SUCCESS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

“Once words leave your mouth, credibility goes either up or down.  Trust remains stable, grows, or plunges.  All the raw ingredients of communication (words, body language, emotion, logic, action, inaction, listening, branding, perception, structure, and so forth) produce change – either positive or negative,” writes business communications expert Dianna Booher in her new book WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?  Why Communication Fails And What To Do About It.

Drawing on decades of experience coaching executives and conducting workshops at Fortune 500 companies, as well as research from the fields of social science, business, and organizational theory, Booher illustrates how messages can be delivered to make a sale, cement a relationship, or lead employees through the tumult of a corporate restructuring.

In business, the key to communication is many times the difference between an effective leader and an ineffective leader.  “To influence someone, we have to start with the other person’s reality, not ours,” says Booher.

Statements intended to motivate employees will turn them off if they are perceived as manipulative, such as:

“What it all boils down to is that you just don’t …”

“The reality of the situation is that …”

“If you really want to know the truth, it’s that …”

Contrast these with the following statements that cushion the speaker’s message with empathy for his or her listeners:

“I hear what you’re saying. My experience has been different …”

“My impression of what’s happening here is …”

“What I’m interpreting in this situation is that …”

Booher provides clear examples and guidelines for mastering the nine fundamental laws of communication that she has identified:

·      The Law of Trust vs. Distrust

·      The Law of Collaboration vs. Monologue

·      The Law of Simplicity vs. Complexity

·      The Law of Tact vs. Insensitivity

·      The Law of Potential vs. Achievement

·      The Law of Distinction vs. Dilution

·      The Law of Specialty vs. Generalization

·      The Law of Emotion vs. Logic

·      The Law of Perspective vs. Distortion

WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? explores how to apply these core principles to get a point across, bring about change, inspire others, or sell a product or service.  Some of the principles derive their power from being counterintuitive.  Conventional wisdom holds that when evaluating job applicants, employers are swayed more by past achievements than future potential.  Yet the Law of Potential vs. Achievement, backed up by studies from researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford University, shows that the exact opposite is true:  the unproven candidate who exhibits star potential will almost always win out over the safe but boring candidate.

Whether a front-line worker, middle manager, or senior executive, WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? is required reading for anybody who wishes or needs to influence others, either in their professional or personal lives.

About the Author

Dianna Booher works with individuals and organizations to improve their effectiveness through better communication.  As an internationally recognized business communication expert, she’s the author of 46 books with nearly 4 million copies sold.  She’s the founder of Booher Research Institute, which provides consulting, coaching, and training to some of the largest Fortune 500 companies, among them IBM, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, BP, Chevron, and BNSF Railway.  For more information visit www.BooherResearch.com.