Communique

news2use | March 2024

There was once a powerful king who ruled with a loud voice yet lacked the ability to communicate in an effective way. Over time the King noticed that people did what he said because they felt they had to, not because they wanted to.

 

One day, the king sought advice from a successful merchant in the village. This merchant spoke few words but communicated with great impact. The merchant shared his insights on the importance of listening, empathy, and clear communication in both business and life. The king, humbled by the merchant’s wisdom, learned that the ability to influence others lies not in the volume of one’s speaking but in understanding and connecting with others. From that day on, the king ruled with a new sense of diplomacy and respect, earning the loyalty and admiration of his people.

 

How do those around you describe your communication skills, like the King, the Merchant or in some other way? The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most powerful assets you possess, and it costs little to improve. Today we are surrounded by more noise than substance and we’re being bombarded by ambiguous advice, meaningless messages, and self-serving questions that lead to more activity, instead of significant results.

Language is powerful, and it is effective language that enables you and others to move forward and outpace your competition. In this month’s news2use, I will share simple, effective communication insights to help you be at your best.

 

Enjoy your read and I trust you will find one or two ideas to help you communicate like the meaningful merchant described above.

 

Regards,

Dan


“Relevant & pragmatic ideas, tools and insights to play at your best.”


For You

Communication helps you guide the conversation and guiding the conversation effectively enables you to create trusting relationships with your colleagues, your boss, your customers, and your stakeholders.

How well do you create trusting relationships with the parties above? Here are four signs that you are building trusting relationships:

1-The person you are engaging with volunteers things you did not ask for.

2-This same person accepts pushback and challenge from you.

3-They share their personal objectives.

4-They ask your opinion.


For You & Your Team

Brevity is conciseness of expression. This means saying a lot with few words.

We have all observed team leaders obsessed with telling people everything they know rather than what the audience or team needs to know. Remember that the more quickly you help others, the more valuable you are, and I do not know a person who does not want to be more valuable.

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address lasted two minutes and contained 272 words. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech was 17 minutes long with 1,667 words.

It is what you say and how you say it that matters, not how long you can speak on a subject. Sharpen your messages.


For You, Your Team & Your Business

Stop transporting dead language and ineffective messages. Don’t repeat things that do not help people to do things better and faster. Let me give you an example; recently a leader stood before a group and rattled on about the ever-present VUCA world. VUCA is an acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Hearing people parade on about VUCA, priding themselves on remembering what the acronym stands for makes me physically angry. After such messages, people are in no better position to navigate successfully, in fact, people often say, gosh, I didn’t really know our future looked so bad and then they start with their own VUCA labels on everything.

What a mess.

An effective communicator recognizes there is no value in the traditional VUCA acronym and has the courage and sense to re-code this utterly useless acronym into something meaningful. VUCA could very well stand for:

Vision driven communication, what does our future success look like in 24 months?

Understanding our current situation, do we have a good understanding of where we are today?

Courage, how can we find opportunities in the unknown and not become overwhelmed or paralyzed by the risks the future holds?

Adaptability, how can we strengthen our mindset and behaviors for successful change?

Repeating acronyms that don’t help people improve should be a punishable offense. Use your creativity, positive thinking, and “merchant mentality” to use language that enables people, not confuse them.


People, Places & Technology

Working hard and hitting targets isn’t any guarantee you will be recognized or given a seat at the larger table in the business. Here’s a real example of how a leader committed to a communication ownershift and got her seat at the executive team table. Learn what and how she did it in this episode of NORENBERG’S NINETY SECONDS.

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Thought for the Day

“Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.”

-Pythagoras

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Contact Information

Dan Norenberg
Wensauerplatz 11
81245 Munich
Phone: +49 172 862 5123
E-Mail: dn@dannorenberg.com

About Dan Norenberg

Dan Norenberg improves leadership performance and organization results through Executive Ownershift®, his transformational growth process for executive teams. As a trusted advisor, consultant and professional speaker, Dan’s mission is to enable executive teams and their organizations to play at their best.

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