Can You Hear Me Now? Part 4

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Effective Communication

Have you ever wanted to ask a prospect or a client that infamous question: “Can you hear me now?” If you’re like me, the answer is a resounding YES. Effective communication matters. This is the conclusion of a four-part series around effective communication. I invite you to read all of the installments and improve your communication. You can find the previous parts by clicking these links:                                

Part 1: Improve Your Customer Experience Through Effective Communication               

Part 2: Optimize Your Internal Communications                                                                  

Part 3: Marry Effective Communication with Social Media Strategies

Manage Conflict

Conflict is a common fact of life in the working world. And different people choose different ways to handle difficult situations. Some ignore what’s happening or pretend that a conflict doesn’t exist. Some accuse or blame others in order to settle an issue. The best way to handle conflict, however, is to acknowledge that it exists. Find a solution and then establish a system or protocol that keeps the problem from recurring.

When conflict raises its ugly head in your organization, consider the following strategies:

Attack the Problem, not the Person

This was the primary principle for dealing with office challenges for corporate executive Ron Williams, the former CEO of Aetna. That principle transformed the culture of the organization to become more solution-oriented and supportive of ideas coming from employees throughout the company. When you focus on the problem, all the energy and engagement in the room is directed toward fixing it and away from making people feel demeaned, embarrassed, or insulted. Fixing problems helps us advance our operations. This in turn helps us become better resources to our customers and clients.

Use Conflict as a Learning Opportunity

Unless a mistake or a problem causes someone to lose his or her life, you should be grateful for the conflicts that show up in your organization. Yes, conflicts can make your environment uncomfortable. A conflict may even result in the firing of an employee or the loss of a customer or an account. But it’s also a great opportunity to examine the breakdown in a process or the lack of clarity in communication. Next, develop a strategy to improve. Use conflicts to push you to become more innovative in your solutions. Embrace conflict. Face conflict. Commit to learning and growing from it.

Well, that’s our four-part series around effective communication. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and gleaned valuable tips to improve your communication skills and help your colleagues improve theirs in your workplace.

Your Marketing Expert,

Cheryl McCants ~ Impact Founder and CEO