If I were your guest and you were having a party, hopefully you would welcome me and then introduce me to your other visitors, right?
You would do your very best to make me feel comfortable and welcome.
The ability to do this even when you are not at your own home and it is not your party is a superb skill — and one that can enhance your personal and professional life.
When you mention meetings, most employees roll their eyes at the sheer waste of time of these far-too-often scheduled get-togethers.
So why do organizations continue this ritual and what can we do differently?
Here are three keys to making the most of your meetings in person and virtually.
Maintain Momentum
No meeting should ever go over the allotted time.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to speak at TEDxEmory. The overall theme was: What makes your heart beat? And my topic was Owning Your Confidence: How to Overcome Nervousness and Exude Confidence in High-Stakes Situations. I discussed several practical techniques to help you excel in even the most stressful of situations. They are practices I’ve developed over many years of being on television and speaking professionally around the world.
You may have heard the saying that “90% of life is just showing up” It’s something I say to myself whenever I cross the threshold of the gym or attend a neighborhood committee meeting.
The question is, do we really show up?
There is a big difference between physically being somewhere and really participating actively.
This applies to everything from being at work to social interaction.
I am so tired of going to social and professional events where people are showing up physically but not mentally.
Understanding your unique personality style is critical to mastering your communication skills. Equally important is your ability to assess others.
With this in mind, here are some key observational tools you can use in making your assessments.
Are you fundamentally fast-paced and outspoken, or do you tend towards being more thoughtful and observant? If you are confused by this question, then think about the last meeting you sat in.
I have been delivering keynotes and workshops on communication skills mastery for over 30 years, and I have never come across an audience member or participant who didn’t see the benefits of being a more skilled communicator.
The first step on the road to becoming a skilled communicator is to become more aware of your specific communication style. According to Mike Bechtle, the author of Confident Conversation, all of us fit into one of two broad categories:
-Those who have trouble talking,
Awkward encounters come in many forms, but the two that can cause the most discomfort are those when you are greeted by someone who treats you like an old friend when you have no idea who they are or how they know you and, conversely, when you clearly remember that you have been introduced to someone several times, and they look at you blankly when you greet them.
I recently spoke to a group of entrepreneurs on how to get people to like you, trust you, and generate new business.
Everyone had to share the experience(s) that had most impacted their lives. The directive, however, was that while stories were being shared, the listeners were not allowed to relate the story back to themselves; they had to simply listen, and then ask qualifying questions such as, “In what way?”
