“We’ve seen the power of personal interactions with our clients for many years. It can be the catalyst for amazing change and business success. The results have been so significant. Revolutionary Conversations – the Tools You Need for the Success You Want allows us to share what we’ve learned about human interaction. In the digital age we seem to be losing the ability to speak to each other so in the book we offer a road map to conversations – on the shop floor, in the board room or at home with your family – that can help us all reconnect in the human world.” ~ Noal McDonald, co-author of Revolutionary Conversations™
At Revolutionary Conversations, LLP, we realize the importance of conversation for business success. When helping companies grow and succeed or assisting career-minded professionals reach new levels of achievement, we believe in an approach that encourages people to come together, to work with each other, as opposed to consistently jockeying for position and competing with one another or tossing e-mails back and forth.
The best way to address building an interactive and supportive culture is to learn more about each other and develop a much greater appreciation of what everyone brings to the table. When you begin to “come alongside” others a greater understanding between people is developed, typically, this personal interaction, this mindset, is the catalyst. This is why it is a major key to long term success–everyone on the same page going in the same direction with lots of room for new ideas and less resistance to change.
In our current wired world, it is tempting to try to solve problems with a quick email, but the results cannot compare with face to face communication. Email, whether it is a dashed-off response or a carefully crafted communication, can still deliver a mixed message. We read with a mental filter that automatically applies meanings that may or may not be there. The result is often mangled communication that can take even more time to sort out.
But when we talk together, face-to-face, something different can happen. We can use all our faculties and senses to understand what’s being said. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Blink”, he discusses the complexity of facial expressions and how they impact our understanding and responses to each other. When we speak, the emphasis, tone, and speed of our voice is absorbed and decoded by the listener. Our body language helps fill in the picture – angry, sad, confused, collaborative – and helps the listener better understand or at least process what’s happening. Without these tools, which have been honed in our subconscious since long before email, we lose meaning and understanding. Steve Jobs knew we needed to talk to each other. Walter Isaacson quotes Jobs in his biography as saying, “Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.” As the social beings that we are, we need to see each other to connect, understand and create. Revolutionary Conversations™ gives you a roadmap for making these important interactions more meaningful, collaborative and productive.
But that doesn’t paint the whole picture. Our words still count. And that can get tricky because we are not always clear; we filter what we hear, and we can tint what we say based on our own perspective. As we have observed people interacting in all kinds of situations, we’ve been able to define some of the keys to making our interaction – our conversations – work. These keys are the Foundational Philosophies of Revolutionary Conversations™.
- Paying Attention – focus on what is happening around you; connect to the dynamics in the situation; and remain in the moment.
- Coming Alongside – embrace the perceptions of others so that you can work together to integrate yours and theirs. Put an end to “my idea” versus “your idea.”
- Find Out What Happened – the desire is to find who to blame, but every situation has a number of variables that create the situation. It’s not about blaming but understanding the situation and resolving the issues.
- What Do You Need to Know – it’s not what you know that brings you success, but being able to be open-minded to find out what you don’t know or need to know that opens the door to amazing results.
- Avoid Telling – Avoid being the “answer.” Instead, be part of the process to give everyone the opportunity to contribute and you’ll find a much more interesting “end game” than you could create on your own.
- Acknowledge the Contributions Along the Way – as you acknowledge the contributions of others to the process, you build a safety net and allows even more new, creative ideas to come to light.
- Be a Model for Collaboration – demonstrate that you are open to new concepts and ideas and help others do the same. ” *
(*) Excerpted from the Revolutionary Conversations, The Tools You Need For The Success You Want and from the Revolutionary Conversations™ S.H.A.R.E.® Workshop, “Language of Success – Creating Dynamic Business and Personal Relationships.” Buy Kindle book here.
With these philosophies as a foundation, your face-to-face conversations can yield much better short and long-term results. We all want to understand and be understood. Capitalize on the personal touch, talking with colleagues and co-workers, to create an environment where teams can be successful, people are engaged and business can succeed beyond expectations.