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“Dialogue, 4 Keys to Real Business Communication”
Written by: Sylvia LafairArticle Overview: Here are four ways to practice the art of dialogue that can change the way you lead or participate in meetings and one to one discussions. Many of us are stuck in the superficial world of niceties and pleasantries and maybe some communication exchange to get our point across. Alas, there is more, there is an advanced course in communication, it’s called dialogue, so read on to explore how you can improve your dialoguing skills.
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“Dialogue, 4 Keys to Real Business Communication”
Casual conversation, the “It’s a beautiful day” or “Hope you are fine” or “How about those Red Sox” has its place when we meet and greet. Yet, really talking together, getting to the heart of a subject, finding a new way to solve work problems requires more. It requires dialogue.
Dialogue, unlike pleasantries that are meant to simply acknowledge another person, fosters truthful and deep discussion and is an art form to be mastered. It takes knowledge of human relationships, and mastery comes only with lots of practice.
In our present culture we have not spent adequate time learning how to listen effectively and respond appropriately. Our tendency is to “almost” listen and have our answers ready before the other has even completed the first sentence. This is not dialogue.
Think about how you show up in a meeting. Is there is a tendency to have your ideas worked through and the need to get your point across as quickly as possible? In most meetings everyone has answers that are half breaths away and the name of the game is to be the idea winner. Fast is good, faster even better. Time is money and getting to solutions in warp speed means the meeting is a success.
However, in the speed of today’s workplace we limit going deeper, finding the better long term answer. We worry about the next quarter at the expense of the next year, the next decade.
It takes some effort to change your patterns of conversing. Here are four ways to practice the art of dialogue that can change the way you lead or participate in meetings and one to one discussions.
1. Be ultra-observant of the words you use: Two words that are traps are “always” and “never”. They are discussion limiting because they are meant to prove a point rather than seek new answers.
2. Change your position in conversations: If you tend to speak first most of the time,
go last. Perhaps you can place yourself in the middle of the discussion. This will give you a different vantage point and might change the way you want to respond.
3. Practice talking from an “I” place: Rather than an amorphous “They think” or “It has been said” take a stand with an “I think” or “I understand”. This puts you on record and gives more credibility to your stance.
4. Be willing to explore options: Using words like “I wonder” or “I am curious” open a whole new world of possibilities. These words offer the opportunity to begin exploring ideas that would return to seed before being harvested.
Dialogue trumps debate and casual conversation when it comes to effecting real and lasting change. It makes meetings more meaningful and strategies are longer view rather than merely band-aid solutions. And the most important aspect of dialogue is to be open to outcome, not attached to it.
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Article Tags: business communication, communication exchange, dialogue, niceties, pleasantries, superficial world
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About the Author: Sylvia Lafair RSS for Sylvia's articles - Visit Sylvia's website  Click here to visit Sylvia's website   The 3 Secrets of Knowing When to Say YES The Brain on Teambuilding Leadership Lessons How to Be Bold and Brave Leadership Tip Dream On Butterflies and Thinking |
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