ReportWire

Tag: Communication Strategies

  • How to Bridge The Gap Between In-Person and Remote Meetings | Entrepreneur

    How to Bridge The Gap Between In-Person and Remote Meetings | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With the right technology and facilitation, hybrid meetings can provide the best of both worlds: the benefits of in-person meetings, such as nonverbal communication and spontaneous collaboration, combined with the convenience and cost-effectiveness of remote meetings.

    But to truly take advantage of the benefits of hybrid meetings requires overcoming our intuitions and gut reactions about how to manage meetings and investing in quality AV technology, developing new meeting norms, and training participants on using this technology and following these norms. Otherwise, hybrid meetings can be a miserable experience for both in-person — especially remote attendees, as I’ve seen in consulting for 21 organizations on how to implement hybrid work arrangements.

    Related: What Is the Best Way to Run a Highly Effective Hybrid Meeting?

    Importance of excellent meeting AV technology

    One of the most critical elements of a successful hybrid meeting is having excellent audio and video (AV) technology that allows all participants to see and hear each other clearly.

    Many conference rooms are long and narrow, and cameras are typically located at one end of the table so that those at the far end are not easily visible on video. That creates a problem for remote attendees since they can’t see clearly the body language and gestures of the in-person attendees. Similarly, remote attendees need to be able to hear the points made by everyone in the room, but the typical narrow meeting rooms are not set up to pick up audio well for all participants, just for those at the head of the table.

    Remote participants need to see the person who is speaking at any given time. To do so requires a camera that tracks and focuses on whoever is speaking at the moment. They also need a second camera that shows the whole room to catch the nonverbal cues of their in-person colleagues. After all, the point of a meeting is not simply one-way communication by the speaker; it’s also observing the reaction of the meeting participants to the speaker. Finally, they need a third camera showing the PowerPoint and/or whiteboard.

    In-person participants, in turn, have to be able to see remote attendees clearly. That means, ideally, having them sit on one side of the table and on the other side having a big conference room screen with the remote attendees. Then, the natural focus of the in-person attendees goes to the remote participants, not to each other.

    Separate facilitation for remote attendees

    Another important factor in successful hybrid meetings is having a separate facilitator for remote attendees. Team leaders serve as the traditional meeting facilitator, and they already have their hands full managing the in-person portion of the meeting and the agenda while also being a participant.

    Instead, the team leader needs to appoint an in-person attendee as the remote facilitator. This person’s role is to ensure that remote attendees are able to fully participate in the meeting and that their contributions are heard and acknowledged. They can also help to manage any technical issues that may arise. The remote facilitator should solicit the feedback and input of remote attendees, and interject on their behalf as needed. They also need to read out loud chats typed by videoconference attendees who ask the remote facilitator to make a point on their behalf.

    Related: Making Hybrid Models Work Is No Longer a Luxury – It’s a Necessity

    Expressing yourself through emojis or chat

    Remote attendees need to collaborate with the remote facilitator and advocate for their perspective and full-fledged participation in hybrid meetings. They need to express themselves in reaction to what people are saying through reaction emojis or chat.

    The challenge is that you can’t see the responses of remote participants to what the speaker is saying, so remote participants have to be more deliberate about their responses. Fortunately, by using chat or reaction emojis, they don’t have to interrupt the speaker or impede the conversation flow. It’s much easier to use such features, especially for introverted participants, making them more likely to shine as remote participants in hybrid meetings.

    And since there’s someone in the room whose job it is to make sure remote participants are heard — the remote facilitator — that person will interrupt the speaker on their behalf. For example, a remote participant may indicate that they have a question or comment in the chat. If that happened in the room, the speaker could see that someone had a frown or confused look. But they can’t see that easily for remote participants. However, the remote facilitator can interject on behalf of the remote attendees, addressing their confusion and making sure the remote participants can make their contribution.

    Norms of behavior for in-person participants

    In-person participants have to pay attention to remote attendees and make an effort to include them in the discussion. This can be done by signing into the meeting on their laptops or phones and tracking the responses of remote attendees through chat or emojis. In fact, they can contribute to the conversation if they sign into the meeting, and make sure they don’t miss the valuable subtext in the chat.

    Likewise, in-person attendees have to overcome their intuitive and natural temptation to prioritize other in-person attendees. They need to pay attention preferentially to remote attendees and encourage other in-person attendees to do so as well. That’s why it helps to sit facing the remote attendees, not fellow in-person attendees.

    Training meeting participants

    To achieve this change of norms and address cognitive biases requires training both the in-person and remote meeting facilitators and also the attendees, including in-person and remote ones. The new norms will seem artificial and uncomfortable at first because everyone will have to address their miscalibrated intuitions, but it will help maximize everyone’s participation and address the problems with typical hybrid meetings. Training — which should involve practice and role-playing — will help overcome the initial discomfort and ease alignment with the new norms.

    Part of the required training involves setting up feedback systems for continuous improvement. Thus, especially as teams are starting to figure out their new meeting norms, they need to measure and get feedback on the quality of the hybrid meeting experience, for in-person and especially remote attendees. As you’re making these transitions, survey participants on various aspects of the meeting, such as their overall evaluation of their meeting experience, how well they were able to hear and see others, how well they think others heard and saw them, how much they were able to participate in and impact the meeting, how well the in-person participants accommodated remote participants, how well the facilitator accommodated remote participants, how effectively were features like chat and emojis like “raise hand” used, what could have been done better to improve their experience and impact, and related questions. Particular feedback needs to be provided to the meeting facilitators, including watching recordings with a coach who can point out specific moments the facilitator performed well, and other areas where they may need improvement.

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    Gleb Tsipursky

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  • Entrepreneur | Hybrid Work is Not The Problem — Your Guidelines Are. Here’s Why.

    Entrepreneur | Hybrid Work is Not The Problem — Your Guidelines Are. Here’s Why.

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As companies continue to navigate the new normal of remote and hybrid work, it’s crucial that they establish clear expectations and guidelines for their employees. And unlike Disney and Twitter, it’s very important that they don’t change their minds randomly when the leadership changes.

    However, a recent survey conducted by Mercer found that only a third of organizations have formal rules in place for managing flexible work. Mercer assessed 749 organizations and found that 48% rely on informal and ambiguous guidelines to manage flexible work, 17% are completely hands-off, and only 34% rely on clear and transparent formal rules. This lack of clear communication and expectations can have a serious impact on both retention and recruitment efforts.

    And how effectively do companies communicate about the policies they do have? Fishbowl recently conducted a survey, with about 7,300 professionals surveyed about how well they understand their company’s plan for hybrid work. 50.8% did understand their company’s hybrid work guidelines, but 49.2% did not. Not a good outcome.

    Related: Employers: Productivity Among Your Remote Workers Isn’t A Problem — Your Proximity Bias Is.

    I talk with 5-10 leaders every week on how to create effective hybrid work guidelines. As a highly experienced expert in this field, I can tell you most of them don’t have clear guidelines for their employees. Yet when I ask them about their top concern, most say it’s hiring and retaining talented staff.

    Such anecdotes align with a recent study by Vistage, which revealed that a majority of small and medium-sized business leaders are planning to expand their workforce, with only a small percentage considering downsizing. This marks a change from the trend of large companies facing layoffs, as SME CEOs are hesitant to let go of recently-hired employees, according to Vistage Chief Research Officer Joe Galvin. The survey also highlighted that hiring difficulties are a major concern for these businesses, as they impede their ability to function at optimal capacity. 61% of CEOs surveyed cited hiring challenges as a major concern.

    So that’s CEOs — what about the true experts: HR leaders — what do they believe about hiring and retention as it relates to hybrid work? Well, you won’t be surprised that 95% of HR leaders say that hybrid work offers an effective recruitment tool, according to IWG’s HR Leaders & Hybrid Working Report. 60% also say hybrid work boosts retention, and 80% agree that it helps increase employee satisfaction.

    Related: This Dangerous Judgement Error Could Cost You Your Business

    Hybrid work guidelines: failures and successes

    Well, having poor guidelines and expectations unsurprisingly harms worker engagement, which undermines retention. Consider some examples of what happens in companies with whose leaders I talked to recently.

    In a mid-size IT services company, employees were given the freedom to work from home but with little guidance on how to manage their time or communicate with their colleagues. This led to confusion and resentment among team members, with some feeling overworked and others feeling underutilized. Ultimately, this lack of structure led to high turnover rates and difficulties in attracting top talent.

    Similarly, a large financial services company struggled with a lack of clear guidelines for remote work. Without proper expectations for communication and collaboration, team members found it difficult to stay on the same page and meet deadlines. This led to a decline in productivity and morale, causing top performers to seek employment opportunities elsewhere.

    Moreover, such guidelines are critically important for retention. Consider one of my clients who let me speak about them, the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute. As a result of a consulting engagement, I helped them develop a robust set of hybrid work guidelines, which they put on their website in the “Join Us” section. Their HR director found it helpful for recruiting talented staff to the institute — and given the demanding market for data scientists, they definitely benefited from having a leg up.

    What should hybrid work guidelines cover?

    These examples illustrate the importance of having formal, written hybrid work guidelines in place. These guidelines should outline expectations for coming to the office, for communication, collaboration and work hours, as well as provide a clear framework for how to handle issues that may arise.

    Effective communication is a key element of hybrid work guidelines. When employees are working remotely, it can be difficult to get a sense of what everyone is working on and how their contributions are impacting the team. Clear communication guidelines, such as regular check-ins and virtual team meetings, can help ensure that everyone is on the same page.

    Effective collaboration is another important aspect of hybrid work guidelines. Collaboration tools like video conferencing and project management software can help facilitate collaboration, but employees need to be trained on how to use them effectively. Additionally, guidelines should establish expectations for how and when team members should be available to work together.

    Finally, effective hybrid work guidelines must consider work hours and time management. Without a clear framework, employees may feel pressure to work longer hours or to be available at all times. This can lead to burnout and resentment, and can negatively impact both productivity and employee satisfaction.

    In addition to the negative impact on retention and recruitment, a lack of clear hybrid work guidelines can also lead to other problems for companies. For example, without clear guidelines for data security and privacy, remote workers may inadvertently expose sensitive company information to cyber threats. This can result in costly data breaches and loss of business.

    Another challenge that companies may face without clear hybrid work guidelines is managing employee engagement. When employees are working remotely, it can be difficult to keep them connected to the company’s mission and goals. Hybrid work guidelines should include strategies for fostering employee engagement, such as virtual team-building activities and regular communication from leadership.

    It’s also important to note that hybrid work guidelines should be flexible and adaptable. As the world continues to change and evolve, so too should the way companies approach hybrid work. Guidelines should be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect the latest best practices and changing employee needs.

    One way to ensure that hybrid work guidelines are effective is to involve employees in the process of creating them. This can help ensure that guidelines are tailored to the specific needs of the organization and that employees are more likely to buy into them. Additionally, it’s important to provide employees with the necessary training and resources to be successful in a hybrid work environment. This can include things like virtual communication and collaboration tools, as well as training on time management and data security.

    Cognitive biases can also play a role in how companies approach hybrid work guidelines. For example, the sunk cost fallacy can cause leaders to cling to traditional office culture, even when it is no longer effective. The availability heuristic can also lead companies to overestimate the benefits of working in an office and underestimate the benefits of remote work. By being aware of these cognitive biases, leaders can make more informed decisions about how to manage hybrid work.

    Related: How Has Remote Work Impacted Our Relationships With Other Employees? The Findings of This Study Will Surprise You.

    Conclusion

    It’s clear that hybrid work guidelines are essential for effective communication, collaboration and time management. A lack of clear expectations and guidelines can lead to confusion, resentment, and high turnover rates. It can also undermine effective recruitment efforts. By establishing formal, written guidelines – as did the Information Sciences Institute – companies can ensure that their employees have the support and structure they need to be successful in a hybrid work environment. As a leader, it’s important to recognize the importance of hybrid work guidelines and to take steps to establish them within your organization.

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    Gleb Tsipursky

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  • Let’s Bring Back This Hated Buzzword Into Remote Work

    Let’s Bring Back This Hated Buzzword Into Remote Work

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Breaking down departmental silos was the hottest business trend of the late 2000s and early 2010s.

    It was so cliche that it made regular appearances on lists of the most annoying corporate buzzwords of the time, but there was a reason why the business world fell in love with the concept. Previously each department was considered a separate entity, with only a handful of folks at the very top enjoying visibility into how each piece fit together.

    Over time, however, it became clear that breaking down the walls between departments was necessary to share ideas, resources and tactics better, inspire innovations, provide more consistent employee and customer experiences, take a more unified approach to problem-solving and enable organizations to act quickly and unilaterally to solve new challenges. As the speed of business gained new momentum, organizations couldn’t afford to be weighed down by interdepartmental misunderstandings and information gaps.

    Related: How to Break Down Silos in Your Company by Building Lanes

    As work moved from the office into the home in 2020, maintaining those cross-disciplinary communication lines fell off the priority list. In a rush to bring productivity into a new, digital space, there was the widespread adoption of collaborative tools that provided teams with everything they needed to work effectively within their departments. Developers are now likely to spend most of their time in an app like GitHub, sales teams in software like Salesforce, engineers in Jira, designers in Figma, and so on.

    As team members spent more time on the platforms that were purpose-built for their specific function, they spent less time sharing and learning from other corners of the organization. Suddenly, all that progress toward breaking down silos took its first significant step backward in decades.

    Nowhere is this challenge more pronounced than among those who, by definition of their role, need to work across departments. Functions like marketing, for example, need to maintain clear lines of communication with everyone from customer service and sales to product specialists and developers to do their jobs effectively. Knowing the status of various moving pieces, aligning internal goals and objectives to external communications, and maintaining a deep understanding of changing consumer preferences are all necessary elements of the job.

    Related: An Asynchronous Workforce Is The Future. Are You Ready For It?

    Sure, we have tools that can carry messages between otherwise siloed departments, but seeing the real-time status of workflows and progress toward objectives isn’t the same as getting an occasional update via Slack or email. Furthermore, promptly getting that information out of various teams requires more intentional effort. All of those requests and follow-ups can also serve to breed tension, especially in a remote setting.

    This is where collaboration tools like Bubbles come into play. The organizational-wide collaboration software provides an even playing field where team members from all departments can easily share content in various formats. It provides a meta-layer on top of the applications they are already using rather than being sandboxed within those applications. For example, designers can record their screen on Figma, and share it on the productivity application Notion, to discuss product requirements with a product manager that doesn’t use Figma.

    Engineers can do the same thing with ads in the project management platform Jira, where they can discuss requirements or clarifications with marketers who don’t know how to use Jira. The same goes for sales teams, who can now share content from customer relations management platforms like Salesforce with product managers without requiring those product managers to be on Salesforce.

    Our goal is to enable a flattening of the digital collaboration landscape and, with it, a collaboration between departments without requiring each to gain familiarity with (not to mention login credentials, onboarding, and training for) the platforms on which the other spends most of their time.

    Related: How to Use Personal Brand Photos to Stand Out on Social Media (and Be Remembered)

    Today most organizations rely on tools like Slack, Zoom and Email to provide some kind of bridge between various departments and their technology platforms of choice, even if it is a little shaky sometimes. Bubbles, however, was designed to be a permanent structure that can quickly and reliably carry information from one corner of the organization to the next.

    The breaking down of silos between departments was vital in enabling agility and innovation at the start of the millennia when most operated in the same physical space. Now the buzzword everyone loves to hate is making a comeback, with the breaking down of digital silos key to enabling the next wave of innovation in a more remote environment.

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    Tom Medema

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  • 5 Ways to Communicate More Effectively With Your Customers

    5 Ways to Communicate More Effectively With Your Customers

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Communicating effectively with customers is essential for the success of any organization. And in today’s connected world, consumers expect seamless and consistent experiences across all channels, from email and SMS text to social media and live chat. Omnichannel communications enable businesses to meet these expectations by providing a unified and integrated experience for their customers. This not only enhances the customer journey but also helps to build brand loyalty and trust.

    Reaching the customer on the right channel with just the right message at just the right time is key to improving customer satisfaction. My company’s recent survey found that more than two-thirds (68%) of leaders of small and medium-sized businesses surveyed said access to an omnichannel platform was vital to their business’ success in the next 12 months.

    Using an omnichannel platform allows a brand to capture all interactions with a customer and transition an exchange started on one platform to another. For example, a customer might reach out to a company’s support team on Twitter with a question about their account. The support team can respond to the customer’s tweet and provide them with the information they need immediately. If the customer needs further assistance, the support team can ask for the customer’s email address or phone number and continue the conversation through one of those channels. This allows the customer to choose the communication method that is most convenient for them, and it also allows the support team to provide a consistent, seamless experience across all channels.

    For businesses, using an omnichannel platform that captures all communications with a customer, regardless of the platform used, can provide a single source of truth that makes it easy to access the information they need and receive timely and personalized responses to their queries — and customer satisfaction is a leading factor in customer engagement. By using a variety of channels, businesses can reach out to customers in the way they prefer and encourage them to engage with the brand.

    Once you have the right technologies in place, however, how can you ensure that your content is resonating with customers? Here are five guidelines to keep in mind when creating content.

    Related: 13 Ways to Grow Omnichannel Customer Engagement

    1. Use clear and concise language

    As a rule, when communicating with anyone — whether a colleague, client, prospect or customer — it’s important to use clear and concise language. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that might be confusing or difficult to understand. Instead, use simple, straightforward language that can be easily understood by everyone. In other words, don’t call it “a meaningful statistical downturn,” call it what it is: a recession.

    2. Listen actively

    Again, this is an essential skill for any communication, but for customer-facing brands, it is of utmost importance. Active listeners pay attention to what the other person is saying, asking questions to clarify their points and providing feedback to demonstrate that they are listening.

    For brands, active listening can facilitate customer engagement and can potentially stave off a poor experience. Airlines and other travel brands are noted for their ability to address customer issues via social media. The use of social platforms, text and communication apps like SMS text and WhatsApp have become so prevalent in the industry that some have discontinued traditional phone support.

    3. Communicate frequently

    Regular communication is key to ensuring that your customers are engaged and up to speed on the latest products, services or special offers. Especially during busy or hectic periods — such as the run-up to the holidays for retailers or the summer travel season for the hospitality industry — it’s important to communicate freely to prevent misunderstandings, keep everyone informed and maintain customer satisfaction.

    Related: 6 Pitfalls of Common Customer Communication Tactics

    4. Use the right channels

    As we stated earlier, choosing the right communication channels is also important for effective customer communications. In today’s digital world, there are many options to choose from — email, instant messaging, video conferencing, social media, SMS text — so it’s important to leverage the channels preferred by your customers and that are the most appropriate for the situation and information you are relaying.

    5. Be open and transparent

    Transparency is also crucial for effective customer communication. When communicating with customers — especially when sharing potentially negative news — it’s important to be open and transparent about what you are doing, why you are doing it and what the expected outcomes are. This can help build trust and foster loyalty.

    Keeping the lines of communication open has never been more important for brands looking to maintain customer engagement and satisfaction. It also has never been easier. Customers and brands have a wide array of platforms on which to engage, depending on the situation and type of interaction. Regardless of the platform used, brands that communicate with customers clearly and frequently will reap the rewards through repeat business from loyal customers.

    Related: How Technology Has Changed Business Communication

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    Sean Whitley

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  • How to Go From Unknown to a Must-Have for Your Clients

    How to Go From Unknown to a Must-Have for Your Clients

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Going from unknown to must-have in your client acquisition process can be a challenging task. But it is not impossible. By following a few simple steps, you can increase your sales and become an authority in your industry. Below are three easy steps that anyone can follow to achieve this goal:

    1. Targeting

    When it comes to selling your product or service, choosing the right audience is crucial. It will help ensure that you’re offering a solution to a problem that your potential customers actually have. And it will also increase the chances of making a sale.

    First and foremost, it’s important to have a clear understanding of who your ideal customer is. This will require some research and analysis of your current customer base, as well as a deep dive into the needs and pain points of your target audience.

    Once you have a better understanding of who your ideal customer is, it’s time to start narrowing down your target audience even further. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as demographics, interests and behavior.

    Related: Personalization: A Perspective On The Future Of Targeting

    2. Messaging

    When crafting your messaging, it’s important to keep your target audience in mind. Catering your messaging to the stage of the buyer’s journey that your average customer is at is crucial. For example, your average customer doesn’t yet understand the problem that your product or service solves. Then it’s not effective to talk about how awesome your offering is. Instead, focus on educating and informing your audience about the problem and how your solution can help.

    Once you’ve honed in on the right messaging for your audience, it’s important to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Most businesses use similar phrasing, deliverables and outcomes when describing how they can help customers. By changing just one of these aspects, you can create an uneven playing field and tilt the odds in your favor. For example, offering a performance-based model or pay-on-completion pricing can set you apart from competitors and make you more attractive to potential customers.

    3. Leveraging press

    When it comes to marketing and growing a business, leveraging public relations can be one of the most effective strategies. Not only does it increase brand credibility, but if done right it has the potential for short- and long-term lead generation results. Boosting personal and company reputation attracts and converts qualified sales leads at an increased rate compared to competitors. Utilizing press with a well-oiled sales and marketing funnel is like adding the cherry on top to a gourmet cake.

    Boosting your personal and company reputation through press can attract and convert qualified sales leads at an increased rate compared to competitors. Utilizing press with a well-oiled sales and marketing funnel is like adding the cherry on top to a gourmet cake.

    So, how can you effectively leverage press within your business? Here are some tips:

    • Identify your target audience and develop a plan to reach them. This includes determining which publications and outlets your audience reads or watches, as well as identifying relevant journalists and influencers to target.

    • Create a press kit that includes all the necessary information about your business, such as your mission and vision, key differentiators and any recent accomplishments or newsworthy events. Make sure to include high-resolution photos and branding materials.

    • Develop a list of compelling story angles that showcase your business in a positive light and highlight the value you provide to your customers. These can include customer success stories, industry trends and expert insights from your team.

    • Reach out to journalists and influencers with a personalized pitch that outlines your story angle and the value it offers to their audience. Be sure to follow up with them to ensure they receive your press kit and to answer any questions they may have.

    • Monitor your press coverage and track its impact on your business. This will help you identify which outlets and stories are generating the most engagement and leads, and can inform future PR efforts.

    By following these tips, you can effectively leverage press to increase brand credibility and generate leads for your business. In today’s competitive landscape, standing out from the competition is crucial and leveraging press can be a powerful tool in achieving that goal.

    In conclusion, going from unknown to must-have in your client acquisition process requires a combination of targeted messaging, effective positioning, leveraging press and building a community. By following these steps, you can increase your sales and become an authority in your industry.

    Related: 5 Golden Benefits of PR

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    Carson Spitzke

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  • Avoid These 4 Pitfalls to Become a Great Communicator

    Avoid These 4 Pitfalls to Become a Great Communicator

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Most of us want to be great communicators. Many of us pride ourselves on it. However, it’s easy to fall into common traps that confuse our audience and set us back.

    Being an exceptional communicator means that we’re constantly considering how we come across to others, especially those dissimilar to us. If you’re leading a team or looking to progress in your career, it’s important that your words don’t unintentionally alienate or offend others. Here are a few examples to avoid.

    Related: 9 Best Practices to Improve Your Communication Skills and Become a More Effective Leader

    1. Obscure or even semi-obscure references

    Sometimes, when we like a popular sport or movie, we’ll make the mistake of assuming everyone does. Then we’ll make references to this thing, without noticing that we might be losing some of our audience.

    Sports references are especially prevalent. Phrases as simple as “we should punt on that decision,” “we’re in a holding pattern on this project,” or “I don’t want that meeting to be a no-hitter” might make total sense to us, but not everyone. Especially in large groups, outstanding communicators speak in ways that everyone can understand.

    In corporate settings or any kind of mixed group, it’s important to recognize that not everyone will understand your sports or movie references, even if they are from popular movies such as Die Hard or The Godfather. Those who don’t can easily end up feeling lost in the conversation because they simply aren’t familiar with the terminology.

    When with friends or a homogenous group, where you’re sure everyone is familiar with your reference, that’s one thing. But making references to our favorite movie, show, celebrity or sport without recognizing that not everyone in the room will know what we’re talking about. When this happens, you run the risk that an audience member will feel ignorant or unworthy, then disengage or check out because they don’t feel included in the conversation. Find literal ways to say what you mean.

    Related: 4 Expert-Backed Strategies for Improving Your Communication Skills

    2. Gross generalizations

    As a society, we love to generalize. We’ll say things like “this happens a ton,” “everyone feels this way,” or “she’s acting crazy.” If you’re using a word that’s open to interpretation, find a better word. Generalizations are rarely helpful or accurate.

    If you’re trying to estimate how long something will take, try to narrow it down to a specific amount of hours, days or weeks. If you want to discuss how commonplace something is, find data on how many people are actually affected by it. If you’re describing someone’s behavior, see if you can detail it in a specific and objective way, instead of a subjective way. Don’t just call something a terrible experience — describe what specifically made it so terrible.

    Words like “a ton,” “a lot,” “everyone” or “crazy” have different meanings to different people. When we can report data and discuss situations with language that’s specific and measurable, it’s less likely that our words will be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Our problem statements, pain points or proposed solutions become factual and based on data, not just “gut feel.” True professionals and mature adults communicate this way, so there’s never any confusion. People respect it far more, too.

    Related: The Biggest Communication Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

    3. Excessive analogies and metaphors

    Analogies and metaphors have a place in speech, especially if you’re confident that your audience will understand. When you insert an analogy or metaphor into a conversation, it should serve a purpose. This is the case when you draw a comparison of something that’s well understood to something that’s less well understood.

    However, the overuse of analogies and metaphors can be distracting. Each time you make one, you’re asking your audience to travel somewhere else in their minds, which takes them away from what’s going on at the moment. Those who constantly liken one thing to another also run the risk of avoiding simple and straightforward communication.

    If you’re always finding the need to compare and contrast things for the sake of explanation, then there’s a chance you don’t understand the current situation well enough or feel comfortable talking about it directly. This can be especially dangerous when comparing two people together. Saying “Rick is just like Sarah” might sound innocent enough, but Rick is not Sarah. He’s his own person, and chances are, they’re not exactly alike. Saying two people or things are the same is a great way for us to ignore and really appreciate what makes them different. Valuing differences is such an important part of leadership and teamwork.

    Related: 7 Leadership Communication Blunders That Could Make or Break Your Company

    4. Buzzwords

    Buzzwords are a great way to say something without really saying much at all. We’ll insert them into conversation regularly, saying “I don’t like any of these proposed solutions; let’s think outside the box” or “You can’t talk to John about this; he’s been drinking the Kool-Aid.” There’s almost always a more illustrative or descriptive way of describing something. Saying “think outside the box” conjures up imagines of being more innovative or creative, but it doesn’t really address what’s wrong with the proposed solutions.

    For most, especially if you have a diverse group, it would be more helpful to say: “I’m worried that these ideas are focused on the short-term, and they center on things we’ve already done. What if we took a totally different approach with this strategy by focusing more on how we expect our clients to shift their use of digital technology over the next five years?”

    Saying “drinking the Kool-Aid” probably implies that John is very dialed into the status quo or current direction, but it doesn’t address why or what should be done about it. For most, it would be more helpful to say: “I know he’s very supportive of the current initiative, especially since he was here for the pilot. Let’s try to explore alternatives with him by asking him some open-ended questions, especially about the risks of this approach and what could go wrong.” Now, you’re actually communicating how you feel, what you think and what you’d like the future to look like, instead of allowing everyone to draw their own conclusions.

    Remember, when you’re communicating, it’s for the benefit of your audience, not yourself. Avoiding these four parts of speech help you from alienating, losing or confusing others whose brains work differently than yours. That will allow you to be more effective with your message, which is what we all want.

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    Amy M Chambers

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  • A Simple Brain Trick To Guarantee Success

    A Simple Brain Trick To Guarantee Success

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As entrepreneurs, most of us are goal-driven, and we’ve learned how to set clear, juicy goals and then break them down into game plans of smaller projects and tasks. The challenge comes when it’s time for you and your team actually to follow those game plans.

    After the thrill of setting that awesome goal comes the day-to-day work that is often not so exciting. So how do you keep yourself and your team moving forward? How can you stay on track and consistently hit your daily, weekly and quarterly goals? One of the answers is in the simple brain hack that psychologists call “implementation intention.”

    Related: Brain Hacks to Boost Motivation and Beat the Work From Home Blues

    What the research shows

    A psychology professor at NY University, Peter Gollwitzer, first coined the term in the 1990s. He realized that many people set goals, but not many achieved them because they didn’t take the action they needed to take. Dr. Gollwitzer showed that the difference was not just motivation, as some people were highly motivated and still didn’t do what they needed to do. But people were much more likely to reach their goals by figuring out “pre-determined goal-directed behaviors” and turning them into habits.

    Rather than just coming up with a strategy to achieve a goal and then breaking it down into tasks, Dr. Gollwitzer found that people were more likely to succeed if they trained their brains to choose to do the things that they needed to do by using “if-then” statements (you can also use “when-then” statements).

    He and his colleagues ran over 400 studies using every type of goal — quitting smoking, voting, healthy eating, exercising and even using condoms! All the studies showed that implementation intentions made a massive difference in the results people got.

    Related: Setting Measurable Goals Is Critical to Your Strategic Plan (and Your Success). Here’s Why.

    Get to your goal using “when-then”

    How does it work? For example, let’s say that you want to grow your business and that getting lots of 5-star testimonials will help. So, you decide to get 100 testimonials this quarter (about eight per week), and you’ll get them by calling 20 past clients per week, just four every day.

    Sounds simple, right? But this kind of project easily gets lost in the shuffle. You mean to do it; you know it’s important, but other things that seem more urgent pop up. Eventually, you might even forget about
    getting those testimonials completely.

    With implementation intention, you start with the statement, “When _________, then I will ______.” You not only say what you will do but also give it a specific time and place. In this case, you might say, “When I get to the office, and before I even look at my emails, I’ll call four past clients for testimonials.” This tells your brain exactly when to be ready to make the calls. It sets up your energy and focus. By doing it over and over, your brain is automatically triggered to sit down and make calls as soon as you walk into your office.

    James Clear talks about this in his book Atomic Habits. He points out that setting up implementation intention keeps you from deciding whether to do something every single time. You don’t need to be super motivated that day, and you don’t need to use your willpower to get yourself to do it. You just do it because, after a while, it would feel weird not to do it, just like not brushing your teeth before bed would feel strange.

    Related: Your Problem Isn’t Laziness

    Overcome obstacles using “if-then”

    Implementation intention also helps you pre-plan for obstacles you might encounter and helps get you through them. Say you know that your morning calls will often get interrupted by team members who need your input. You know something like this is bound to happen, so before it does, you figure out, “If ___________, then I will ___________.”

    “If I get interrupted, I will ask the person (unless they are bleeding to death) to give me 15-20 minutes.” Or maybe you decide, “If I get interrupted in the morning, I will close the door and eat lunch at my desk to make my calls.” The strategy you use to handle the obstacle is up to you. The point is that you already have it figured out and know exactly how to stay on track despite anything that tries to get in the way.

    Athletes have used this for years. Marathon runners know they’ll run into “the wall” at about 18 to 20 miles. Rather than getting blindsided, they figure out ways to handle it before the race. They’ll slow their pace and take some sports gel. They’ll pay attention to the cheering crowd or focus on a certain mantra. They don’t try to figure out how to deal with the wall when it’s happening. They have a plan, so it doesn’t throw them off their goal.

    Related: 5 Things About Overcoming Adversity That Athletes Can Teach Entrepreneurs

    When I started coaching, I realized that many of my students hit a wall about three months in. They were learning and implementing different marketing strategies. But these strategies take some time, so they didn’t see any results yet. We learned to warn them ahead of time. “Hey, you might not see results for 4-5 months. That doesn’t mean you aren’t on track. If you’re doing the work, results will come soon.”

    Then we help them with “if-then” strategies. “If you feel stuck or discouraged, then call in
    during office hours.” An implementation intention is a brain-hack tool that helps you take the steps you need to take whether you’re feeling motivated or not. You set up the implementation intention by saying what you’ll do and precisely when you’ll do it, and you pre-plan how you’ll deal with obstacles to stay on track.

    James Clear wrote: “Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference.”

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    Krista Mashore

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  • 5 Ways to Build Courage and Competence for Difficult Conversations

    5 Ways to Build Courage and Competence for Difficult Conversations

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    This story originally appeared on Ellevate

    Some people think I’m courageous. I’ve lived and worked all over the world and regularly speak in front of hundreds of people, so I must be, right? Well, no. For whatever reason, I don’t find that scary, and courage is the ability to do something that frightens you. What would take courage is for me to jump out of a plane. So, I don’t do it. And I’m comfortable with that because, let’s face it, there is very little upside in falling through the air.


    asiseeit | Getty Images

    One thing that most people find frightening is speaking up when faced with decisions or actions they disagree with. And that makes sense: Many of the stories we hear about people speaking up end with the individual facing some kind of negative outcome, including, in extreme cases, being ostracized. There are few movies or books written about employees who point out a problem and are immediately thanked and rewarded for doing so, and yet that happens, too — and more often than you might think. When people speak up effectively, they can find that not only do they survive, but thrive.

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    Ellevate

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  • Hackers Aren’t The Only Unseen Enemy Behind Cyber Attacks

    Hackers Aren’t The Only Unseen Enemy Behind Cyber Attacks

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The booming numbers of cybersecurity threats have compelled every C-suite executive and board members to pay closer attention to their cybersecurity hygiene. However, they don’t share the same lens while watching their information security posture. And here’s where a disconnect arises.

    A recent global survey of C-suite executives indicates that around 71% of board members have severe gaps in knowledge regarding cybersecurity and threats their organizations face.

    Whether we talk about data breaches compromising sensitive business information or exploiting consumer identities, executives and heads of information security (InfoSec heads) are already geared for the worst. But the senior management isn’t sure why they need to spend more on their cybersecurity budget.

    While InfoSec heads often emphasize security and risk management as a part of their job, board members often link cybersecurity as a part of their business but hardly consider it as one of the foundations of modern business success.

    Related: Learn How to Protect Your Business From Cybersecurity Risks

    As a result, their communication mismatches and challenges them to translate cybersecurity risks and potential business implications.

    In a nutshell, no matter how much they’re aware of cybersecurity risks and increasing threats, most board members can’t understand how cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies translate into the underlying business risks.

    So, what needs to be done from an executive’s end to translate the risks? Let’s figure it out.

    Communicate risks of cybersecurity through effective storytelling

    The way you interact with your board leaders makes all difference. And effective storytelling is undoubtedly the best way to convince them.

    Though storytelling isn’t a new concept since humans have used it for centuries to convey a strong message, executives can leverage its true potential to help process crucial information.

    Stories have been a part of our lives from childhood, and various studies suggest that the human brain is wired for stories. And a compelling narrative could eventually evoke an emotional connection and change behavior and attitude.

    Now, while talking with your leadership while utilizing storytelling, you must ensure that you’ve done your homework to support your story to leave an impact. Otherwise, it would be good for nothing.

    Share some data and insights, and talk about the latest tools and technologies that can be incorporated into your processes that could make a huge impact. Moreover, depicting your competitor’s cybersecurity best practices can also help impact your board leaders.

    Also, you could use real-life examples of organizations that ignored their overall cybersecurity hygiene, which resulted in financial and reputational losses. This could be a great way to reinforce your opinion besides the story you crafted.

    Related: Harness the Power of Storytelling to Transform Your Business for the Better

    How to prepare for your conversation with board members

    As a board member, you need to be sure enough that you understand your board’s mindset to connect with them at an individual level. And it would be great if you could first know how they look at the importance of cybersecurity and threat management for the organization.

    Once you understand their perspective, it’s time to create your steps of action to convey your message and ensure they’re convinced that cybersecurity is an absolute necessity and not a luxury for your business growth.

    Here’s what you need to do before beginning a conversation with your board members:

    • Educate them about the latest compliances: Most of the time, your senior management isn’t aware of the latest data privacy and security compliances. And this could be the reason they aren’t in favor of stretching their cybersecurity budget. You must educate them regarding the latest compliances and the consequences of non-compliance. One great example is non-compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which eventually lead to hefty fines and reputational damages.
    • Board member’s background research: Researching the background of your board members could be the first step to understanding their mindset and approach toward overall business growth. Analyze their past experiences, educational background and personality to ensure you hit the right chord while convincing them about cybersecurity and underlying risks.
    • Learn their goals and priorities: Another crucial step is to learn about your leader’s priorities and goals. Do they often think about organizational growth without increasing the overall security budget? Do they keep cybersecurity as a part of their business but not a priority? Is there any way they could relate to organizational growth through cybersecurity best practices for customers and employees? Once you’ve figured out these questions, the next step is to portray your version of information security and its direct impact on your business growth. And for this, you can leverage the latest stats, competitor data and data related to the latest breaches.

    And ultimately, your C-suite executives, like everybody else, would be convinced that cybersecurity hygiene is undeniably a foundational aspect of their business. It’s your responsibility to ensure you’re on the right track and narrating the right story through which they’ll relate and act.

    Related: Cybercrime Could Cost the World $10.5 Trillion Annually by 2025

    Final thoughts

    The modern executive’s role is undoubtedly predominantly people-focused. And getting trapped between highly technical IT staff and leadership that focuses on growth while making cybersecurity-related decisions could be an uphill battle.

    However, the key to business success without compromising security lies in incorporating cutting-edge technology that fosters growth, builds customer trust and maintains compliance.

    And a modern executive must navigate business success by convincing board members regarding the need for cybersecurity best practices to jump on the digital transformation bandwagon.

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    Rakesh Soni

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  • How Leaders Can Develop Their Diplomacy Skills to Drive Business Success

    How Leaders Can Develop Their Diplomacy Skills to Drive Business Success

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Diplomacy isn’t just important in politics – it’s also a fundamental set of skills in the workplace.

    Good diplomacy skills enable leaders to handle sensitive issues, navigate tricky conflicts and look at the facts objectively, without biased interpretation.

    A diplomatic leader will therefore create a healthy culture where people can work well together, even in stressful environments.

    So, what is diplomacy?

    Diplomacy is best described as the art of tactfully engaging with people to achieve a desired outcome or goal. Armed with this skill set, leaders can approach challenges and conflicts with empathy, a sense of fairness and solid analytical skills.

    Leaders with strong diplomacy skills are conscious of the power of their words and behavior and so intentionally communicate with empathy and transparency. They then listen carefully and consider multiple sides of a situation before making a decision, which encourages transparency, creativity and collaboration between team members.

    Related: Lessons From a Diplomat on How to Build Business Relationships

    What are the most critical diplomacy skills?

    Diplomatic skills encompass a range of abilities that can have an extremely positive impact on leadership success. A considerable advantage of these skills is that they help to improve workplace culture, thereby increasing employee engagement and productivity.

    Effective communication, empathy and creative problem-solving are just three of the important skills a leader could focus on if they want to be more diplomatic.

    1. Effective communication is an essential skill in diplomacy

    Often at work, we communicate with other people in our own natural communication style without consideration of the communication style of our colleagues. This is often the key to lots of misunderstandings. For employees to work together better, it is helpful to actively listen carefully to what is said, appreciate where the other person is coming from and ask clarifying questions. In a Harvard Business Review study, 69% of leaders reported that they aren’t comfortable communicating with their employees, demonstrating the necessity of ongoing training and coaching.

    Related: What’s Your Listening Style? Knowing It Will Make You a Better Leader.

    2. Understanding the perspectives of others through empathy

    Having empathy for another person’s situation can play a significant part in navigating complex situations. A diplomatic leader considers multiple points of view, understands how emotions factor into the equation and can use these understandings to help diffuse tense situations. A study of nearly 1,000 employees by Catalyst found that leaders who demonstrate empathy benefit workplaces through increased innovation, employee engagement and retention of employees.

    Related: The Networking Mistake Most Entrepreneurs Make

    3. Taking a creative, problem-solving approach

    Finding fair outcomes to complex problems isn’t always easy, but this is precisely what a diplomatic leader does — focuses on discovering outcomes that work for all. To do this, they’ll focus on gathering information from multiple sources and getting their team involved. Hence, team members benefit from providing their perspectives and contributions to solving the issue and have some buy-in to the result.

    How do you improve these skills?

    1. Focus on listening to understand

    When we listen to understand, instead of listening to respond, we stay more present to what is being said in the moment. Listen to the speaker without interrupting with your own point of view. As you listen, focus on both verbal and nonverbal communication. What is really being said? The goal of your listening is to understand the meaning and intention of the speaker correctly, as this will give you a good foundation for your diplomacy skills.

    Another idea to improve listening skills is to meet with staff individually so you can listen with fewer distractions and better understand what drives them. Be curious about who they are and ask open-ended exploratory questions. For example: How are they finding work? How is their workload? What are they hoping to do more or less of? With this knowledge, you’ll be better able to support them and manage expectations.

    Related: Are People Actually Listening to and Understanding What You Say? Here Are 5 Signs to Watch.

    2. Be supportive of creative solutions

    When you’re in a challenging meeting at work, think about how you can be open to innovative ideas and solutions from staff. Focus more on the various options for resolving the issues at hand. Allow for ideas that might be outside of the box. By doing this, you’ll build the knowledge that there are multiple ways to look at a situation. Your team’s insights might expand your viewpoint to something you’d never considered and having diverse input makes for a stronger team.

    3. Practice effective communication

    A large part of diplomacy is clear and effective communication. Build an environment of trust where your team feels they can converse with leaders without fearing retribution. Implement an “open door policy,” as this will spread the message that people can come to you with new ideas or to share their concerns. Be as transparent as possible with your team with information about how things are going. Share the highs and the lows of the week/month/quarter. Give shout-outs to celebrate accomplishments. If something is going wrong that you can share with them, let your team know. If there is a big project coming up that might impact your availability. Be sure they’re aware. An email to your team can go a long way.

    Related: Startup Survival 101: It’s All About Relationships That Work

    Ultimately, being a leader is about empowering your staff to do their best work and encouraging people to work well together to increase engagement and productivity. And this really is what diplomacy is all about. It can be a fine line, sometimes, between balancing the needs of a business with the needs of the team. However, having staff who are happy, engaged and productive will always lead to continued success.

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    Dr. Samantha Madhosingh

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  • 6 Pitfalls of Common Customer Communication Tactics

    6 Pitfalls of Common Customer Communication Tactics

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Most people running a business are well aware that customer communication is critical to success, but that’s only partially correct: It’s only successful when executed in a way that not only engages customers but builds meaningful relationships. In fact, 54% of customers think companies need to do a better job with their approach to relationship-building, according to global research findings from Salesforce.

    Today, there are a multitude of ways to communicate with customers, and within this digital age, it’s an ever-changing field with a diverse array of means to reach out and communicate directly. It can become overwhelming for businesses trying to pinpoint which channel is best to not only reach customers but to generate loyalty — since it goes back to the Pareto Principle (or 80/20 rule): That loyal 20% of customers drives 80% of your revenue.

    While this process can be difficult, it’s something each business needs to embark on when looking to grow and be successful. Especially when considering that two-thirds of the difference between brand profits were based on consumer engagement, with businesses at the higher end of customer engagement receiving higher percentages of profits, according to a report from Hall and Partners.

    Each communications channel has value and is well suited for a specific purpose, but each also has weaknesses. It’s helpful to look at the best use of the various channels to enhance customer communications but to also understand the pitfalls of these individual channels and how to mitigate the risk through best practices, as well as supporting technologies.

    Let’s break down the six most popular and effective ways to keep in constant contact with your customers and what the limitations are:

    Related: Why Customer Communication Makes a Difference During Inflation

    1. Intense competition on social media

    Ninety percent of customers are more loyal to brands they follow on social media, according to a recent report by Sprout Social. Why? Because customers want relationships with brands, and social media platforms provide a means for customers to know what a brand is doing any day of the week at any time, and most importantly, based on the consumer’s schedule. While social media platforms are constantly evolving, the one challenge is the competition for placement. Consumers are inundated with a deluge of content, and the fact that the platforms have algorithms to pick what content they can display means that, organically, only 2% of your followers will see what you post on their timeline. Thus, social media platforms are very powerful, but only if the customer either “goes” to your page or is somehow driven to your site.

    2. Difficulty driving traffic to your website

    Websites have long been the common method for publishing content, business hours, company information and much more. Providers like Google constantly scour the web, building huge indices of the information they find on a website. However, much like social media, websites are great if the customer comes “looking” for your information — but websites have no way of actively getting information into your customer’s hands. The challenge is navigating search engine optimization and an array of tactics to drive traffic to your site. The second challenge with a website is that the information is often stale for multiple reasons. The most obvious one is that the individual operator is not a website developer. And there is cost and the time spent to keep the site current — especially for very time-sensitive information, like a band schedule or this week’s happy hour specials.

    Related: 19 Experts Explain Why Your Website Isn’t Bringing in Customers

    3. The many challenges of email marketing

    Email is an age-old communications method. One of the benefits of email is that it creates a reference that people can revisit (for example, a coupon delivered via email that can be pulled up on a phone). The challenges are the sheer volume of emails, the timeliness of “seeing” the emails, and spam filtering. Also, inbox space is limited, messages need to be brief, and delivery and compliance are very non-deterministic. Even with a successful email model, the question is how do you acquire the email addresses of your valuable customers? These aren’t always easy or inexpensive to procure and often require depending on a third-party resource.

    4. Character limits with SMS marketing

    The primary benefits of SMS marketing are that it’s delivered quickly and promotes interaction. It also has a much higher open rate than email. In fact, 98% of text messages are opened within 5 minutes. However, the messages are very short, at only 160 characters, which limits the robustness of communication. This can leave a customer feeling detached from your business and impacts the personalization of your communications. And the phone numbers for SMS must be procured — so building a customer database takes time.

    Related: 5 Ways to Use Texting to Grow Your Sales and Marketing

    5. Digital signage lacks personalization

    Digital signage provides a means to inform customers in brick-and-mortar establishments. It can communicate specials, upsell items, provide QR codes to follow, share social posts, and it can even serve as a digital menu board. While digital signage is certainly beneficial, it’s not advantageous as a stand-alone tactic. Customer loyalty requires personalized, ongoing relationship building, so digital signage works better as an enhancement as opposed to a tactic of its own.

    6. Cost and time of podcasts

    A podcast provides the opportunity for robust, personalized content and no time or length restrictions. The biggest challenge with a podcast is growing an audience in addition to the time spent planning, recording, producing and marketing the podcast. Although a podcast does boost brand loyalty, due to the amount of money and labor it requires, it’s not always the best fit.

    With these six different methods of communicating with customers, each has unique benefits. But generating customer loyalty, and ultimately more revenue, can best be achieved by not just one of these methods, but multiple integrated tactics, to achieve the best results.

    Related: Why You Should Use Blogs and Podcasts to Market Your Business

    How integrated marketing technology works

    Here’s an example: Charlie & Jake’s Brewhouse needed to fill their dining room and boost sales on Sunday afternoons. By capturing customer information via a free WiFi hotspot, they collected phone numbers and sent a text message out at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday offering a free brewhouse pretzel with beer mustard that day. Customers merely had to text the reply “PRETZEL” to redeem it. The result was a busy dining room within hours of opening. It was real-time marketing, with real-time results by integrating WiFi with SMS.

    However, this can be taken a step further. Once owned customer data is collected, it can also be integrated with social media, email marketing and digital signage. SMS can be used to send a message with a one-click link to follow your business on social media, or it can provide a link to your event on Facebook. By integrating WiFi technology with different forms of communication, businesses can not only provide hyper-targeted and more personalized messaging, but communication that is provided to the right people at the right time and in the right place.

    In short, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong form of communication when building customer relationships — it’s about utilizing multiple forms of communication that all work together for a purpose.

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    Stephen Gould

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