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Communicating well builds trust
Take the time to establish clear expectations around how your team is communicating.
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
- Assuming Mal Intent. Not everything is intentional, so don’t let an innocent oversight degrade trust.
- Hiding Behind Email. Email’s a great supporting tool, but it seldom plays well as the lead medium.
Failure to Write Down Decisions. Writing down and reading back key decisions is an important way for everyone to move in the same direction.
Wasteful Meetings. To save everyone's time, only hold meetings to make decisions and/or to improve relationships.
Spin. If you want people to truly listen, be sure they can believe what you say. Encourage transparency and truth-telling.
Boring Packaging. Ditch the 35-page PowerPoint deck and explain why your project really matters.
Inept Listening. Listen carefully and ask great questions. Create meaning from the responses.
RELATED IDEAS
- It helps to create effective brand messaging. It determines how your brand is perceived and also builds trust with customers.
- Customer service relies on good communication. "60% of consumers have stopped doing business with a brand due to a poor customer service experience." Microsoft’s 2016 Global State of Customer Service Report.
- It enables positive team relationships. Effective communication helps to unite teams and create a safe environment to express themselves.
It helps to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts. It can help to defuse a potentially explosive dispute while bad communication can set it off.
Poorly-prepared presentations, reports, or emails frustrate your audience and can, over time, damage your reputation.
- Set aside time to plan your communication thoroughly.
- Create a credible, intelligent, and compelling message that emotionally and intellectually appeals to your audience.
- Leave time to proofread and to finalize your presentation.
- Lack of attention to tone. No matter what the circumstances, learn to pay attention to tone. Before you speak, pause and take a breath.
- One-size-fits-all communication. Different people have different needs and expectations.
- Avoiding the difficult conversation. Everybody faces conflict.Provide clear and actionable feedback, even when it is difficult for you.
- Reacting instead of responding. Before reacting with anger and frustration, pause to reflect.Then respond in stead of react.
- Indulging in gossip. Leave no place for gossip if you want to be trusted and esteemed as a communicator.
- Speaking more and listening less. When you listen more than you speak, you open yourself up to learning and empathy.
- Thinking you are being understood. Take the time to check that people have understood your message.