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Four Essentials of Effective Communication

Guest post by: Anne Bachrach

Article Overview: Learning how to communicate effectively is crucial to the survival of your business; unfortunately there’s no other way to cut it. If you approach people too casually, don’t take the time to communicate clear information, or don’t appear cordial, you are risking the success of your business. This article contains four essential tips along with action steps to ensure effective communication.

Four Essentials of Effective Communication

Learning how to communicate effectively is crucial to the survival of your business; unfortunately there’s no other way to cut it. If you approach people too casually, don’t take the time to communicate clear information, or don’t appear cordial, you are risking the success of your business. Below are four essential tips along with action steps to ensure effective communication.

1. Listening is the No. 1 Rule

Contrary to what some seem to believe, the most important aspect of effective communication isn’t talking, it’s listening. A great amount of miscommunication could be avoided if business owners took the time to communicate effectively, first by listening to the needs of their clients and prospects. Remember, your clients may not need you, but you definitely need your clients or you’re going to be out of business.

Action Step: Listen before speaking. If you must set the tone for the call, reword the phrase so the subject is about your client, not about you. Instead of saying, “I want to discuss…” you could say, “What questions or concerns would you like to discuss today?”

2. Clarity is Key

What may be second nature to you may seem like a foreign concept to some people. When in doubt, leave out the jargon. However, if a client shows interest in understanding the small details, offer the acronym after you’ve explained what it means. The goal here is to be sure your clients understand what you’re specifically discussing.

Action Step: Be clear with your words. An easy way to keep track of what needs to be addressed is to write a brief outline of topics to be covered and check them off as they are discussed. Revisit the checklist at the close of the conversation and encourage the client to ask questions if they are unclear about any of the topics.

3. A Message with Confidence

Confidence is an essential role in being able to come across as a master of effective communication. If you demonstrate that you aren’t confident in your abilities, people will instinctively think that you lack experience and are bluffing your way. This may result in: A) the client tries to talk you down from your initial quote; B) the client doesn’t hire you at all; C) the client hires you at your original rate but isn’t confident that you can complete the task to his expectations.

Action Step: If you tend to be nervous during a call, practice the conversation with your assistant or colleague. The more confident you are in the conversation, the more effective your communication will be.

4. When You Can’t See Eye-to-Eye

It happens - your personality sometimes clashes with that of a client’s. Does this mean you need to immediately end the business relationship? No, it certainly does not. When you can’t see eye to eye with your clients, it’s important to let go of your ego, and remain calm. Your disagreements may stem from the fact that you’re not communicating effectively. If you’ve offered your professional opinion to a client, and your opinion was ignored, take it with a grain of salt.

Action Step: It’s going to happen - there will be some clients that you just don’t jive with. Don’t take it personally and focus on the commonality and areas where you see eye-to-eye. Remain professional and pay attention to providing quality service or products until the client moves on.

When you take on the role of business owner, you take on the commitment to never-ending personal and professional improvement. Learning how to communicate effectively is at the top of the list.

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Article Tags: action steps, communication, effective communication



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