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Reach them at their level

March 19, 2013 By

Summary: Get your point across without losing the other person or talking down to them. Notice these three things to get you communicating better.

When you own your own business or have been doing a job for a while or worked in a certain industry for many years – we can forget that not everyone knows what we know.  For example if you are a marketer, not everyone around you may understand about niche or local marketing. So how do you get your point across or teach someone without losing them or worse yet come across as talking down to them.

level 320x214 Reach them at their level

Photo Courtesy of PhotoXpress

I remember reading an interesting fact early in my career that has helped me to this day. Newspapers are written at the 6th grade reading level. Now I do not want to discuss if this a good idea, bad idea or what it says about our educational system. Instead what I took from it is that you have to relate to people on their level.

This actually works in several ways, adjusting your speech or writings to the person in front of you. The key is not to insult or demean the person.

How does this work?

Listen to their speech patterns. Take note of the words they use and their speaking style.

Word choice. Are they using casual, informal words or are they using business jargon or industry specific terms.

Method of communication.  Are they a phone,  in-person or email communicator.

Knowing these three things about the other will get you on the right path as what you need to do now is match their style.  It is always easier to get through to someone if you match their style instead of having them adopt to yours.

How do you reach people at their level?

 

 

Filed Under: Authentic Leadership, Employee Communication Tagged With: ,

Minimizing the Dissapointment

February 26, 2013 By

Summary:  You get a joy of watching people grow into new roles. Sometimes with a promotion that means one other person doesn’t get it. Handled properly you can keep them interested and motivated.

If you the type of leader that coaches and mentors those around you – one of the greatest joys is watching them grow and accept a new position. At times the new position will report to you and at other times they will move onto a new department. In this scenario all is good. Many times what is not discussed is what happens to either the person who doesn’t get the promotion or when a person is not given the opportunity to do more.

 

happy sad faces 320x240 Minimizing the Dissapointment

Courtesy of PhotoXpress

 

If not handled properly you may end up with a person who is demotivated, disillusioned and disinterested. I’m sure these options are not very appealing. If you manage it right,  you will have a person interested in working harder and better for the opportunity next time.

This means doing some preparation before the promotion. To start with you will need a clear understanding of what the position/project requires, skills needed and personal characteristics. I know it sounds like you are preparing to hire someone, well in a sense you are. The difference is the candidates already work for you.

After you make your decision you will want to talk to both people who were considered. First to the person who got the job/project. After they accept explain there was one other person interested and you will be speaking to them next. This is so they are aware of the possible tension that may occur but you don’t expect it to last.

Talk to the person who didn’t get the job/project. This is a more delicate situation and you should speak to them before any announcements are made. Explain you have given the opportunity to someone else. Tell them why and what they need to work on in order to have the opportunity the next time around. It is this development that will make the difference.

When people know and understand the “why” they will be more accepting. Will they be disappointed…yes, however they won’t stay that way for long.

By giving people a direction and instructions, they will work towards the goal.

How do you handle giving the bad news?

 

Filed Under: Authentic Leadership, Employee Communication Tagged With: ,

The What and How of Saying It

November 27, 2012 By

Summary:  The message to our people can get lost in the “how” of “what” we said. Don’t let this happen, here are a few tips to keep you on track.

This is the dilemma we usually face isn’t it. We want to focus on the “what” of our communications and our people focus on the “how” of our communications. So why do we need to focus on both. Well, simply put because if you don’t your message won’t be heard.

Photoxpress 1596391 320x183 The What and How of Saying It

image courtesy of PhotoXpress

So how do we fix the “how” of speaking? Keep these tips in mind:

  • Remember your audience.  When writing to a client/customer you keep in mind who you are writing or talking to – the people who work for you are no different. Determine what you want to say and think “is there a better way to say this”?
  • Put it in perspective. If there is a greater reason for doing something, let the person know. “Our client has asked for the information to be presented in this format” works better than “I need the information in this format”.
  • Be Polite. When we are in a hurry or feel rushed we can forget our manners. Please and Thank You still carry a lot of weight and are greatly appreciated.

These are simple strategies that will take you a long way in the “how” of speaking and writing. At first it will require thought, with practice it will become second nature.

Share your experiences with the “how” of saying it.

 

Filed Under: Authentic Leadership, Employee Communication, Employee Satisfaction Tagged With: , ,

Do you have values?

November 6, 2012 By

Summary: Are your values posted on a wall where no one pays attention? Some ideas to work them into your organization and how to live them.

When working with companies on setting up their HR department/policies, one of the questions I ask is “Does your company have Values?”  I am not talking about the personal values each person possesses, they are corporate values on how to run the business and what kind of people you want in your business. A set of values which will transcend every position and every part of the organization. Values are the personal characteristics each person has and exhibits. Values are typically describe in one word or in a short phrase.

Photoxpress 3257792 320x213 Do you have values?

Courtesy of PhotoXpress

Here are some examples:

Integrity.  Continuous Learning. Customer Service. Innovation. Accountability.

You will notice that these examples do not get into religious beliefs – this is about the people in your organization. If you are a religous organization they can be included. Depending on your company you will most likely have between five and ten values. Typically what happens after the values are determine, written and posted; they are forgotten. If you really want the values to be lived everyday, simply putting them on a poster will not suffice.

How do you incorporate the values into your company?

  • Interview candidates against your values.
  • Create your performance review system based on your values.
  • Hand out awards based on the values.
  • Incorporate at least value in each piece of employee communication.
  • Part of the training program

I’m sure if you sat down and took a look at your company, you could come up with more ways to incorporate the values.

How else do you incorporate values into your organization?  

Filed Under: Authentic Leadership, Employee Communication Tagged With: , , ,

Decisions, decisions, decisions

October 2, 2012 By

Summary:  People make decisions differently, understand how if you want an answer quickly.

Ever notice how people make decisions? How some can make decisions on the spot and others take what feels like an eternity? How is this and does it matter?

Photoxpress 2424253 320x212 Decisions, decisions, decisions

Courtesy of PhotoXpress

We make decisions every day, they can be as mundane as “Do I want coffee or tea this morning?” to “I need to plan for the following year of business”. Regardless of the type of decisions, my experience has shown there are various style people have to making decisions. There is no right or wrong way to make a decision it’s just good to know and adapt to the style of person you need a decision from.

I would say there are three styles.

Research based. Before making a decision a person will review all possible information, it could be on the internet, close advisors, reviewing every possible scenario or seeking experts. This person needs all the information they can get their hands on and process it before they make a decision. There appears to be almost a fear of making the wrong one.

Intuition based. This is the person who will review information given to them briefly and decide. It either sounds right to them or not. Regardless of the outcome they accept it and move along. They take in it stride.

Match based. This is a person who already knows what they are looking for or what they need. Therefore decisions are based on their need – does it match or not. If it doesn’t work out as they expect, they review what they needed in the first place.

These are very broad categories and not everyone sticks to one style – we change based on the situtation. As with most aspects of our personality – we do have a preferred or typical style.

Why is this important?

Two reasons mostly. One to help understand yourself and how you request information from others to make a decision. Two to help you understand what information you need to give to someone else in order for them to make a decision.

Here’s an example:

If you are a research person – ask the person who needs a decision (employee or sales person) to provide you with as much background information as possible including the who, what, where and why. They will be more than happy to give the information if you will make a quicker decision.

If your client is a match person – ask them about their current needs and frustrations so you can match your offering in order to get a decision.

As you know, waiting for someone to make a decision can be frustrating. Help yourself and them by giving them what they need. This will at least get you a quicker decision.

Share your stories of how you have overcome different styles below.

Filed Under: Authentic Leadership, Employee Communication Tagged With: , ,
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