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Challenge or Opportunity: How to Communicate for Optimum Outcomes

Guest post by: Kerri Salls

Article Overview: Constructive communication doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It also rubs off on the people around you. When you can see each obstacle as an opportunity and focus on identifying and delivering the best solution, you build a habit of win-win for everyone.

Challenge or Opportunity: How to Communicate for Optimum Outcomes

To be in business means to be in relationships with lots of people: your employees, suppliers, vendors, and clients. It’s no surprise that when things are not going the way you would like them to, your preconceived conclusion may hit a detour. When you have a clear idea of what the outcome of a conversation, presentation or decision should be and the other people see things differently, you can be facing a challenge or an opportunity. It all depends on the choices you make and the attitude you lead with. Here are a few tips to keep all your communications focused on your objectives, constructive and moving you to the next step.

1. Be solution oriented.

When presented with any obstacle or difficulty, if you stay focused on solutions not blame, you create more possibilities for everyone to succeed.

2. Be pro-active.

To minimize foreseeable delays, damage, missed deadlines, leaders take responsibility for all the details and ownership of every hurdle. The more you can anticipate, eliminate or prevent the obstacles the smoother your project or schedule will run. By making life easier for all team members, you create the environment for better communications and more effective results.

3. Get perspective.

Just because you feel backed into a corner or ready to pop your cork, doesn’t mean you have to give in to those feelings. Rather it is an opportunity to get perspective - regroup and try a different approach. You have a support network for a reason. Use it. Call your coach, be they your old boss, friend, spouse, mentor, peer. Take full advantage of their expertise and how well they know you to develop alternatives that build on your strengths.

4. Ask others for the words to turn things around.

Sometimes, your intuition will ring bells but the words won’t come. Invite someone else to start the discussion again stating the facts and concerns. This allows you a moment to regroup and often gives you a few key words to build off of towards a creative solution. Writers do this all the time when they solicit peer reviews. You can do it over a cup of coffee or as you walk from your office to a meeting with the right person.

5. What you say to yourself can determine how fast you reach your dream.

Communication with yourself is even more critical than communication with others. Watch your self- talk; it affects what you say and how you say it to others in spite of your stated intentions. Eliminate the negative self-talk. Instead have strong automatic affirmations to fall back on. ‘I can, I will, I must’. ‘What you think about, you bring about’. ‘Great things have no fear of time’. ‘I can do it.’

6. Voicing a negative is true self-sabotage.

For every negative thought you voice, it takes three positive thoughts to cancel it. So, going in to a sales call why would you ever want to catch yourself thinking: “He’s not going to buy from me” or “I won’t get this sale, today”. Stop it and say, “I have the best solution to his needs and I can help solve his problems today. We will have a great time doing business together.” It is a game our minds can play with us. We just have to be better at the game. The same is true in customer service or mentoring your team.

7. Act enthusiastic.

No one needs to know the bathroom sink is clogged at home, or that you had to recreate your presentation at the last minute. Focus on what you want to deliver – communicate passionately and enthusiastically about the solution or recommendation you are there to offer. Nothing else should be on the table.

8. Be flexible.

Enjoy the journey. Suppose your wires got crossed so you came prepared to demonstrate one product and they want to sample a separate product line. Or, suppose the team members who were responsible for a critical direct mail piece are all out sick. You must adapt. Indeed, your professionalism, attitude and responsiveness will make or break the sale or the team.

9. Always remember the Golden Rule.

Respect never goes out of style. Treat everyone else the way you would want to be treated if your positions were reversed. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Everyone on your team must know by your words, actions and appreciation that you value their contributions to the business and to your success.

Constructive communication doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It also rubs off on the people around you. When you can see each obstacle as an opportunity and focus on identifying and delivering the best solution, you build a habit of win-win for everyone.

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Article Tags: attitude, challenges, communicate, Golden Rule, leadership, opportunity, outcomes, personal development, relationships, respect, selfsabotage



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