I’ve been on *many* video calls over the last 3 months, which means adapting to a range of communication styles.
Here are 7 tips from master communicators:
(1) Make it about the person by repeating key selling points about them & their work.
(2) Have your “objection detector” on. Not all objections are obvious, and can be disguised as a general statement or quick comment. Address these directly & succinctly.
(3) Build on a response with helpful context. Have a sense for the other person’s information gaps. Strong understanding => deeper engagement => speedy decisions.
(4) Go in with a clear intention.
(5) Communication happens before you say your 1st word. Keep emails & body language tight.
(6) Create “conversational containers” when having difficult conversations or when you feel reserved.
You can do this by designing at the start how communication will flow:
“We’re here to talk about X, and it’s important to get feedback from everyone, so I’ll do a roundtable & also share my thoughts” or “the pace of these meetings moves too quickly to interject sometimes, so I may interrupt with my thoughts.”
(7) Maintain a healthy & positive self-image. Combat negative self-talk by following a “I’m not X” or “I can’t Y” with a positive remark: “but I am Z”.
