Dianna Booher's Blog, page 43

5 Ways You May Be Cutting Off Communication With Customers

For all the hoopla about how companies love their customers, it’s just trash talk. I’m convinced that 95 out of 100 organizations don’t care about their customers. They tolerate customers only as a means to profit and that message comes through loud and clear every day.

Five examples from this past week illustrate my point about this “We don’t care about customers” message:

Hidden Phone Numbers:

I spent 15 minutes on Large Company A’s website searching for a phone number to call about why a...

Are You Telling Stories or Anecdotes? — And Why It Matters

The president wanted to hit a grand slam at his first all-hands meeting with employees watching the broadcast from around the world. Obviously, engaging those seated in the large auditorium in front of him would be easier. But he didn’t want to miss this first opportunity to win their confidence and trust that he could handle the job left vacant by his predecessor.

“So you said you plan to open with a story about your time in Germany as a young sales manager and what you learned from failur...

3 Common Sense Tips to Communicate Change That Aren’t Common Practice

Randomness terrifies people. In a world where someone can walk into a shopping mall and open fire on hundreds of innocent people, where jobs disappear overnight, where cancer appears suddenly on an X-Ray, people grasp for control, order, and stability.

They expect the same from communication coming to them––that it should make sense for them personally. When generic messages about change bombard them, they often shut down or push back.

Be Concrete; Get Specific

All of the following comments h...

4 Tips to Tie a Team Presentation Together

A basketball team that can work the ball down the court and dunk it play after play is a beautiful thing. A family that laughs together whether they vacation or clean out the garage builds memories for a lifetime. A management team that can flip a division loser into a profit center wins respect.

But a project team that presents a recommendation as four soloists in concert will frustrate their audience. A team presentation is labeled a team presentation for good reason: Its parts should com...

Be Brief or Be Dismissed as a Leader: 6 Best Practices

Leaders think strategically, understand the critical link between focus and clarity, and appreciate the value of time. So fewer and fewer are inclined to let others waste their time. Brevity has become a basic communication skill for professionals. Here are six best practices:

Be brief when speaking spontaneously. Make your point and move on. Lectures are for the classroom.

Be brief when speaking spontaneously. Make your point and move on. Lectures are for the classroom.
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3 Ways to Disagree Without Sounding Disagreeable

Good leaders can develop bad habits. With careless phrasing, they can give the impression that others’ opinions are invalid. The result? This poor communication may harden into habit, causing good employees to exit, feeling as though their contribution no longer matters.

Sift Arrogance From Your Phrasing

Arrogant statements like these build a wall:

––“The truth of the matter is ….”

––“The reality of the situation is that ….”

––“What’s really going on here is ….”

––“If you really want to know...

10 Ways to Become a Better Negotiator Next Year

As I’ve coached senior leaders in communication skills for the past three decades, I’ve had opportunity to observe 10 habits that set successful negotiators apart from their less-successful colleagues. These communication habits may help you in the new year as you strive to get a better job, close bigger deals, and expand your influence.

Successful negotiators listen to a complete thought expressed. Their less successful colleagues assume they know what the other person “is driving at” so t...

3 Ways to Improve How You Think

Nothing sets you apart as a leader like having a reputation for always coming through with new ideas and solutions to problems. That distinction requires brainpower. But standing before a crowd and trying to think on your feet under pressure or offering answers off the cuff in a meeting doesn’t always represent your best thinking.

So what does improve your chances for analytical thinking?

1) Write

Writing proves to be a tough task master. You can’t mumble through it. You can’t fake it. You ca...

Are Your Business Presentations Like Casseroles?

Growing up, my pre-teen kids never liked casseroles. “Things all run together,” my daughter complained.

“But food runs together anyway once it gets into your stomach,” I defended my dinners.

“Yeah, but while I’m thinking about it, I want each thing to be separate as it goes down!”

Audiences have the same preference—a dislike for casserole presentations, where all the ideas and information are blended into a lumpy hodge-podge so that nothing is distinctive. Yet, that’s often the results when...

Are You a Bold or Blunt Communicator?

“I just call it like I see it.” “I’m not a touchy-feely person.” “I don’t beat around the bush; I just let the chips fall where they may.” Such comments frequently fall from the lips of sharp-shooters, who haven’t learned the difference between direct communication and bluntness.

Direct doesn’t mean down and dirty. Effective leaders never confuse direct, bold, straightforward communication with bluntness.Bold communication involves breaking bad news or bringing up sensitive issues that migh...