Your career success won’t happen by chance nor will it happen just because you want to achieve and do well.
It’s also a trap to assume “If I work hard, and accomplish results, I’ll be noticed and promoted”.
People who are successful in their careers generally operate to a set of underlying principles and tactic’s that if taken, improve the ‘odds’ on achieving what they want. It’s not a guarantee – but it’s a lot more certainty than ‘hoping, wishing and waiting’ for things to happen.
Becoming a great communicator is a must – whether you’re introverted or extroverted
I was observing my two young children – who are chalk and cheese on the confidence spectrum – trick or treating in our neighbourhood, having fun and enjoying the community spirit. While my son held back, my daughter created lots of opportunity to get what she wanted, simply because she took the initiative and quickly adapted to lots of different social scenarios. While there is no right or wrong approach, getting over yourself will take you a long way.
Here are 5 communication tactics to help you adapt in any situation (and help you get promoted)
1.Be you, be humble
Know who you are and what makes you tick. When you know what’s important to you, you’ll be far less likely to take things personally, and to overthink and overanalyse things (and make it all about you in the process). It’s a good thing to be humble and to tailor your message to others by focusing on their needs ahead of yours, in a way that’s also true to you.
2. Be succinct and clear
Your ability to communicate is not how well you think you’ve got your message across or by how well you think you’ve answered the question, rather how well your listener has understood what you wanted to say.
Rather than say that first thing that comes into your head, instead take a moment to consider how your message might be received by the other person. By communicating clearly, and being succinct, you can help avoid misunderstandings and potential conflict with others.
3. Work to your audience
Engaging and influencing others is dependent on how well you can speak into someone else’s listening. Take the time to find out where someone else is at (ie: their knowledge, concerns, objections, motivations) and communicate from that place, rather than from where you are.
4. Be heard, be seen
If there is something you want to say that will add value and move the conversation forward, say it. Speak up and speak early. Many people avoid saying what needs to be said. They assume (or hope) that someone else will. They want to avoid upsetting someone, and want to avoid being known as aggressive. They prioritise being liked and ‘fitting in’ ahead of driving results.
Build your networks and become comfortable developing relationships with others – it’s part of your job.
5. Be flexible
You’ve got to know when to “pause” and adopt a different approach. I was working with a client recently and not getting anywhere in the conversation. I realised that I needed to change tack as many times as it took to move things forward. Being flexible means being able to say the same thing in different ways or changing the angle you want to make your point from. It means being patient, calm and aware of your own emotional state and body language. You’re speaking volumes to others even when you’re not saying a word.
Bringing it all together
Great communication is at the heart of effective relationships. Everyone is busy. Everyone is getting multiple things done. Everyone is trying to be heard. The quality of your thinking that has you react and respond in any situation will determine your success. The better your communication skills are the more likely you are to get what you want, be satisfied, and increase your chances of getting promoted in the process.
