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#7 Show sympathy and be helpful
Sometimes we really can’t help, but offering to try and showing understanding will be remembered. Want to know details? –>
| Say “I really understand the situation you are in right now. Let me try to help.” |
instead of “Well, it is what it is. What do you want us to do?” |
| Say “This really is a difficult decision to make for you. I unfortunately can’t relieve you on this matter. But maybe looking into it on a meta level could help.” |
instead of “Pity you! I am glad not to be in your position right now. You are really tangled up in a complicated situation.” |
Looking for more? Details on each rule will be posted daily, one by one. Watch out for the new posts and follow the links below (shown once published)
#1 Be positive (link)
#2 Show solutions not problems (link)
#3 Explain, don‘t teach (link)
#4 Let them know, but don’t tell them (link)
#5 Be precise, but not overly precise (link)
#6 Know it all but don‘t be a know-it-all (link)
#7 Show sympathy and be helpful (link)
#8 If the client gets out of line, don’t (link not yet published)
#9 Say “Yes, and…” instead of “No, but…” (link not yet published)
#10 A shut mouth catches no flies (link not yet published)
Where did these rules come from?
Well…, most of my professional career I have been working in client service, thus working with clients… And when it comes to communication then I have witnessed and experienced many occasions where just choosing the wrong words lead to a major misunderstanding, to dissatisfaction, even to frustration and anger.
I also witnessed that a few adjustments of your communication can help reaching a mutually beneficial outcome of a maybe difficult and negative situation (like telling the client that the delivery will be late). These little adjustments is what I summarized for me into my “10 rules for better communication”.
These ten rules don’t claim to be complete or foolproof. They are just based on my personal experience and are the 10 rules that have helped me most over time. I hope you will enjoy reading my “10 rules for great communication” and I also hope that you will not take everything literally, meaning you don‘t have to start all of your sentences from now on with „Wow, …“ (first example in rule#1)… :-). And yes, the examples are exaggerated… 🙂
All examples are very focused on a consultant-client-relationship as this is where I spent most of my professional time. But I am sure that with a little imagination you could easily translate that into any industry.