We have all been in situations where we are trying to communicate something clearly and effectively and we don’t get the response we expected. While there is a chance that the person you are dealing with is having a bad day, there is also a chance that your communication is not as clear and clean as you’d hoped.
When you are in an interaction that is not going as you’d hoped, take a moment to:
1. Listen to the tone of your voice.
– Are you being sarcastic, dismissive, condescending?
2. Look at how you are carrying yourself.
– Are you standing over someone, being threatening in your posture, moving toward them hard and fast?
3. Pay attention to the look on your face.
– Are you scowling, frowning, smirking?
4. Notice if you are interrupting.
– Are you shifting the conversation from them to you, cutting people off mid-sentence, taking up all the airtime talking about your perspective or opinion?
5. Assess if you are being inconsistent.
– Do you change your position without explanation, do you get mad at something one day but not the next, do you respond to people based on how much you like them vs. on how they are showing up?
6. Check in with yourself to see if you are proclaiming truths.
– Do you tell people “how it is,” are you certain rather than being curious, do you dismiss opinions other than your own?
It’s easy to forget that everything is a communication—yes, everything! And if your words and your non-verbals are not in alignment, the communication can go south quite quickly. Becoming aware of your non-verbal communications can give you greater impact and influence—and as your coaches, that’s our goal—to help you claim your power, increase your impact, and expand your influence. Let us know how it goes.