Communication Personality: Does it matter in business?

                                             “I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.” 

                                          ― Mahatma Gandhi

YES! It definitely DOES matter. 

Think about the last time you did business with someone. Were they a good match for you? Did you think to yourself..."there's something I don't care for" or "I really felt comfortable with them?"

If you did, or you ever have, then you think personality matters in business. 

Why does it matter?

Mostly because of that old adage that we like to do business with those we like, know and trust. It matters also because if we are aware of what our OWN communication personality is, then we can more easily adjust to fit ANOTHER's communication personality. This will do several things for us in business:

• allow us to connect with more of our clients
• allos us to connect on a deeper level with our clients
• make more connections, period
• negotiate more effectively
• manage more effectively
• sell more effectively

The list goes on and on and on and on. 

We should not be afraid to show our personality in our business interactions but we should also know when to adjust our personality when we are not a good match for someone or a certain situation.

Do you know your communication personality? 

Do you even know HOW to find out your communication personality?

I'd be happy to help you with both! Check this out. 

As always, thank you for reading and until next time.....Keep Saying it with Style. 

Jen

Exit Strategies to use with Incessant Talkers

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We've all been there. We have a friend, client or someone we just met who is an incessant talker. Once we realize this we avoid, make excuses and go to great lengths to avoid being caught in their web of NON.STOP.TALKING.

Now, my family is probably laughing right now because I like to talk. I'm rarely at a loss for words and I'll pretty much talk to anyone about most anything. I genuinely enjoy talking WITH people. The difference with me, and others who are considered "talkers", is that I listen and have the natural give and take that makes a conversation. Incessant talkers do not. 

There are many psychological reasons for incessant talking...I won't be sharing those because the goal here for this post is how to EXIT from an incessant talker. Whether it's a client or friend, the steps are the same and you must set those boundaries early and often to not a only save your sanity but also your valuable time. 

To exit a conversation with an incessant talker you should:

• Say "can I interrupt you for a moment?" and then...
• Say "This what I'm hearing you say" {repeat what you have understood them to say}This, hopefully gives them the clue that you get it. No further explanation is necessary. You can also..
• Add something to your paraphrase that connects your experience to theirs so they really know you received the message.
• If they talk over you say "Wait. I want to finish my thought." 
• Don't ask questions. This will encourage them to continue.
• STOP the conversation when it has gone on too long. Do not be afraid to say "I've listened longer than I have time right now, can we finish at another time?"

The important thing to remember is that you are not being rude if you assertively set boundaries that signal your time is valuable. 

So tell me, do you have any "exit strategies" that you use when you encounter an incessant talker? I'd love for you to share them in a comment.

As always, thank you for reading. 

Until next time, keep Saying it with Style. 

Jen

Business Speaking Skills: Tell a Story

I can tell you for sure that when someone is trying to sell me something or teach me something, I'm going to tune out if they pitch to me or don't make an effort to connect with me. 

I don't want to know that I'm being sold to. 

I don't want to be bored to tears with an endless list of facts and Power Point slides telling me how smart they are.

I want a story. 

Think about some of the best speakers you've ever heard; Steve Jobs, JFK, Maya Angelou, Bill Clinton, MLK...what were they able to do that made you remember them and actually listen to what they had to say {even the boring stuff!}?

They told a story. 

No, not necessarily a sit down get your milk and cookies type of story but they related to you and drew you in almost from the instant they opened their mouths. They presented their information in a relatable way. They made it real for their listener by sharing personal anecdotes and talking with their audience instead of at their audience. 

So, what does this mean for you as a presenter? 

Well, it doesn't mean that I am suggesting you start your next presentation with "I have a dream..." Instead, think about how you can make your information more relatable to your audience. Maybe through a personal story. Maybe through someone else's story {with permission of course}. Maybe by ditching the Power Point slides and speaking from the heart {fine to do but please still use an outline to keep you on track}. Maybe by learning to appear more relaxed instead of having a death grip on the lecturn. Maybe by learning how to insert a great pause or phrase your sentences in a pleasing way. 

Tell a story.

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As always, thank you for reading and until next time keep Saying it with Style.

Vocal Health: AKA Vocal Hygiene

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Your voice. 

It's your calling card. It's unique to YOU. It's how most of us communicate personally and professionally.

Have you thought about what would happen if it suddenly didn't work, didn't sound the same or gave out midway through your day?

For me..it would mean a drastic change in how I did my work as a speech language pathologist. In many ways, I wouldn't be able to do my work. Sure there are other ways to communicate BUT would they be easily implemented and would you be able to use those methods AND sustain your career? 

Think about it. 

Now, what if I told you that taking care of your voice can seemlessly fit into your day and that simply taking some quite time each day {something we should each be doing anyway}is part of the program? Interested? You should be, because taking care of your voice needs to be the number one priority for anyone who uses their voice in their work. 

Your first step in a vocal hygiene program is to...

• Spend at least two 30 minutes blocks EACH day being quiet. No talking and no using your voice in any way {no throat clearing, no coughing,  no singing, no humming, no whispering...you get the idea}.

• Second~Tune in to Jennifer's BlogTalk Radio show on Tuesday, Janauray 29th at 10:00am to find out more.

Take care of those voices! 

As always thanks for reading and be sure to keep Saying it with Style!

Jen

I Get by with a Little Help From My Friends

 I have a group of friends that I have never met face to face...{um, that seems to be going around lately doesn't it?} 

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All kidding aside, I DO have a group of friends that I have never met in person, only online, and they ROCK. Over the past 5 months, they have single handedly; talked me off the ledge when I was scared to make changes in my 15 year old business, helped me manage my time better to be more productive in my business, supported me by allowing me the chance to be a featured contributor to their blog and just day to day {Monday to Monday actually}supported me with things for my biz that I didn't even know I needed help with. Whew! That's a whole lotta help from people you have never met in person. 

Who am I talking about?  Mombiz.com and #mombizmondays {join us on Twitter on Monday nights at 10pm EST}. In particular Lara Galloway {Mom Biz Coach} and her biz partner Shelagh Cummins. They are REAL people...I promise. Check them out!

Why am I writing about them? Well, first off I really want more people to join the group of mom biz owners because we get better and stronger with more energy from more mom biz owners. The other reason? I'm trying to win a scholarship to their Mombiz Retreat in Chicago coming up on Valentine's Day weekend. I have been eyeing this retreat since I first found the group in August. Unfortunately, other things needed to come first in my biz budget and so, I didn't sign up. I did however, sign up for their MBA {Mom Biz Academy} and WOW I have only listened to two of the coaching sessions and I can't even begin to describe how much help they have been already! AMAZING does not even begin to cover it. 

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I feel like they've thrown me a life preserver. No Kidding. 

I'm still feeling a little unsure about throwing my hat in the ring for this scholarship....I mean, there are likely more deserving moms out there; younger moms and perhaps new entrepreneurial moms. Then, I think back to a podcast of Lara's  when she told another mompreneur, who was feeling that she wasn't worthy of the great business she was getting, "YOU ARE DESERVING." I hear them {Lara and Shelagh} saying that to me..."Jen, YOU ARE DESERVING." 

So today, I'm throwing my hat in the ring. 

What does this have to do with my blog here? Well, sometimes...you need to realize that part of Saying it with Style is putting yourself out there, going for what you want and letting others know about a GREAT resource you have found. 

As always, thanks for reading and I hope to see some of you mombiz owners join the group. 

Jen