Communication is more than just what you say, or even how you say something. Communication is also what you don’t say and how one listens; for these passive communicative actions can reveal much to the other party.
Effective business communication starts before you actually meet your client. You need a clear a definite objective for any meeting and you have to be clear about your own services and what the business can offer; this is where a mission statement comes in useful. A mission statement should be worked on over time until the entire business can be summarized in a short and memorable statement. This clarifies goals and purpose and simplifies communication and the simpler the communication, the less chance of misinterpretation.
Thus, with your mission statement in mind you can enter the meeting and start to communicate effectively. Keeping things clean and simple is a definite skill when communicating and a very good way to practice and develop this skill is through twitter. With 140 characters you have to streamline your message for maximum impact and this skill is a great one to have in any business meeting. This is where ‘what you don’t say’ becomes relevant; too much information is as bad as too little and so it is important to communicate the essentials so that there are no other distractions.
Listening is a vital tool in communication and one that is often overlooked. If you really listen to your client then you will pick up valuable clues as to there motivation, objections, what pleases them and so on. Objections are great opportunities for you to highlight how your product or service is beneficial; if you can overcome the objections than the rest is easy!
Effective business communication also involves body language. If you are fidgeting whilst your client is talking or you are avoiding eye contact as they speak then these signals will be picked up. Even if they don’t acknowledge it at a conscious level, they will at some level notice if you try to formulate answers as they are speaking, or you get fidgety when trying to respond. These are other signals should be avoided and this will happen naturally if you are confident about your product or service and you have a clear goal and mission statement.
Communication is not just about the words, in fact the words are a small part in the equation. Confidence, assurance, respect and clarity are all key factors that need to be embraced in any communication setting.
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