The Secret Sauce of Influential Communication: Discover Their Comms Style!
I recently had a “know your audience” moment when I sat in front of a paediatric naturopath and she explained it was imperative I start making my own bone broth.
Lemme give you some context… as a mum of two juggling parenthood with a business and life, I’m lucky if I have the time to make my own poo in private each day.
And so I very quickly tuned out.
I immediately felt like she didn’t know me and so any future advice was useless, and to be honest, irritating.
If you want to be an influential communicator it is IMPERATIVE that you consider your audience and tweak your delivery accordingly.
So, how do you do this?
You pay attention to what they communicate to you and how they communicate.
You ask the right questions.
And you listen.
I experienced this recently with the digital marketing whiz I had just started working with (which, btw, included big shifts to our website and the Packed Lunch Club).
In anticipation of sharing a strategy with me she asked;
How do you like to receive information?
Is it best if I email something or would you like me to talk you through it?
Would you like to see the information presented with data, graphs or visuals?
It actually caught me by surprise as I realised I’d never been asked this before.
Game changer!
She saved herself time and energy, impressed the hell out of me and was able to prepare something super impactful and relevant to my needs.
Every individual likes to receive information in different ways and the way in which they communicate is usually telling of their style.
Make it stand out.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Influential communication flow chart to discover comms styles
I recently shared this flow chart for the Ops and Finance team Abbott who got me in to facilitate a session on influential communications. It gives you a steer on the type of communicator someone *might* be and you can then follow up with your own questions to confirm.
Knowing your audience is more than half the battle in being a good communicator!
Want to flex your influential communication muscle?
Who is one key stakeholder you can take through the communication flow chart and ask questions to better understand how they like to give and get info?