Booher BanterYour Resource for the best ideas to improve communications skills.

Bad news breaks on the horizon all too often––whether announcing layoffs, informing Jack he won’t get the promotion, or telling the department that they’re likely to have a cap on salary increases for the next two years.

The good news in delivering bad news? Straight talk in tough times can build bridges in ways that motivational hype in good times never could.

Consider these principles for communicating reality in a reassuring way:

Break the silence.  Start talking. Just because you’re not talking about the situation, doesn’t mean others aren’t talking about it. It just means you, your information, your viewpoint, and your positive influence are not part of the conversation.

Acknowledge mistakes—your own or those of your organization—and how those have contributed to the bad situation.

Stop the sugarcoating.  That doesn’t mean you must agree with the doom-and-gloom around you. It just means that others will reject glib comments.  Instead, say it like it is and invite others to do the same. Invite them to express fears openly and honestly in front of the group. Otherwise, others will be doing it in the parking lot, in the cafeteria, and on Twitter.

State the reality of the unknown future—that things may or may not work out for the better. Nobody knows what the future holds, and you will lose credibility to pretend that you do. Acknowledging chances that things can go either way sends the message that you know you’re talking to reasoning adults, not children.

Outline positive choices to deal with the future. State your faith in your colleagues or staff as competent or committed people. Acknowledge the fear, the risk, and the difficulty—and then the rewards of overcoming the situation with the positive choices they can make to improve the situation.

Communicating clear, direct messages creates a climate of trust. And that trust pays big dividends in today’s competitive environment.

Posted at 12:40pm in Communication—Interpersonal, General Communication | Permalink | Add Comment » |

Our operations manager posted an ad on Craigslist last week for an administrative assistant. Within two days, we had more than 200 applicants. Encouraged at the pool of talent to select from, we plowed through the résumés, sorting into the typical “yes,” “no,” or “maybe” piles based on five key criteria: 

1. experience as an admin (previous jobs and tasks)
2. technical skills (software certifications and proficiencies)
3. writing skills in the résumé and/or cover letter or email
4. home address within a reasonable distance to our office
5. salary requirements

Criteria number three eliminated the vast majority. Here are a few excerpts from the discarded stack:  (All typos, spelling errors, punctuation errors, and nonsensical statements are just as they appeared.)

—I am a well-rounded candidate for consideration as an exciting edition to your team. My nines years of experience in almost every positions of operations has provided me with a wide range of skills specially fit for high volume settings, essential cash management/handling techniques and the ability to respond to demanding guests and keep a collected demeanor.  All the while, leading a team of employees in a proficient and effective manner to long term successes.

—As you can see from my resume of have extensive experience in an office setting as i have worked in an office environment since 2004.

—I have a collective of over 10 years of Office Management experience.

—Being a victim of our economical decline my recent job position was downsized.

—I recently graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelors degree in Communications. I’ve ran an office, managed conflict, showed exceptional customer service and had extensive use with various computer programs.

—Your recent ad caught my attention. I require an hourly salary of $15:00 to $20:00 per hour. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss with you ways in which I can contribute to your companies success.

—I am interested in your job opening. However I had a couple questions… Where is the job located at? I am willing to drive and my wage would be depending on how far I would have to drive. Thank you so much.

—My people skills are excellent, I have great work ethics.

—Consistently, I have brought about new ideas, new methods, and a wining culture to our network of brokers and their collective staff.  My background requires compensation no lower than $X.

—Please review my qualifications this will reflect how my experience could benefit your organization.

I have two reasons for this blog today:

First, if you know of someone who wants an administrative assistant’s job in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—someone who can write a clear, grammatically correct email—please send them our way.

Second, if you’re in a position (school board member, politician, parent, voter) to do something about the failing education system in America, please understand the gravity of the situation. As a training firm, we’ve made a very favorable revenue stream of teaching technical and business writing skills in the marketplace for the past 29 years. At the risk of sounding the alarm and “educating” ourselves out of business, the future of our workforce is at stake.

As always, I welcome your comments on the writing skills of those around you—in email, in advertising, in signs, in social media such as Twitter or Facebook. 

Posted at 3:04pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | Add Comment » |

This tweet from a colleague trapped on an airplane just popped up on my TweetDeck: “2 [airline] trips in a week. Hands down the rudest, stupidest policies in the industry. Not that their leaders notice nor care. No more 4 me.”

Tomorrow there’ll be another complaint—well-deserved or not.  We hear often that customers have high expectations. “Turn customers into raving fans or your competitors will lure them away.”

In fact, some situations almost become adversarial:  Have you ever heard this disparaging remark about someone who is over-the-top enthusiastic about an idea: “He sounds like a used-car salesman.”  Ever had a sales clerk approach you with the line, “May I help you?” to which you’ve automatically responded, “No, I’m just looking,” driving away the dejected salesperson as if she had leprosy.

Hearing such comments and tweets about sales professionals can create fear of facing your own customers.  That’s why many small business owners often excel in their field of expertise—but can’t make a “go” of their business; they actually fear meeting and interacting with new clients.  With that fear of rejection, communicating with customers can become a real challenge—whether a service provider, business development manager, or administrator who “follows up” after the sale. 

Here’s a recent email from a blog reader:

Hi, Dianna,

This might be out of the ordinary, but I am a quiet, shy person.  And I have been told several times, “You need to loosen up.”  I manage a business and am slack in communicating with customers because I believe I fear rejection with customers.  Any suggestions for me?

Edgar

Edgar,

Congratulations on two fronts:  Realizing the importance of communicating with customers and identifying your natural shyness and wanting to overcome it. 

Actually, shyness is not all that uncommon (I’m shy myself and have always had to work to overcome it).  I don’t know of anyone who enjoys rejection.  But as you imply, the goal is learning how to respond to rejection (or the perception of rejection).

You didn’t say what business you’re in, and of course that will make a difference in specifics I could give you about handling rejection. So let’s address the issue in more general terms.

Approach your customers with this mindset:  I am here to serve my customers.  I can give them great value.  They’re going to love what I can offer them. They’re going to think it’s a good product/service at a fair price.  Occasionally, I’ll run into a few customers who give me a hard time—for any number of reasons:  1) Either they’re a jerk.  2) Or they’ve had a hard day and are taking it out on me. They’ll be embarrassed tomorrow but not enough to come back and apologize.  3) Or they’re unethical and “put one over on me” this time, but I’ll make note of it and won’t let it happen again.  4) Or they’re too stupid to understand what they doing or saying, in which case I should just let it go and not waste my time arguing.

Then make up your mind that you’ll not let those “occasional few” keep you from communicating with and serving the other 99 percent of customers who appreciate what you have to offer.

So much for the general mindset.  Now let me add one specific:  Psych yourself up to communicate with customers one person at a time. Don’t think of your customers as a group.

They are individuals. Meet them one on one. Shake hands. Look them in the eye. Ask about their family.  Ask about their business.  Ask how you can help them with their current challenge—and mean it.  Focus on them and a year from now you won’t remember why you ever wrote me this email!

To your success as you Communicate with Confidence®…

Dianna

Posted at 9:51am in Communication—Interpersonal | Permalink | Add Comment » |

The newswires are a buzz today with Letterman’s confessions last night to his studio audience about his sexual indecretions with staffers on his show. He opened the atypical serious monologue with this lead in:  “Do you wanna hear a story?”

The audience bit with the usual lighthearted anticipation, thinking he was about to launch into some hilarious tale. As he plotted through the details of the extortion scheme, audience members laughed here and there at inappropriate spots, still not understanding the import of the revelation he was making.

So, what does their reaction have to do with your storytelling and next presentation? Take a cue from Letterman’s delivery and set up your anecdotes and illustrations properly.

Here are a few guidelines:

• Make your lead-in a teaser that intrigues and creates a “tell me more” feeling. Example:  “Honesty may not always be the best policy. Case in point: Yesterday…”
• Never blow the punchline. Instead set the scene, fill in the details, then deliver the punchline—whether funny, serious, or dramatic.
• Never tell your listener how to think or feel. You may disappoint them or cause them to argue. Examples: “You’re gonna love this story.” “The funniest thing happened to me last week.”

Letterman’s lead in, however, may be the least of his worries at this point. In any case, I’m assuming you’ll be communicating about less personal matters and want to present your ideas in such a way that the audience responds appropriately.

Posted at 3:43pm in Communication—Oral, General Communication | Permalink | Add Comment » |