matters in this context and strive to be the best you can be all the time.

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Many people get to the end of their lives and wish they had done certain things or lived their lives a particular way. However it is possible to take control of your future and live life in a way which will create good memories. Here are five ways to start building a future without regrets:

1. Take action
   Do not put things off till tomorrow. If you want to have a life you can look back on and be proud of then start living it today. Once you start achieving your goals and living life the way you want to the positive effects from that will create a cycle of virtue that permeates every element of your life.
2. What are your real priorities?
   Imagine you are looking back on your life and think about which elements you will be proud of and which parts you will wish you had spent less time and energy on. Not everyone wants to be a company CEO or Nobel Prize winner. Most people say they would simply like to have spent more time with their loved ones. So change the way you organize your life to ensure you spend your time on what is really important to you.
3. Live in the here and now
   Try not to live in the past or get too caught up in ideas of what the future may hold. By engaging with what is around you, in the moment and identifying real opportunities you can prevent getting caught in a cycle of wishful living, where you are waiting for the “perfect” scenario.
4. Get some help and help other people
   One of the most difficult things to do is ask for help when you need some, but most of us rely on people around us to support us with what we do. If you find your friends, colleagues or family are not providing the support you need, or you just need a bit more specialist advice, then find a professional who can help. Life coaches, therapists and professional role models are there to guide you forward and it is not a sign of weakness to enlist their help. Conversely helping other people is one of the best ways to improve your outlook, give you some perspective and bring positive outcomes into your life. Look for opportunities to volunteer, help out a neighbor or work with a charity and you may discover a range of new skills and opportunities you had no idea existed!
5. Enjoy yourself
   By looking for ways to have fun and be positive about whatever you are doing you may find you need make very few changes to your life but can still begin living the life you want, today. A change of perspective can sometimes help identify where the fun and enjoyment can be found in your life. By doing something life-affirming and making a contribution to society it is often possible to see the positive things you bring to others and discover pleasure from the simple things in life.

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