I’ve found a lot of great advice on how to improve communicate skills. One of my favorite:
Make your point and then shut up.
I don’t remember the source, but it’s one of the many brilliant examples of how small shifts can change your conversation impact.
This article is the last of a four part series on how to go about changing your conversation impact. Ready to change?
All the work you’ve done until now is the foundation for increasing your success by changing the conversation. You’re on the five yard line. But it’s going to take a lot of work to go those last yards. This part of the plan is taking the final distance inch by inch. This is the secret to success:
Focused action with feedback
You’ve made a commitment, gathered the truth, laid out the plan, and now you’re ready for action. Put me in, coach.
Tips for Focusing on Action
Plans are great, but until you take action you won’t see a change. Here are some tips for getting into action:
1. Break down your actions into monthly, weekly, and daily goals. The smaller the better. This is especially important for longterm goals. The more you can reinforce your progress by achieving smaller goals, the more likely you’ll be to stay the course in the long run.
2. Create appointments on your calendar to work specific tasks. This doesn’t work for everyone, but if you live by your calendar, having an appointment with yourself will increase your chase of actually doing the work. It will also help you estimate the actual effort it takes to do the task.
3. Engage the help of an accountability partner or coach. You don’t have to do it alone! Share your weekly goals with your coach and ask for feedback and follow-up to your commitments. If you’re not good at keeping appointments with yourself (as in the calendar suggestion in #2) ask your accountability partner to meet you for a working session. We’re less likely to cancel if someone else is involved.
4. Make this communication goal part of your performance development plan at work. Whether you work as an employee or with an on-demand team, it’s a great idea to have development goals. If you need help establishing these goals, drop me a note and we’ll set up a call.
5. Build progress review points into your plan to allow for course correction. If you’re doing this on your own, set periodic goal review sessions with yourself. Look at your progress and determine whether or not you are on course, or if there needs to be a change in either the goal or the approach.
The secret to successfully changing your conversation impact.
If I were working with you one-on-one in a coaching relationship, we would develop this plan together. I would keep you accountable to the implementation, guiding you and coaching you through identifying and removing obstacles. Working with a coach would increase your chances of success.
I know that’s not possible for everyone. For now, I encourage you to work through the four part approach outlined in these articles:
Part 1: Are you ready to change the conversation?
Part 2: How to design your conversation impact assessment.
Part 3: Action plan to change your conversation.
Part 4: The secret to successfully changing your conversation impact. (this article)
You know how your success as an indie professional is intimately tied to your ability to get your point across. And you’re recognized you are not having the right impact in your career or business. And now it’s time to change the conversation.
