Communication.
It’s something we begin learning as a baby through a cry, a giggle or a smile. Then we develop sounds that turn into words, then sentences and at last, we’ve mastered “communicating”…right?
Not so fast.
Because just last week, I had a communication failure. I made a phone call, got voicemail and sort of panicked. These days, I don’t leave many voicemail messages for people I haven’t met before and when it was time for me to talk, I got stumped on how to succinctly say why I was calling. I just went blank.
After I was done saying words, I prayed for a corporate menu to offer me an option to “erase and re-record” the message, but that feature was nowhere to be found.
Gah, can’t wait for that returned call!
What “communication failure” have you experienced lately?
Because work and life give us circumstances that show we’re not as equipped as we thought.
Since I’m confessing, I may as well keep going:
- Professionally, I’m learning Instagram. Things like “hooks” and captions feel foreign to my brain. Then there is the storytelling aspect…it’s a whole subset of communication that’s making me wonder if I ever knew how to tell a story in the first place.
- I also do some speaking. I love doing it, and now I’m watching myself on camera. (cringe) It’s exposing little idiosyncrasies and BIG areas of improvement when addressing an audience. I now realize the number of times I use the phrase, “And, so” to transition between concepts. Lordy!
- And personally, I’m working on better understanding my emotions, my perspectives and speaking up about those with others. It’s a new layer of confidence and self-awareness I want and though it feels scary, it’s also incredibly empowering.
However, my journey also strengthens my ability to help clients improve their communication.
How?
These are things I’m highly trained to see:
- I help leaders mention the elephant in the room so things don’t get weird.
- I uncover the obstacles preventing a decision so a plan is executed instead of delayed.
- I help clients communicate what they really mean, so they don’t spend time communicating what they don’t mean.
These are just a few examples.
Where are there gaps in your communication?
If you want to talk about your gaps, click the button below to schedule a complimentary conversation.
Make it a great day!
Halle
Plus a few other links of interest:
1. Could your team benefit from upgrading their leadership? Inquire about Leadership Essentials Academy, a 6-month leadership training & coaching cohort for new and emerging leaders.
2. Time for a new journal? Pick up a new copy of my Know Thyself Journal for daily support towards your most important intentions for the next 90 days.
3. Are you into individual assessments? Here is a link to take a free Core Values Assessment (CVI). It only takes 10 minutes and measures your innate, unchanging nature. Take it yourself and feel free to forward it to a friend, too.