Article Archive46714

Zen masters will tell you that the most effective way of communicating is to perform direct pointing.

This morning, for example, my 5-month old and I were strolling through the house on one of our art tours, something we do regularly between 4 and 5.

We pause at painting after painting, and I recite the names of colors and point to them.

For the past two days I have paused at different works and asked, Can you show me the red?

Without hesitation she lifted her arm and touched the matching oil on canvas.

Mind you, apart from recognizing her name, this is the first time she has so specifically attached a meaning to a word.

Communication simply cannot get clearer than this.

The underlying paintings are abstract, but our exchange of ideas here is perfectly concrete.

Linguists tell us that as we climb the ladder of abstraction, the potential for misunderstanding increases exponentially. To avoid miscuing other people and making typical errors of interpretation, we should strive for concreteness.

We would say, for instance, Throw me the ball, please, and not Throw me the spherical object over there.

When we engage in communications with clients, we should also be crystal clear, especially in signaling three things:

(1) Our initial willingness and ability to help;

(2) Our belief that we have been of great help, and that we desire to help even more; and

(3) Our appreciation for their business.

I crafted a conversational path to make these three clear points. It says, for example, after we have heard a clients request, Sure, Ill be happy to help you with that.

Note how definitive, how conclusive, and how optimistic and self-confident that phrase sounds.

Let me share with you how some of my trainees will distort it, often unconsciously.

Theyll substitute, Okay for Sure, thinking the terms are synonymous.

Thats like saying pink is the same as red.

Pink may have been red, with white added to it, but pink is not a primary color; it is a DILUTION of red. It has its place but it doesnt send the same message as a bold red.

Okay is a similar dilution. It says Im kind-of ready, willing and able to help you.

Why would we willingly signal insecurity instead of security; reluctance instead of eagerness, pessimism instead of optimism, and inability instead of ability?

Peter F. Drucker, world class management guru and my MBA advisor, offered an ultra-basic definition of a leader. He said it is a person who attracts followers.

We want and need clients, and in order to attract, satisfy, and to keep them, to add them to our following, we need to show leadership behaviors.

A good place to start is by using more concreteness in our communications, and to intentionally remove wishy-washy abstractions.

Direct pointing is more than an ideal. It is a most practical way to build your business.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is the best-selling author of 12 books and more than a thousand articles. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is quoted often in prominent publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Business Week. President of Clientrelations.com and Customersatisfaction.com, his seminars and training programs are sponsored internationally and he is a top-rated faculty member at more than 40 universities. Dynamic, experienced, and lots of fun, Gary brings more than two decades of solid management and consulting experience to the table, along with the best academic preparation and credentials in the speaking and training industry. Holder of a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School For Communication at USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies along with successful family owned and operated firms. Much more than a talking head, Gary is a top mind that you'll enjoy working with and putting to use. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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