Are We Stuck With Our Bad Communications Habits Forever?
Communicating well, like any other skill, is something that we can learn to do. And something that we can get better at with practice. I’ve often come across a misguided belief that we are either born good communicators or bad communicators. A belief that some people are ‘naturals’ and some are not. Some people just know what to say and how to say it so that people listen ...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Building Your Brand
Building our brand and influencing others is not only about showing who we are, its about finding out who are others are.
Nothing will build your personal brand faster than showing genuine interest in others - their well-being, their opinions and their dreams.
Two simple steps to doing this … ask people questions about themselves, and listening to their answers.
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Business Communication Skills Tip – The Impact of Conversation
Every conversation we have has an impact on us.
Whether we are aware of it or not, the conversations we have with ourselves often have the biggest impact.
The challenge is, we’re often not fully aware of those conversations running in the background of our minds. Taking the time out to stop and listen can tell us a lot.
What conversations have you been having with yourself?...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Eye Contact
We all know that it's important to make eye contact when SPEAKING to people.
Yet we often forget the importance of making eye contact when LISTENING to people.
Whether you’re having a one-to-one conversation or taking part in a group discussion, making eye contact as you listen to the speaker builds trust, shows respect and allows you to listen more effectively.
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Developing Executive Presence
We often think of developing Executive Presence as being about external factors: how we stand, how we dress, what words we use to communicate.
These things are important, but equally important are the internal factors: how we think, how we listen, our mindset and values.
Addressing the external factors without addressing the internal may lead to temporary improvements.
But ...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Learning to Communicate Well
Learning to communicate well is like learning to ride a bicycle.
It takes practice, and sometimes a little support to keep moving forward with the challenges we face - but it can be done!
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Conversations Matter
Conversations matter and so does the preparation we do for those conversations.
While it’s no surprise that preparation is important, what is often forgotten is that different types of conversations require different types of preparation.
Depending on the conversation, we might need to:
• Prepare for what we want to say;
• Prepare for what we want to ask;
• Prepare to respo...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Prepare for Conversations
Successful conversations are about more than just words.
Preparation is key, so but are our moods and emotions.
When we prepare for conversations, we often consider the words we are going to say, and even the words our listeners may say back, but forget to consider the moods we are in, or the mood our listeners may be in.
Taking the time to consider the mood we’re in, t...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Take Turns to Listen
Great conversation is not just about taking turns speaking, it's about taking turns listening.
Being a great leader often requires giving others their turn.
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Invite Other People to Speak
As a leader, having the ability to speak well is important.
But equally important is having the ability to get others to speak.
If we want to engage people we need to invite them into the conversation and then give them the respect of listening to them.
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Preparation is the Key to Success
How often do you take the time to prepare for easy conversations at work? A casual catch up with one of your team, a request for someone to do something, giving brief feedback on someone's efforts.
It's obvious that taking time to prepare for what may be a difficult conversation is wise yet those difficult conversations can often be avoided in the first place by being pr...
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Business Communications Skills Tip – Speak with Impact
Do you want your words to have more impact when you speak?
Speaking with impact is not just about choosing the right words. It's about how you hold yourself as you share those words.
Try this quick 2 part experiment:
Part 1
Sit or stand looking downwards with your shoulders hunched together and your feet turned inwards. Exaggerate your stance.
Now share out l...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Create your Own Reality
What reality are you creating for yourself?
How could changing your language change that reality?
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Be Aware of Bad Listening Habits
As a leader, how can you show your team that you value them and respect their ideas?
Listen to them.
Most leaders have good intentions of listening, yet how often do you realize the following has happened:
You nod and smile and pretend to listen, but your mind is somewhere else
You don’t give a team member your full attention (looking down at your phone or elsewhere...
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Business Communication Skills Tip – Consider the Listener
Speaking without first considering the listener, is like throwing words into the wind and hoping some of them might be caught.
If we first stop to consider what someone expects, wants, needs and is capable of processing in the moment, it’s more likely our words will not only be caught, but accepted and acted upon.
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Seven Steps to Kicking Career Destroying Communication Habits
The Bad - And The Good
The bad news about communication habits is that they are ingrained and we do them without even being conscious of it, the good news is that once we are aware of our habits – we can choose to change them. Okay for some habits, its going to take more effort than others, but yes they can be changed.
In Charles Duhigg’s Book The Power of Habit: ‘Why We Do...
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Walking Coaching – Executive Coaching With A Twist
Putting your Best Foot Forward!
There is nothing like a good walk to help clear your mind, boost your energy, and get you thinking of new options.
I was working on a project some time ago and feeling completely stuck, nothing was coming together, I was unable to make decisions or come up with anything creative.
I turned to my usual solution in this situation. I took a ...
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Be Real, Be Human In Your Communication
As I opened a new bank account some time ago, the young woman serving me was efficient and professional and we proceeded through the process quickly. That was until she started to explain the fees that the bank was going to charge me for opening an account.
Fees to open an account? Why, I asked, why do I need to pay to open an account?
Inhuman Behaviour
I can’t recall her ...
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HR Insights into Communication Challenges – and What To Do About Them
As an external coach and trainer, I’ve spent the past fifteen years or so supporting leaders to communicate more effectively. In doing this I’ve noticed common challenges that leaders face in consistently communicating well regardless of their industry, position, or the size of their teams.
I recently added to my own observations by getting input from leaders in the HR field. ...
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Business Networking – Love it or Hate it?
If you love business networking, you’re probably in the minority. I haven’t got any official numbers on how many people love or hate this ‘thing’ we need to do in some form or the other to succeed in almost any level of business.
But, I do know that many of the clients I’ve worked with over the years tell me they hate it. Not only do they hate it, they feel guilty abou...
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