A true universal translator should be able to:
- Step out of their comfort zone or
discipline,
- Let go of any insider department
lingo or technical terms and focus
on the audience at hand,
- Suggest specific ways others can
move forward with the information
relative to what is important to them
and
- Present their vision, plan or theory in
a way that is clear, crisp, confident
and above all, actionable.
Universal translators are successful because they are able to translate complex or technical concepts into strategic steps that will impact the bottom line. If others can understand, relate to and rally around what you are presenting, it is sure to yield winning results.
2. Meet Before You Meet
When managers and prospective managers seek outside training, they are often expected to leverage that education toward improving their own performance or, quite often, improve or overhaul a process storewide. But major changes to proven processes are typically met with some resistance or, at the very least, questions and objections.