How many times have you tried to convey a certain ‘tough message' to a person reporting to you and botched up the whole thing? How many times have you tried to communicate with your project manager or a supplier, but ended up sounding nervous and unconfident?
Communicating with confidence is extremely important in the business world, and depending on the situation, each and every one of us would like to confidently communicate messages to someone else. However, this isn't always very easy – not so much of what needs to be communicated, but how to go about communicating that message effectively.
Getting Your Message Across Confidently
- First, keep in mind that being impatient and raising your voice is not going to help. If what you're looking for is a better end result the next time around, then you must let the person know how he or she can do a better job the next time.
- Once you know what the message is that you want to deliver, then the timing of delivering this message also becomes important. Feedback on work that has not been performed well must be delivered as soon as possible. If you don't, the person will keep performing in the same way. And it definitely won't give the person an opportunity to improve their performance.
- Using the desired outcome as a guide, you have to try to guide the person along.
- Always remember to be specific and focused. When handling an issue concerning a customer, you must first get a clear understanding of what the problem is. Only then can you attempt to solve it.
- To communicate a message with confidence, always separate the situation from the concerned person. The required action and the desired end result are what you should focus on.
Yes, it may seem like a difficult task at first. But don't let this deter you. The next time you are required to communicate a ‘tough message', simple follow these steps and observe the positive results that you begin to get.
