Last week I delivered a Coaching programme for a client looking to develop a coaching culture into their organisation. We used a great tool called VoicePrint which looks at the 9 facets of communication and used this with a 360 tool to give feedback to the individual participants as well as the group as a whole.
What really struck me over the 2 days was how as organisations we complicate communication through the introduction of formal processes like for example Performance Mgt. The art of having a good performance mgt is not what you say per say but how you are heard. How many of us as leaders forget this?
I would say of the managers I have worked for and have spent my career developing many…we are consumed with communicating what we need to not stepping back and thinking what do we want to say and how are we going to set the person up for success.
I read a really great quote and use it a lot with teams which is ” People will not always remember what you said but they will always remember how you made them feel.” How many of the businesses you work for get this right/wrong?
Communication is not just what is said but the non verbal cues, like eye contact, body language something that can say more than the words we actually speak I would argue. As leaders picking these up when delivering an message but especially one based on poor performance can effect the way our messages land. I have got this right but also in my time spectacularly wrong how many of you can say the same?
I am passionate in supporting businesses in unlocking the potential in their people through building coaching cultures as this can have such an effect not just on the business bottom line but as well to the cultural bottom line.
Until we through away conventional scripts then I am afraid that we will never solve the real art of communication within business which for me is bravery which is driven from a stand point of trust.
