Building Bridges of Communication

Building a 'bridge of understanding' between parties is fundamental if your business communication is to succeed.

If you are a consultant to a client, or a salesperson attempting a closer relationship with your customer, here are five techniques that help achieve just that.

1. Eliciting clients' views and perspective on issues.

The consultant or salesperson should not be the final arbiter of what the client or customer should think.

It is invaluable, both as a dialogic tool and as a way of building rapport, for you to ask the other person how they see the situation: "What are your thoughts about what we are trying to achieve here? What are some of the solutions or approaches you've thought about?"

2. Helping clients think aloud

In any good business partnership, both parties participate in the thinking process.

"Have a think about what options the team has available... what ones most appeal to you? Don't throw out any ideas just yet - no matter how weird they might seem now, you'd be surprised at how workable they might be later." "What are the implications of some of these approaches to other teams or the project?"

3. Summarise the client's views and test your understanding of them

You really need to understand the other's perspective in any communication process.

The most useful tool to achieve this is 'playing back' what the client has said, in order to ensure that both they feel you have listened and you feel confident in your understanding of what they said. "Let me summarise what I've heard and see if I have it correct..."

4. React to how the client feels as well as the business implications

Business relationships are made up, primarily, of people. People with frailties, aspirations, achievements and fears. Failure to deal with the myriad emotions of clients will lead to failure, of both the relationship and the project.

The more successfully the relationship handles personal 'ups and downs', as well as the feelings of both parties, the stronger the bridge of communication is built.

Wise consultants and salespeople encourage their clients and customers to express their views.

5. Allow the client (and yourself) time to pause and reflect

We all have a tendency to want to be seen as an 'expert' in our field. So we all jump in and answer a question straight away, hoping to both impress our client with our ready supply of wisdom and allay our fears that they will 'find us out'.

In reality, no one knows all there is to know about a subject. But it is the rare and wonderful client who openly acknowledges to you their failure to understand fully or have a mapped out set of tactics for any given situation.

Allowing the client (and yourself) time to pause and reflect on a situation or question allows greater opportunity for bonds of mutual understanding to develop. The discussion will become more thoughtful, less reactively spontaneous (not all 'first thoughts' are good ones), and calmer.

Unless you are fighting fires, or taming lions, a calmer, more measured approach to a project always pays the greatest dividends.

When you match consumer psychology with effective communication styles you get a powerful combination. Lee Hopkins can show you how to communicate better for better business results. At Hopkins-Business-Communication-Traini ng.com you can find the secrets to communication success.

---

Group Discussion Guidelines

DISCUSSION METHODS: There are two basic types of discussion methods;... Read More

Forget The Sandwich Technique

Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique... Read More

Creativity Management and Behaviour

What behaviour maximises the chances of thinking of great ideas?... Read More

Negative Self-talk is Too Expensive

I'm always fascinated by the people who lift huge weights,... Read More

Meeting Your Meeting Expectations

"To get something done a meeting should consist of no... Read More

Five Ways to Increase Profitability By Doing The Right Thing

1. Base your business in the Magic Triangle. Honesty, integrity,... Read More

The Three-Dimensional Communication System

Human communication is always three-dimensional. No spoken or written message... Read More

Are You A B.O.S.S. -- Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self Indulgent, Sociopath

Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self- indulgent Sociopath. Avoid the B.O.S.S. syndrome with... Read More

How to Deal With Salespeople

If you are an executive, you may sometimes feel like... Read More

Performance Appraisals: Nightmares or Sweet Dreams

Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of... Read More

Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams

For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady... Read More

The Ten Keys to Maximizing Employee Performance

1. Let people know what you expect. If people know... Read More

Organizational Capital in Politics, War, Sports and Business

Intangible Corporate Assets such as Organizational Capital, Blue Sky and... Read More

Déjà Vu MCI to Qwest International Inc: Can this Corporate Marriage Survive?

Current Situation:As of this writing, the MCI Board of Governors... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Providing Career Opportunity

This article relates to the Career Opportunity competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

The Red Phone - Management Consulting in 30 Seconds or Less

Modern business faces complex problems; management often calls upon highly-specialized... Read More

Innovation Management ? Flexibility

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Great Hires: Avoid Costly Mistakes

Picking people for a job is like going... Read More

Good Idea Generation ? A Process

It seems incongruous that good idea generation can be a... Read More

Important Communication Tips For Managers

The following tips will help you communicate more effectively with... Read More

Technology & Communication

A study a couple of years ago found that 63%... Read More

Procrastination and JDI!

In a management role procrastination can seriously hold back progress... Read More

Your Organization Is Only as Good as Your People

Let's begin by singing the jingle from an old US... Read More

The Ins and Outs of Internal and External Relations

INTERNAL PUBLIC RELATIONS: Never overlook an opportunity to do internal... Read More

People Literacy

Every Manager has experienced the frustration of not understanding why... Read More

The Compliance Officers Killer Application

It used to be that only the largest multi-nationals needed... Read More

Test Your Hiring IQ

The purpose of any selection process is to discriminate (albeit... Read More

7 Essential Elements To Every Organizational Change

[This article is based on excerpts from the special report... Read More

50 Great Ways to Motivate and Not Break the Bank

Quick, Easy, and Even Fun! 1. Smile, say "Hi! How... Read More

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to... Read More

The Dripping Faucet in Every Organization

Each day millions of workers spend 8 hours or more... Read More

Follow Up: It Makes A Difference

A while back the headlight switch on our minivan quit... Read More

Are You Cascading Your Strategy, or Fragmenting It?

INTRODUCTIONThe typical approach executive teams use to cascade, or roll... Read More