Published by Gbaf News
Posted on February 21, 2018
For budding startup owners and entrepreneurs, understanding the science of clear and effective communication is the key to leading a company in the long run and promoting your business ideas. The words you choose to speak and hear form a small portion of the message that you are trying to deliver to your customers, investors and employees. It is the way and the tone you avail for speaking and listening that makes a difference and exudes your class as a successful entrepreneur and speaker.
With that being said, here are some of the useful steps that you should consider for starting effective conversations that yield productive relationships:
Relax
Stress results in generating irritability that mostly leads to anger, which ultimately shuts down communication. A one-minute relaxation exercise on a routine basis will help you in increasing the brain activity that is critical for healthy communication and decision making. Take few deep breaths and once you enter the state of relaxation, prepare yourself for effective pitching.
Stay Present
One of the important aspects of ensuring a great conversation is the presence of mind and keeping focused on the real objective behind the communication. Staying present in the ongoing moment will help you in quickly recognizing when a conversation is about to go astray.
Remain Silent
Mastering the skill to stay quiet allows you to provide complete attention to what the individual on the other end has to say. In order to hone this skill, you can try a simple exercise of meditation that can help you in focusing and listening better. Once you achieve the attentiveness, you can leverage it while listening to someone during a conversation.
Be Positive
One of the key essentials of starting an effective conversation is to remain positive. Ask yourself whether you are tired, anxious, alert or calm and feeling optimistic about the conversation or not. In case of any kind of anxiety, doubt or frustration, the best move is to postpone the conversation. If it cannot be postponed, then make sure at least you are visualizing the conversation first, which will aid you in spotting statements that might result in undermining your objectives.
Adhere to the Values
In order to ensure that the conversation is carried fairly and remains balanced, the concerned parties need to be clear and upfront about the goals, values and intentions. In case your values do not fall in line with the people with whom you are trying to roll a business deal, you will face unavoidable trouble. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the values of the person with whom you will proceed the conversation.
Evoke Memories and Avoid Nonverbal Cues
Initiate the conversation with a smile and an expression that renders interest, compassion and kindness. However, make sure that you are not faking it and to ensure that you are feeling so, you can go through some of the online videos showcasing great speakers and take a look at their way of addressing the people. This will help in softening the muscles surrounding your eyes and produce a gentle half smile, which ultimately conveys a feeling a trust to the person on the other end. Next, keep your eyes on the person you are talking to, but do not constantly stare. Moreover, try not to get distracted by inner thoughts and stay focused.
Speak Warmly and Be Appreciative
The first words that come out of your mouth are the key to strike and set the tone for the entire conversation. If you drop the pitch of your voice and talk slower, the listener on the other end will follow up with greater trust. Begin your statements with appreciation and try ending your lines with compliments. However, be genuine while doing so and avoid raising the pitch and intensity, keeping a hold of your tone and speed of the voice. A warm and supportive voice orchestrates the signs of great leadership skill and yields more satisfaction, cooperation and commitment between the members of your team.
Slow Down
Make sure that you are speaking slow enough to allow the other person to understand what you are trying to convey. Also, a slow voice renders a calming vibe to the person on the other end who is feeling anxious while a loud voice on the other hand generates an effect of excitement and anger or fear.
Leverage these steps while starting a conversation and ensure setting your goals at the right mark. Remember a healthy conversation is the start to a long-lasting relationship and cooperation.
