ARE YOU A COMMUNICATION CHAMPION…OR HOW TO TELL WHEN A YOUNG PERSON WILL OWN THE COMPANY ONE FINE DAY
How can you tell when someone will own the company due to their good communication skills? It’s no mystery who uses good communication skills, is it? Simply put, you feel good and better off during and after the verbal interaction. Of course, the communication moves which must be made in order to leave a positive lasting impression, do take a little time and gutsy perseverance when your confidence is shot. But you can be the communication champ you were born to be!
OWNING THE COMPANY BY USING GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS…A CASE STUDY
Here are nine communication moves that Bill, a repairman at a Twiddy vacation resort at the Outer Banks, used with me to on a recent family vacation at OBX. Bill, who is in his twenties, simply talked to me like the communication champ he was born to be. He….
1. SAID HELLO. As I was sitting on my bike in the cul-de-sac, Bill greeted me as he put away some tools from his previous repair job across the street. Bill didn’t keep his nose stuck to the ground or stuck up in the air.
2. INTRODUCED HIMSELF…SHOOK MY HAND. Bill then grinned and turned to me, extending his hand in a friendly way. “I’m Bill. Glad to know you!” he said in an open-minded fashion. Bill took the time to treat others to the same treatment he liked to receive.
3. SHOWED INTEREST IN ME BY ASKING A QUESTION. Bill asked if my wife, three daughters, and I enjoyed the community spirit of this Corolla Light area. Bill didn’t avoid me like the plague because he thought it would cause him extra work.
4. LISTENED TO MY PROBLEM. Bill was a repairman for the company from which our family rented our house. He was just finishing another call when I told Bill our bathroom outlets were out, due to dueling hair dryers, and I couldn’t find the circuit breaker box. Bill didn’t act like I was an idiot when the circuit box was located behind a bedroom door.
5. OFFERED TO FIX MY PROBLEM ASAP. Bill said he could take a look since his last job didn’t take as long as he thought it might. Bill didn’t make me feel ill at ease because I had a problem, but instead he put me at ease.
6. FIXED MY PROBLEM. Bill took the necessary steps to fix my problem without complaining or offering excuses why the job was impossibly taxing. Bill didn’t add to my problems but subtracted from my “to do” list.
7. SMILED BIG. Bill flashed a broad smile to both my teenage daughter and me as we were getting ready to go on our afternoon bicycle ride together. Bill treated everyone close to me with the same courtesy and respect he afforded me.
8. COMPLIMENTED. Bill tipped me with a compliment. “Your voice sounds familiar, like one of the trainers on the self-improvement audio tapes I’ve been listening to.” Bill didn’t keep his positive opinions to himself, creating a “connect” to the benefit and betterment of all.
9. SAID GOOD-BYE. Bill left the Communicator Table and thus closed the communication circle by saying: “Good-bye….I hope you and your family enjoy the rest of your vacation with us. I’m sure you’ll be back soon, and perhaps you can even train our management group.” Bill didn’t think this was an ending of our doing business together…but just a beginning.
Bill made my day a better one. Two dueling hair dryers running on high on a hot Outer Banks (OBX) family summer vacation…blown fuse…you know the drill. I couldn’t find the fuse box in this three-story guest home which sat gazing at the ocean. Enter young person, Bill, whom I vote as much likely to succeed in business due to his people skills and positive communication drills. Are the nine moves above common to your communication practice? Why, or why not?
COMMUNICATION GUTS GALORE…IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION
It’s all about communication. Everything boils down to good communication. It all begins and ends with good communication. Although good communication practices are common sense, they are not commonly executed. Do you live in your own world, alone on Introvert Island? Or do you extend your hand…talk out and up…seize the day…and drive away with the new opportunities the day affords you? And what about twenty-something Bill? He will be very successful in his business life because he takes seriously the business of good communication. Now it’s your turn, too.
NINE REASONS WHY A POSITIVE ATTITUDE NEVER KILLED ANYONE
To communicate a positive attitude at work, YOU CAN…
1. Say “hello” to everyone you come into contact with during your day
2. Show interest by asking open-ended questions about the other person’s unique experiences
3. Take the cotton out of your ears, and listen up for a change
4. Offer to fix small problems ASAP…you will be remembered for going the extra mile
5. Smile…big smile…you’re not six feet under the turf, yet
6. Extend your hand and give your first name as if you really do matter (which you do)
7. Subtract, don’t add, stress to a customer’s day
8. Give a sincere compliment….A positive attitude never killed anyone
9. Show respect by saying “good-bye” when you leave the Communicator Table
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU SEND? ARE YOU CREATING COMMUNICATION FEATS OR COMMUNICATION DEFEATS?
What message do you send to the stranger who is a new customer? Do you send the message that you’re too busy? Too smart for your own good? Too tired and stressed in? Too distracted to solve a customer’s problem? Now, Bill could’ve quipped off the rules and regulations and told me to call the main Twiddy Realty Office to get my repairs done (and I’d have been put off or put on hold for twenty or more minutes…), but he didn’t do that.
He didn’t quote me chapter and verse of stupid rules, but instead he made me feel like I ruled in his corner of the world.
Quite a communication feat? Yes, and no. Simple to do, yes, but simply not done often enough.
Are you creating communication feats or communication defeats? Today, will you act like you own the company you work for?
WILL THE TALK TO ME© SYSTEM WORK FOR YOU?
In the words of one top executive of a major regional company which is based in Dayton, “…If we can’t communicate with each other, therein lies many of our problems. It’s all about the customer. Talk To Me© is a communication system that will give you the tools and strategies to communicate better with your peers, your subordinates, your customers, your families. You learn how to listen and how to talk more effectively. Talk To Me© is great, but you can’t really explain it….It just works! As you put the communication tools and strategies that you learn to good use, you set up the work climate for clear communication, thus setting yourself up for success.” Reports have come in indicating that the talk tools trainees learn are extremely helpful in the home environment as well.
In addition to training executive and site-based managers and supervisors for the above-mentioned regional company, Dennis has also trained smaller managerial groups for an internationally known designer and manufacturer of robotics, and he has trained all employees of a small, local electronics distributorship as well. Talk today with Dr. Dennis O’Grady at 937-428-0724.