Far too many people have a terrible habit of winging it through some of the most important conversations of their lives. Don’t do that. If the conversation matters, make preparation a habit.
Who Is It? (Part Two)
Although there are countless factors that can impact any particular situation, three factors with the greatest impact on conversational goal attainment are: what motivates, what frustrates, and what is the most opportune time for the conversation. Pay attention to these three factors to increase your odds of conversational success.
Who Is It? (Part One)
To better understand people, pay attention to the ways that situational (or external) factors shape individual behavior. Even though people are greatly influenced by situational forces, there is a tendency to overweight personality (or internal) explanations instead. To more completely understand the person, look to the situation as well.
Special Delivery
For important conversations, a smooth delivery matters. Jerky and discombobulated communication in strategic conversations diminishes your overall chances of success. To smooth out your delivery in important interactions, follow five conversational delivery tips.
Delivery Tip #1: Practice your delivery if the conversation matters.
Replicate the conditions of your future conversation as much as possible and rehearse for important conversations. If you can’t replicate the conditions exactly, don’t skip a rehearsal. For a smooth delivery, you must speak your words out loud, and not just say them in your head. The benefit of hearing your own words cannot be overstated—the ear, after all, is the final judge of smoothness. Almost everything sounds good in your head, but almost nothing comes out smoothly the first time. Get your first time out of the way in practice.
Reduce Conversational Distractions
Distracted communication is degraded communication. Eliminate distractions wherever possible, and minimize their impact when they cannot be avoided. Don’t accept distractions at face value—if you can eliminate, moderate or otherwise reduce a distraction in your environment, do it, and your communication will almost certainly improve.