Business Sales Coaching Training Program in Malaysia | Business & Sales Coaching | How You Say I
Use words that form bridges, rather than raise barriers.
Whether you’re coaching an employee, meeting with the Board of Directors, or talking to the man who scrubs the toilets, straight talk is always the shortest distance between two minds.
Be specific. If you tell an employee you have “concerns” about her “work performance,” you haven’t told her anything helpful. (You have probably scared her, though.) If she’s late too often, say so. Put a number on “too often.”
Suppose you begin a conversation with “I have a problem with the way the office is being run.”
You may think you’ve been straightforward and direct. You’ve certainly let the employee know where you stand. But, consider some of the different things she might have heard:
1. “Somebody’s really screwing up around here, and I want you to help me get to the bottom of it.”
2. “You’re really screwing up around here, and I want it to stop!”
3. “I’m not happy with my performance. Any suggestions on how I might improve?”
Use simple, common words. Eschew obfuscation. Don’t tell your tardy employee that her “onsite punctuality modality leaves something to be desired.” Speak English.
Here are three more tips for speaking effectively:
Use the known to explain the unknown: If you’re speaking about something complicated or abstract, put it in concrete terms. If your employee’s into bowling, comparing a tricky personnel problem to trying to pick up the seven-ten split might work. But, talking about a “suicide squeeze” to a non-baseball fan won’t get you to first base.
Avoid clichés: While we’re getting sweaty here, keep away from those tired sports clunkers about playing on a “level playing field” and “fumbling the ball on the goal line.” Clichés have lost all their power to evoke an image or even command attention.
Don’t use profanity: Never. Not once. I’m not being a prude here. This is the workplace, and you need to set the proper tone. Besides, you never know who you might be offending. Why take a chance?
“How you say it is every bit as important as what you say—sometimes more important.”
