Business Communication Coaching: Enhancing Interactions in Professional Settings
Whether your business comprises a small staff scratching out ideas in a garage or a fleet of regional branches and a staff of thousands, our communication skills have an overarching impact. Positive language can reach all corners of your business and is a skill that, through practise, can enrich each aspect of our lives.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE IN A PROFESSIONAL SETTING
Many factors can influence business communication; pressures of how the business is performing or your position within the structure of the organisation.
Business communication can sometimes be tougher for these reasons but, in many ways, business communication is made easier by the structure and guidelines built into companies’ policies.
The goal in every interaction is to get our point across. In business, we are aiming to communicate our point whilst working towards a common goal.
Self-awareness and self-orientation are important in all forms of communication. Within a business setting especially we have to heighten that awareness and understand the bigger picture for the company. Understanding your communication style and how you come across is important to consider, whether joining a new organisation or an ongoing conversation. Developing presentation skills built around openness and honesty will put you in a powerful position to communicate effectively in a way that enriches conversations.
HARD CALLS
Managing difficult conversations is an essential time to make sure you have mastered the communications skills needed to be an effective communicator. There can be an expectation when engaging in a difficult conversation or tackling sensitive subjects that emotions will factor into your exchange.
Emotions aren’t to be ignored or discouraged; they can be a critical part of open and honest communication. We shouldn’t, however, allow emotions to rule over the trajectory of the conversation. This is where disciplined communication and a reliance on your skills as an effective communicator are useful to tether the conversation to your intended structure and meet your goals.
If you are leading a team, outlining goals for a difficult conversation is incredibly valuable. People fear judgement so it is important, unless you are running a tribunal, to eliminate those fears by outlining your goals for the discussion. If crime and punishment are taken off the table, and the aims of the conversation are focused solely on fact finding and clarifying best practises, the ‘accused party’ will be much more open to sharing their version of the story.
It is helpful to reassure the person you are speaking with that they will have an opportunity to raise concerns or add further information at the end in order to stay on track through the conversation. Outline that they will have the opportunity to be heard once you have satisfied your aims of the conversation and addressed all of your concerns. Depending on the circumstances, or the individual, you may wish to give them the floor at the top of the conversation with the understanding that your questions will follow. As with most aspects of developing your communications skills, structure is key.
BUSINESS LINGO
Finding a common language is powerful in business. Shorthand is useful and can build unity within a team. Acronyms save time, and finding that shared expression is a great way to bring everyone in your team in line with your common goals. It is important when bringing new people into your realm that you take the time to onboard them effectively so that your shared language doesn’t become exclusionary.
The value of positive language used in your business shouldn’t be underestimated. It is easy to get stuck in a bubble of corporate doublespeak and superfluous jargon when speaking internally. Working with a communication coach to identify the core of your business gives you the opportunity to build texture into your language that drives towards your key messaging.
Language is useful for aligning your goals, keeping everyone, not only on the same track, but also mirroring language structured around positivity and enthusiasm. The way we express ourselves when discussing business challenges goes a long way to overcoming those challenges. A positive mindset is most powerful when it is given voice to create a lexicon that is success-driven.
TIME AND PLACE
So much of effective communication at work can come from the foundations laid before the conversation begins. Choosing the right location, making the time beneficial to all parties, and ensuring necessary information is provided before the meeting are just some of the steps you should consider before a conversation even begins.
Consistency of communication is a huge factor to consider within your business communication and will help you overall. Maintaining that consistency of voice is useful and saves you from having to actively adapt for different conversations. If your communication is always honest, concise and straightforward, you can stick to this style when faced with a tough subject matter.
THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN EMAIL
Recognise the value of your word and treat it accordingly. We all want to be heard in our businesses but you owe it to yourself and your colleagues to recognise when it is important for your voice to be heard. Working with a communication coach is a great way to build confidence not only in your skills as a great speaker but also developing the instincts to know when and how to deliver your thoughts. If you choose to only speak when it matters, you will set the precedent that it matters when you speak.
