Communicating for Effective Change [MarketHer Ep. 48]

One of the things that IMPACT works on, day in and day out, is effective communication.

We talk about radical ownership, consultative dialogue, and clear communication in every part of our organization.

If you want to affect positive change -- whether that be in your personal life or at the office -- you have to be able to communicate directly and compassionately with an individual, so they (a) understand why you are asking for change, and (b) know what is needed for change to happen.  

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always good at this.

Sometimes I stumble over my words and, often, I can come across as unsympathetic and abrasive. But it's more that I'm trying to find the easiest and simplest solution, without dragging a decision out for months. 

This is where this week's episode came from.

Effective communication is more than just the words that you use. It combines a set of four skills:

•  Listening to understand;
• Body language;
• How you manage conflict and stress; and
• When to assert yourself respectfully.

When you want to affect change in a positive direction, it also helps to have the end in mind before you decide on the best approach. 

These are the four questions we ask ourselves to get into that "end in mind" mindset:

• What is the goal of the change? 
• Who needs to be involved to make a decision on what needs to change?
• What are the steps necessary to ensure the change goes smoothly? 
• How will this benefit the people involved?

When you are striving for a way to communicate effectively to make change happen, it is important to have these thoughts in place. 

This episode might seem a little all over the place, which doesn't resemble effective communication well. 

However, our point in this discussion was to bring up challenges we face in trying to make change happen, whether be it within our personal relationships, what's happening in our culture, or in the work force. 

Watch and let us know what you think:

 What have you put into place to improve your communication skills that have been successful in changing the outcome of challenges you've faced?  We'd love to hear from you!

Join us in our Facebook MarketHer Group to continue the conversation!  We'd love to hear your tips about getting back into the swing of things, and more importantly, how do you keep it going all year? 

If you have some tips, email us at markether@impactplus.com. We will share it on our Facebook page!! 

Listen to the Episode on iTunes

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