Effective communications are essential to building both personal and professional relationships with others. First impressions count, so it’s important to choose words that others can quickly relate to.
Every industry and function has its jargon. For example, talking to bankers about interest rate sensitivity, product developers about time to market, and manufacturing companies about overhead costs builds rapport. Salespeople prefer words that convey energy and emotion; doctors prefer words that suggest care and well-being; accountants and lawyers prefer precise language; and technologists prefer words that convey solutions.
Because people often make decisions based on their emotions and then justify them rationally, using motivational language is essential. While that ultimately means using persuasive language, entertaining, informative, and compelling styles are helpful for eliciting emotions.
Successful salespeople say it takes multiple interactions with a prospect to make a sale; at least five is not uncommon. Unsuccessful sellers often give up before they’ve reached the threshold needed to close. Many interactions are required to build trust, which is based on communications and the actions that accompany them.
Large business-to-business transactions, such as long-term contracts or mergers and acquisitions, may require field trips and site visits lasting several days. These events require discussions and presentations at meetings and over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Finally, the parties meet at the table to negotiate the deal. Minimizing the amount of face-to-face time with counterparts reduces the risk of something being said that is out of character. Therefore, face-to-face time should be reserved for those situations where messages can be delivered powerfully with anticipation and deliberation.
During negotiations, parties should never be caught off guard, and all language to entertain, inform, convince, and persuade should be carefully chosen with an understanding of the audience’s needs and background. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what motivates an audience and what they aspire to: their industry and functional background provide clues.
It is important to understand whether the audience prefers the “analytical” approach (findings followed by conclusions followed by recommendations) or the “results” approach (recommendations based on conclusions based on findings). “Process-oriented” people, such as accountants, lawyers, and engineers, generally want to build the case, while “people-oriented” people, such as those in entertainment, health care, and sales, generally They want to get straight to the point. point.
The four communication styles can be used to inspire the audience accordingly:
Entertaining style: suitable for “breaking the ice” in a formal meeting or presentation:
- Start with an example of a relevant event or situation, made humorous if possible.
- Describe images of the event or situation in vivid words, using poetic license if appropriate
- Relate personal experiences with examples.
- Make a transition to the current event or situation
- Make Comparison Points Relevant
- End with a memorable statement related to the most important point
Informative Style: Appropriate at larger “town hall” style gatherings:
- Start with an example of a relevant event or situation
- Describe images of the event or situation with vivid words
- Discuss what complicated the situation, what the problems were, and how solutions were arrived at.
- Make a transition to the current event or situation
- Talk about the presentation – give an overview
- Discuss potential or actual complications, problems, and solutions.
- Be fact based, using examples where possible based on observations and experience.
- Summarize key points
- Talk about the presentation – what it was about
- End with a memorable statement related to the most important point
Convincing Style: Appropriate for smaller meetings where the audience needs to be convinced of an idea or condition to change behavior:
- Start with an example of a relevant event or situation
- Make a transition to the specific idea or condition
- Answer the “why?” – statement of initial benefit regarding the idea or condition
- Answer “what is it?” – a summary of the idea or condition
- Answer “what’s in it for the audience?” – benefits of the idea or condition in detail
- Describe the rationale for the idea or condition with facts, statistics, and metrics
- Respond to objections as suggestions.
- Summarize the idea or condition
- Call to action: describe behavior modification as a consequence of convincing the audience
- End with a memorable statement related to the most important point
Persuasive Style – Appropriate for small meetings where the audience needs to be persuaded to do something based on an opportunity or threat:
- Start with an example of a relevant opportunity or threat
- Transition to the specific opportunity or threat
- Answer the “why?” – initial benefit statement regarding the action required to respond to the opportunity or threat
- Answer the “state”: what is the current situation and what complicates it
- Answer “what is it?” – describe the problem
- Answer “where does the audience want to go?” – describe alternative solutions
- Answer “how does the audience get there from here?” – use the “analytical” approach or the “extreme” approach backed by facts, statistics and metrics
- Respond to objections as suggestions.
- Confirm the opportunity or threat with the recommendations and the main benefit
- Call to action: describe what the audience needs to do
- End with a memorable statement related to the most important recommendation
Each individual operates within their own world from which they perceive events, situations, ideas, conditions, opportunities and threats. His personal style determines what they aspire to and what inspires them. It is important to understand the personal style of each individual member of an audience in order to use a communication style that gets results.