What kind of things can we do to communicate more effectively? How can you apply this to your home life or work life? Whether it’s picking out the right furniture with your wife, or just closing the big deal with that tough client, there are some things you can do to help you along the way.
One practice to work on is very simple. You won’t have to read a long book or take a training course to get this underway. You can practice as soon as you’re done reading this post. The simple act of paraphrasing will take you to another level as a communicator. Paraphrasing will help you in a couple of ways.
First and foremost, it shows that you are actually listening to the individual whom you’re speaking with. Secondly, you allow yourself to check and see if what you heard was specifically what you interpreted. Eliminate the guess work. Having worked as a sales manager in the automotive industry, I constantly noticed times where our sales staff would not have all the information I would ask of them in order to coach them in a situation. There was countless times where I would hear things like, “I figured they would like this because…” or “I assumed they would be fine with this since…” Instances like this are classic examples of where communication is unclear and could be more effective.
Try it out. Next time you are having a discussion, look for places where you naturally allow yourself to “fill in the blanks” without clarifying a request or comment. When you paraphrase to confirm your understanding, you’ll begin to notice a few changes. You may land that big client or even pick out the 3 piece leather furniture set with the big screen TV that your wife wasn’t too keen on.
Scott Wain
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