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There’s one communication mistake that can single handedly derail your entire effort. Even if you; deliver your message, keep concise and connect with the audience, none of your hard work will matter, if you don’t wrap things up! You need to tell your audience what you want them to do with the information they’ve just heard. Remind them again why your message should matter to them. Don’t assume that just because you’re done, people will walk away remembering what you want them to remember. You need to check back in to ensure you’re on the same page, and that your message was understood correctly.  The problem is, most people miss major opportunities to circle back, redeliver their message and wrap things up effectively.  So here’s how to find the opportunity in common communication scenarios  you’ll most likely face.  The end of a presentation :  What happens if you’re done presenting, you ask, “Any questions?”… and….crickets. No one engages. What do you do? Well, the number one thing …

If you look up the definition of “memorable” in the dictionary it says: “Worth remembering, notable, interesting…” Most people want their message to stand out and be memorable, notable and interesting, but few people know how to do that well. So what makes something worth remembering? How can you ensure that your clients, your colleagues or your audience walk away truly remembering what you said? Here are 4 rules to ensure your message makes an indelible mark! We Remember What We Hear Most Often:  Repetition leads to recognition. The more we hear something, the more it sticks with us. For example, why is it that you can most likely remember lines to movies you haven’t seen in a decade, but you can’t remember what you ate for dinner two nights ago? That’s because by watching movies over and over again, the lines start to stick. We hear the dialogue enough that we remember them. The same thing goes for your messages. The more we hear a message, the more we’ll remember it. So repeat your …

Chances are you’ve never been truly taught perhaps the most crucial communication skill.  That skill is listening.  Sure you may think you’re a good listener, but that’s because we’re often told not speaking and nodding along means that you’re listening. You may sit there quietly, but in reality your brain is almost always forming responses and waiting until it’s your turn. Your intentions may be good, you want to keep the conversation flowing, build upon points, even have your voice heard, but you’re not truly listening. As said best, by Stephen Covey, (Author of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’), “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Effective listening may just be the most important business communication skill. That’s because effective listening shows the speaker that he/she has been truly heard and understood. Those who feel heard are more likely to feel valued and respected, making good listening skills the key …

  How much do you think your clients know about you? How much do you know about them?   Do you know if they have families? Where they live? Where they went to school? What other products they buy?   If your answer is no, then the real question is: WHY NOT!?   True communication means putting the attention on the audience. Yet so many of us worry solely about ourselves. ie: How do I sound? What words should I use? Where do I look? How’s my inflection?   These are all important points to focus on, but in order to truly communicate with substance, you need to also put attention and focus on the other person.   How can you do that when you don’t even really know who you’re addressing?   That’s why you need to do research on your audience! Find out what they care about, what’s going to resonate with them, and what they need.     Knowing your audience better helps you figure out what content and messages people care about and gives you clues to the appropriate tone and voice for your …

What if I told you the sky was green? Would you believe me?  Well according to a Yale study,  if you heard that the sky was green over and over again, you’d start to believe it. That’s because of something called the “Illusory truth effect.” It’s a glitch in our brain that equates repetition and familiarity, with truth. The more we hear the same words and ideas repeated, the more we’ll remember them and believe them to be fact. Think of these claims:   Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis Napoleon Bonaparte was short The Great Wall of China is visible from space Being out in the rain will make you catch a cold None of those are actually true! However we’ve heard many of them so often that our brains interpret the familiarity of the statements, as truth. No matter what we hear repeated multiple times, our brain says “Yep that must be a fact!” That’s great when it comes to repeating your message, but a disaster when it comes to repeating anything negative! Let’s take the …