rush through important details in the hopes that no one else will ask questions or notice their inaptitude, and you certainly don’t want to be perceived in this light. Such conversation crushers can leave others feeling intimidated, out of the loop and unable to effectively contribute.
Rather than contributing poorly to the conversation or sitting on the sidelines as the dialogue ensues, a better approach is to pick the right setting and ask clarifying questions to ensure messaging remains on point and resultant activities on track. If you’re not sure where to start, the basic who, what, where, when, why and how is a sensible approach. “Why are we doing this?” or “How will that work?” or “Where will this help the organization?” are some examples.
This strategy fosters clear dialogue, makes people accountable to answer direct questions and often uncovers problems that need to be addressed but would have been overlooked had this approach not been utilized.
In more than two decades as an executive trainer, I have seen millions of dollars senselessly lost merely due to ineffective communication. It’s imperative for achievement-oriented professionals to communicate well in all aspects of their job. Doing so can be the key to cutting through the bureaucracy of an organization and taking control of one’s career, as opposed to feeling like a victim of circumstance.
Mastering even a handful of skills, such as those cited above, can help professionals better negotiate their way through the proverbial career maze with speed, dexterity and accuracy.
By Vivian Ciampi
Vivian Ciampi is a coach and facilitator at Harvard Business School’s executive education department, principal at Professional Coaching LLC and a nationally recognized workplace communication expert. [email protected]
Article found at: http://www.autodealermonthly.com/article/story/2015/05/4-secret-skills-of-successful-managers.aspx