Part Two – The Conversational Wizard…

Happy Thursday everyone…ONLY ONE DAY LEFT!!!  Last week we started off our three part series about communication and we discussed how important communication was to your business.  We also discussed how important it is to understand the person or people you are talking to and asking basic clarifying questions.  We are going to expand a little more on those today as well as the nuts and bolts of your conversation and turning you into the conversational wizard that you want to be.   

To become that conversational wizard you first have to be able to assess your communication style and understand your strengths and weaknesses.  Be honest with yourself!  First, how do you communicate?  Are you bold and outgoing?  Are you okay speaking to anyone at anytime and are very self assured.  Or, are you soft in your communication and a little intraverted?  Are you reserved about speaking to people one-on-one or infront of groups? 

Both of these communication styles have their sweaknesses.  If you are the bold and self-assured you can often be perceived as being pushy, straight to the point, not caring about other peoples emotions as much as getting the job done.  You can also be perceived as putting people down and coming on too hard.  If you are soft in your communication you may be perceived as uneasy, that you do not have confidence in the information, that you are holdng up progress or that you are not taking the task at hand seriously.  This may sound harsh but remember, you need to be honest with yourself.  The biggest point that I want to make in this blog is that PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING.  I can not stress that point enough.

Understanding what your particular weaknesses are will help you break down the communication barriers that currently hampers your communication.  You also need to understand the weaknesses of the person you are communicating with so that you can take over the communication wheel at that point in time to keep the communication going.  When you are communicating ensure that you listen to how you are communicating, listen to the tone of your voice, look at the reactions of the people you are communicating with and remember, be honest with yourself.

Next week we will discuss the strengths of each communication type.  You have some more homework this week…I know you are excited!  I would like you to figure out which type of communicator you are…and remember…be HONEST with yourself.  Neither communication type is better or worse than the other…just different.  However, for you to be successful you need to know which type you are.   

Remember that you have a great asset with Patrice Say.  She is a trained mediator and our very own Conversational Wizard.  She can help in any communication situations that are needed.  As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send us an email at info@aspirepartner.com. 

Thanks – Team AP