If trust is the glue that holds a team together…
And trust is built in the small moments...
How does this actually look and sound?
There are several aspects to this but today we will focus on a central one of these: Communication.
Brian Tracy, renowned success in business, management and sales, agrees with us when he explains,
“Your ability to communicate with others will account for fully 85% of your success in your business and in your life.”
85%! That’s definitely worth your attention.
We tend to assume that others see things from our same perspective and so we take for granted that people will know what we mean when we speak. We’re so easily absorbed in our own mental bubble, that we may not even realize that another perspective exists. Our belief, our view feels like THE truth.
Despite the best intentions for working together, this is where people commonly miss each other. Be it between spouses, parents and kids, co-workers, or bosses and employees, misunderstandings are as easy as breathing. At work, this can create big and lasting problems for a team.
You may believe you’ve been clear, but your coworker is confused.
You may perceive yourself as being supportive, but your employee sees you as overbearing.
Or perhaps you interpreted something as a personal attack when it actually had nothing to do with you.
There are hundreds of variations on how communication falls short of the intended goal.
Welcome to human relationships.
We’ve all got blindspots.
We’ve all got baggage.
We’ve all got our own worldview with years of experience to support it.
It’s no wonder, really, that miscommunication is so common.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
With deliberate thought and effort (and sometimes some training from a non-biased professional), you can reduce the stresses caused by faulty communication.
Here are just a few tips to get you started:
Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t expect people to get the hint. Be clear.
Assume the best of someone before jumping to conclusions about their intent. Ask for understanding and listen with an open mind to the other’s point of view.
Check for understanding. This may sound like, “So what I’m hearing is…Have I got that right?”
If a situation feels emotionally charged, work to keep yourself calm. Take deep breaths, slow down the pace of conversation, and acknowledge that emotions are high. For example, “I see that you have very strong feelings about this”.
Appreciate when someone is trying to give you feedback. That takes courage, especially if you are in a position of authority over them. Thank them for sharing their thoughts and stay open to their perspective.
Frame the communication to cue people as to your intent. This may feel like a lot of extra effort but it actually saves time and energy in the long run. It may sound something like, “I want to understand how this fits into our strategic plan. Can you tell me how you see this fitting with our goals?”
And we’ve just skimmed the surface here.
There is so much that goes into effective communication: word choice, tone of voice, body language, and timing just to name a few.
G2 Solutions has years of experience helping businesses and families communicate for success.
If you need to brush up on your communication skills so that your team and relationships can excel, give us a call for a free consultation.
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