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Communication is such a complex and challenging thing to master and those who have are probably the best in whatever industry they are involved in. A skill I've found invaluable and tried to sharpen over the years is to reflect on my behavior after the fact almost as an outside observer. In this process, I try to learn more about my own triggers and bents so I may control them and communicate better. I also spend quite a bit of that time examining the other parties behaviors as well for the same reason.
A simple example is when someone becomes aggressive with me, my first instinct is to respond in kind and to put up my guard. The inverse of that is also true, if I am presenting an idea to aggressively, then the other party in the conversation will very likely respond defensively and not hear what I am trying to communicate. That is a real struggle for me because when I am passionate about a topic, I tend to come across as aggressive when really I am just excited.
There are so many other things I've learned about my nature and the nature of others when reflecting on communication I've had both good and bad.
Apparently I'm the loudest laugher on the planet. When I'm in the building whether you're right next to me or across the largest office you've ever seen, you will know I'm in the building. Hopefully this doesn't drive everyone crazy but definitely something for me to watch. This is likely one of those things that if it annoys you, I won't know if you don't tell me so again, communication is key. Help me, help you...in this case by not laughing annoyingly loud :-)
"Lemongrass is a Thai restaurant on 80th between Santa Fe and Metcalf, and it is completely delicious. Fresher and more flavorful food than your typical KC Thai restaurant." - Phil
I just bought a Firebird. I was in an accident a few months ago and I've been driving around my beast of an Expedition ever since then and was just getting tired of it. Really, I just wanted a nice looking car that didn't cost a lot of money to drive around and split time between it and the big beast.
Instead I got a car that apparently says I'm in the midst of a midlife crisis...yep, apparently that's what's going on with me. So I'm basically sitting on the floor driving around town being made fun of for trying to relive my youth...time to go back to the Expedition.
"What did you call me?" No offense to you salesmen and women out there but it still makes me shutter when people ask me how I made the transition from software engineering into sales. That question never occurred to me in that way at all and perhaps that's the reason I do reasonably well when talking with potential clients about the services we provide. There are several things I value when working with a "salesperson" and these are what I strive to be.
Be a good listener
Evaluate whether your services are a fit for the client's needs and direct them accordingly
It's not about you...
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