Human Connection And Powerful Communication
According to a recent study, 94% of employees agree they’re more productive when they feel connected to colleagues. Connectivity is critical for career success. The key to connecting with our colleagues is powerful communication skills.
The longer we work, the more we realize how important our connections are.
Connecting begins with communicating. Whether we are trying to engage an audience during a presentation, or are advocating for underrepresented colleagues, confident communication is the key.
Our CEO and Founder, Jessica Chen, recently hosted a Soulcast Media | LIVE event on LinkedIn, where she interviewed Human Connection Specialist, Simone Heng.
They shared tips and personal stories about human connection and powerful communication.
1. Mindset
Communications confidence is not letting anything affect the way we communicate our message. To become a good communicator, we must get into the right mindset. Our mindset can affect how we communicate.
Consider the following:
- Mental Barriers – Mental barriers are those things we tell ourselves which can prevent us from trying new things, reaching our goals, and making connections. We must remove negative self-chatter if we want to get into the right mindset. For example, suppose we have negative self-chatter about connecting with a colleague because we think we will be bothering them. We can remove this negative self-chatter by reminding ourselves that connecting with a colleague is critical for our success and theirs. Taking away the power of negative self-chatter will put us in the right mindset.
- Priming – During the Soulcast Media | LIVE, Simone talked about practicing priming to help get us into the right mindset. Priming is the practice of imagining ourselves doing something we love to lift our energy. For example, suppose we are about to enter a networking event. Before we meet anyone, we can imagine ourselves playing tennis, because we love to play tennis. This lifts our energy and engages our Duchenne smile, which conveys to the person to whom we are speaking that we are being sincere. Priming is a great way to put us into the right mindset to connect and communicate effectively.
- Practice – The more we do something, the easier it gets, which will help us get into the right mindset because we don’t have to think about every step along the way. For example, suppose we are leading a team meeting. The first time we lead, we may be worried about how to share our screen and ensure our camera and audio are working. However, the more times we do it, the less we will worry about these things and the more we can focus on our message. Focusing on our message will help put us in the right mindset.
Our mindset can affect our communications. Focusing on getting ourselves into the right mindset will make us much more powerful communicators.
2. Making Connections
Building relationships with people at work is essential for our careers and job satisfaction. Human connection can prevent burnout and loneliness. Getting our voices heard and ensuring others can speak up, can help us make and keep those connections.
Consider the following:
- Stand Out – During the Soulcast Media | LIVE, a question came in from the audience about how to get our voices heard and make connections if we are more introverted. Simone suggested focusing on what we are wearing to stand out. For example, we can wear something more attention-grabbing, brighter colors, or statement jewelry pieces. More extroverted people will approach us and start the conversation. This will help us make more connections if we are introverted.
- Moderator – As leaders, we need to make a proactive effort to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to voice their thoughts. For example, during a meeting, we can look around and see who hasn’t spoken and who has been quiet. We have to become the moderator to allow others to speak up. This will help those who are more quiet become better communicators and connect with their colleagues.
- Strengths & Weaknesses – We also have to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses. If we are domineering conversations, we need to take a step back and allow our more quiet underrepresented colleagues to take the floor. For example, if we are extremely extroverted, one way to help control our energy so it doesn’t overtake the room is to learn breathwork, with 4x4x8 breathing. Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for four seconds, and then breathe out for eight seconds. This will regulate our energy and allow others to speak.
Making connections is all about being excellent communicators. When everyone has the opportunity to speak, more connections can be made.
3. Engaging An Audience
When we speak, we connect with our audience and try to engage them. This is true whether we present in front of a large crowd or have a one-on-one meeting with our manager. Engaging our audience takes powerful communication skills.
Consider the following:
- Conversation – When giving a presentation, we must treat it like a conversation. Our audience may not be speaking to us, but we can talk to them in a conversational tone. For example, often, when we have to give a presentation, we focus so much on the materials and what we want to say, that we forget we need to be engaging. People are much more likely to be interested in what we say if we engage them in a dialogue rather than speak at them.
- Humanize The Experience – Whether we are giving a presentation or talking to our manager, we often feel a lot of pressure to impress. This can cause communications anxiety. We can get so hyperfocused on who these people are and their titles. Instead, we need to humanize the experience. For example, one way to humanize the experience is to think of it as speaking with a friend or family member, not an executive or large audience. This will take the pressure off of trying to impress people.
- Focus On The Audience – It can be very easy to focus on ourselves when giving a presentation, or engaging with a colleague. However, if we want to make a connection, we have to focus on our audience. For example, during the Soulcast Media | LIVE, Simone shared how when she first started giving presentations, she would wear uncomfortable outfits and shoes. She was constantly thinking about herself, rather than her audience and message. She decided to wear more comfortable clothing so she didn’t concentrate on feeling uncomfortable but focused on her audience.
Connecting with our audience is critical if we want our message to have maximum impact.
Powerful communication will help make human connections. These connections are critical for career success.
Check out Jessica’s Youtube Channel if you want to see the full version of this Soulcast Media | LIVE conversation.
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