How can you use strategic thinking to improve communication skills?

Communication is one element in effectiveness. More important is to understand one's behavioural style - that is whether one prefers to work/interact at pace or more slowly and whether one is orientated more strongly towards data or towards people. From that reference point, recognising the behavioural styles of those with whom one works/interacts informs how communication, verbal and non-verbal and content, needs to be adjusted to have the best chance of achieving the required outcome. How one needs to communicate will also be affected by the situation and task. Programmes such as Addvantage 4U's, using Verax's PEP-C, objectively measure behavioural style, provide focussed and tailored steps forward, and quantify progress and impact.

Self-reflection and self-awareness are extremely important. You need to get clear on: -How do you communicate and why do you communicate that way? (for transmitting) -How do you listen, receive information, process information and react to it? And why? -How do your emotions impact your communication, or not? -How do different types of people respond to your communication style? Do you modify your style to account for this? The more clarity you have about these questions, the better your will understand your communication style as a Step 1.

This is a key element when you are going to improve your communication style. There are important steps like the environment where you are involved . Sometimes the right time and the kind of words you would like to transmit to your audience and the modulation of your voice as well.

In my career, "know your audience" has always been the most important part of developing an effective presentation. Don't be afraid to ask people questions to glean the info you need to know your audience so you can communicate effectively with them. You can develop a list of questions you ask to get the info you need. Once you have the info, you can step back and craft a presentation. Adapting during a presentation is also important and takes different skills.

I love this AND I think it’s really important to empathize and understand. If we are constantly adapting to other people’s expectations we can get really burnt out. It’s not easy to switch your style from conversation to conversation—but if you practice patience and use the power of pause and curiosity you can really get to know people, listen more deeply, and then show up authentically. Knowing our own communication triggers and how we react to certain feedback is also a crucial step in this process. So you can always turn empathy and understanding around on yourself and listen to yourself in order to create better understanding with everyone!

Anticipating your audience’s responses before disseminating communication is crucial as it enables you to prepare for various outcomes. By considering potential feedback, questions, or objections in advance, you can craft follow-up messages, have clarifications at the ready, and implement risk mitigation strategies. This foresight not only streamlines the communication process but also demonstrates a deep understanding of your audience, fostering trust and enhancing the effectiveness of your message. It turns communication into a dialogue, even when the initial message is one-way.

I also love this but any form of communication is to form a mutual understanding-so while drafting your desires and needs is a great first step it’s also important to understand the audience and their desires and frustrations. Most initiatives, deals or programs I’ve participated in have succeeded because all parties felt seen, heard, and rewarded for their participation. The reward doesn’t always have to be outcome or financially drive—but even a feeling of deep purpose from your participation can go a long way. Get to know the people you’re working with // selling to // engaging and build on mutual respect and understanding.

I found usually I have to ask for the feedback and it's worth it to probe deeper. If someone tells you "it went great", ask what was great about it to get useful details. I also specifically ask "what could have gone better" and, depending on my relationship with the person, I will specifically ask "what is one thing I can improve" to force some constructive criticism. In almost every case, this approach has resulted in learning important pieces of feedback (some big picture, some nuanced) that I would otherwise have missed. This is not a step to skip.

Reflection is critical. "What was I trying to achieve and was I successful?" "What went well, what could have gone better and why?" "What could I have done differently to have achieved and even better result?"

Before communicating, it's important to ask yourself what outcome you want to achieve and to consider if the format and style of communication will help you achieve that. Many people focus on what they want to say, rather than the message they want their audience to receive.

Be clear what you are trying to achieve. Break it down into bite size elements. Keep it simple. And make it interesting and relevant for the audience with whom you are communicating.