We all have a natural communication style. Generally speaking, you have a 25-50% chance that your natural style resonates with the person you are communicating with. You have a 50-75% chance your style does not naturally resonate. If you stick to only your natural style, you are communicating with The Golden Rule: communicate with others the way you prefer to be communicated with. I have been teaching The Platinum Rule of communication: communicate with others the way they prefer to be communicated with. I’m not teaching others to be someone they are not, but to notice who they are communicating with in order to get a better result. Here is an example from someone who I know finds this difficult but has gotten better results.
This person is an accountant. The behavioral descriptors of this person are Reserved, Steady, Precise, and Direct. She doesn’t like to waste time, chit-chat, or dilly-dally. She likes to get the task completed and stick to business. However, sometimes her communication and emails can come across as critical and people felt talked down to by her. She decided to make a change. Here is a recent email where she attempted to change her influencing and communication style to generate a more positive result….
“Happy Fri-yay!
I wanted to quickly mention I am seeing a lot of receipts and deposits that do not include correctly spelled and complete names – every one of the 3 first names, 5 middle and 10 last names with suffixes. LOL – just kidding.
It takes more time to verify names especially if they made a previous payment or are coming for Hazmat and paying $100 for a returning student and I cannot locate the name provided.
I realize we have new directors and staff that may not have known so just a gentle reminder and I know it seems to be such a little part of what all of you do but is part of paying attention to details so payments can be recorded correctly. 😊
If you have any questions, please ask, that is why I am here. 😊
Have an awesome weekend!”
Here is one of the responses she got back….”Good email. I like the tone and nudge here. It’s a definite improvement. Thanks for making the effort here.”
I know that took some effort and she may have felt a bit tired after writing (and re-writing) that one. However, the payoff may be worth it as she gets better results while building positive relationships.
If you are ready to level up your communication style, reach out to me and let’s get started. Have a great day!