Power of Messaging
Many of you know, vocabulary and word choice, both written and verbal, are very important to me. I have always prided myself on making sure my communication is very clear, concise, accurate and cannot be misinterpreted. Similarly, spelling and grammar are just as important since this becomes a direct reflection on how people perceive you. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but there is no excuse for not using the right words to make sure your message is received correctly.
There are also many different ways to communicate a message more subtly, with a softer touch, so you don’t alienate people. I know there will be times when your patience is running thin, or picking the right words just doesn’t seem like a priority, but you have to pause and consider HOW your words are bring HEARD.
For instance, there are many ways to say NO to someone.
“I would be happy to help later this week when I have more time to commit dedicate to this”
“As much as I’d like to…”,
“Do you think Tom might be able to help you since he is better suited for this”,
“If you can wait until tomorrow, I would be happy to help”,
“Sure, let me take that off your hands, but do you think you can do THIS for me?”,
And so many more examples. In all cases, you appear to be helpful and cooperative, but the reality is you really don’t have time nor bandwidth to help. Just by saying NO to someone, or “I don’t have time for you right now” makes the person feel insignificant, undervalued and like a burden. Would you do this to your kids?
Some tips you can use in your written communication that have worked for me in the past, to be more assertive while not being pushy are:
Instead of: “Apologies for the delay in getting back to you”
Use: “Thanks for your patience”
Instead of: “What works best for you?”
Use: “Could you meet at…”
Instead of: “No problem, or No worries”
Use: “I am always happy to help”
Instead of: “I think maybe we should try…”
Use: “It would be best if we did …”
Instead of: “I will be reformatting this presentation for the next hour”
Use: “It would be much easier to walk thru this in person, real time”
Instead of: “I hope that makes sense”
Use: “Let me know if you have any questions”
Instead of: “I just wanted to check in and following up on this”
Use: “When can I expect and update?”
Instead of: “Oh, shoot, my bad, I made a mistake on this and totally miss it”
Use: “Thanks for letting me know”
Instead of: “I apologize but I will need to leave the call a few minutes early”
Use: “I have a hard stop today at…
Perhaps more importantly is the TONE you use, and the significance of BODY LANGUAGE, especially as everyone is starting to go back to the office and getting away from video calls. I will dig into this topic next week.
