Written by: Jody Kennett, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The most underdeveloped skill in business is communication and when I say that, we need to understand that we all do a lot of communicating, but is it the type that connects with others? Communication is the foundation for all business growth as it is the interaction with our customers, clients, and colleagues that develops the relationship for business to occur. In addition, I believe great leadership and an amazing leader cannot exist without effective communication.
Yet most of us with the greatest intentions and effort have been winging it with no fault of our own as it is rarely ever taught or encouraged. However, what if you could learn about the neuroscience of great communication that does connect and would make you a better communicator and leader; where you would gain insights and communication skills to build strong relationships for business and career growth?
How can our Communication Impact our Business Growth or Leadership Development?
Let us first look at some of the areas of how the way we communicate could be impacting our professional growth. It is important for each of us to know that these are often unintentional blind spots and therefore with awareness, we can improve them. Review the communication behaviors below and answer each one for yourself to see where you currently stand.
Do you do most of the talking in meetings, with customers or others?
When you communicate, is your intention in conversations to get your needs met?
Do you find that you need to be right or influence others to your opinion?
Does your leadership style include telling or dictating most of the time?
Are you often communicating from a stressed state?
Is it hard to step into a co-creative space with customers, colleagues or your team?
Is it challenging for you to be open to other people’s opinions or ideas?
Even if you do not say it, do you find yourself judging, criticizing or blaming others?
In communication with others, are you regularly the skeptic or resistor of new ideas?
How did you do with those questions? Did you answer yes to most of them? Whether you answered yes or no, it may be good to ask those you communicate with daily what their experience or feedback is to gain greater insight on the impact your communication has on them.
There is a reason and method behind every one of the questions above because there is a neuroscience to communication called C-IQ or Conversational Intelligence; it explains how our human brains are hard wired to connect with others through communication. You see our brain and even our neurochemistry of hormones are activated unconsciously and automatically in every conversation and interaction. This happens whether we communicate in person or online as our brain is always assessing for threat or trust. People only do business with and engage with leaders they trust. This means the way we communicate has a lot do with our career, business, and leadership growth.
So then, if you answered yes to a lot of the questions above, it is going to be important for you to learn how communication can positively impact professional growth.
Communication Skills that will Positively Influence Business and Career Growth
Talking less and listening more. Listening to others is a communication skill believe it or not as simple as it is very few of us do it well and neuroscience shows when you do this, it will increase connection and trust.
Approaching leadership, conversations, and meetings with a We-Centric © leadership style will increase partnering with others and therefore engagement and teaming. C-IQ teaches this We-Centric © approach and how to communicate from this style of leadership.
Replace judgement, criticism, and blaming with the communication interaction of discovery, appreciating, and sharing. In C-IQ, the neuroscience shows that when you are able to replace judgement and blame with say discovery, it actually changes the neurochemistry of our conversations from distrust to bonding and therefore increases connection with others.
Instead of knowing, being right or having all the answers, ask questions for which you have no answers.
Be willing to experiment, to be a co-creator with others as C-IQ and the neuroscience shows this increases trust and partnering with others.
Manage your stress as a stressed state negatively impacts communication. You increase your chances of successful communication, decreased conflict, and better relationships when stress is managed.
Let’s zero back in on your growth goals and communication skills. First off, what is the growth goal you are focusing on right now? Once you have written that down, let’s examine and reflect on how communication skills may be the catalyst or a contributor to propel your advancement forward into growth.
Entrepreneurs and Communication Skills for Business Growth
If you are an entrepreneur running your own business, communication weaves through every facet of operations from customers to your team to your vendors. The one skill of listening more to customers could bring about a product or service improvement and innovations that could yield you great profit. Applying the C-IQ leadership and communication style of being a co-creator or open to others ideas could help you solve a problem or bring a new perspective to how you have done things which could save you time and energy.
In addition, understanding what happens to our brain when we are stressed and its negative impact on communication, empowers entrepreneurs to be more aware of and manage their own stress. It also equips them to understand their teams and customers reactions to stress and be more effective communicators when others are stressed.
How Communication Skills Supports Leadership Growth and Develops Leaders
As a leader, you need to be able to connect with, lead, and engage others to work toward a common goal. All of these require communication, but not just task-oriented, directive, results-driven communicating; rather a leadership communication that invites the following: collaboration, ownership, creativity, and team engagement. This is the neuroscience of a We-Centric © leadership style that is co-creative, inclusive, and builds trust for partnering and teamwork. When you begin to lead and interact with this leadership and communication style, the results are evident and you will grow as a leader.
Whether you are a leader or not, every career professional can benefit from communication skills because as a coach, I have coached many people growing their career who have experienced stress due to either poor communication from a leader or lack of communication skills in how to address challenging conversations with their colleagues and managers.
How Developing Communication Skills Will Benefit and Grow Your Career
It does not matter what your career is or even what stage of career growth you are in, having great communication skills helps people to:
Connect and collaborate with others
Handle difficult conversations or conflict
Manage one’s stress reaction and communication in challenging situations
Have a greater understanding of others and their needs
Build healthier relationships and workplaces
Understand that the impact is not always linked to intentions
As a career professional, applying the C-IQ method of asking questions for which you have no answers could diffuse an angry customer, bridge a stronger relationship between two departments, and prevent a conflict with a colleague. In addition, stepping into the space of being an experimenter with others, shows leaders you are open and agile to try new things and that you can partner or team in a group dynamic. This is definitely a skill many companies that are in a fast growth or perform a lot of work in teams require of their employees.
One small, unconscious communication habit that we may have learned and had our whole life could be impacting our business or career growth, but with one small tweak and upgrade to a new communication skill with C-IQ, we can experience profound breakthroughs for growth and greater connection with others.
If you would like to learn more about the neuroscience of communication or how to improve your communication to lead and grow your business and career, Jody offers a free webinar and also an online course in C-IQ. Visit her website details below for more information.
Jody Kennett, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jody Kennett elevates leaders with leadership, communication, and peak energy performance as an ICF-certified coach. She is impacting women in business globally and empowering them to own their power as a leader by combining women's leadership, confidence, and communication coaching. Her specialized training as a certified C-IQ (Conversational Intelligence) coach is transforming conversations, communication, and culture to foster positive relationships and a thriving workplace. As a co-author of The Winning Mindset book , she is inspiring and training people to master their inner-leader and mindset so they can have peak performance. She created Peak Energy 4 Performance to highlight the importance of energy input into not only our bodies, but also our mind, emotions, and environment. Jody is uniquely certified as leadership, life, and health coach bringing 20 years of health and wellbeing expertise to energize leaders and entrepreneurs. She is the coach who will help you 'Lead Your Life', career, and business so you will, 'Lead it, Live it, and Love it!'
