When was the last time you had a disagreement, misunderstanding or conflict with your customer, prospect, business partner, colleague, employees or supplier? Do you find yourself getting stressed, frustrated, angry, upset or anxious when you communicate with other people in business?

Why is effective communication so important?

Effective communication improves harmony between the business owner and their customers, prospects, business partners, colleagues, employees and suppliers, and creates greater synergy in any business relationship. In addition, effective communication reduces errors, rework and blame, and helps us to be more productive. Research has also shown that anytime we have a pleasant experience it increases our immune system, while an unpleasant experience can reduce our immune system.

So by making our communication more pleasant without stress, anxiety, frustration, hurt or anger, we are also having a positive impact on our productivity as well as our health and overall well-being. Like taking turmeric for pain, making such efforts will also reduce our mental pain at work.

Below is a simple and effective communication technique that will assist you with clearly communicating your message to your customers, prospects, business partners, colleagues, employees and suppliers.

Respecting the Differences

Often when we speak with our customers, prospects, business partners, colleagues, employees and suppliers we find ourselves saying the same thing, only in a different way because we use different words. By understanding the different personalities in your business relationships with other people, you can stop conflict and create harmony instead. One simple and effective way to achieve this is to understand how your customers, prospects, business partners, colleagues, employees and suppliers communicate.

There are four different styles of communication: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic and Auditory Digital. While most people use a combination of all these communication styles, each person has a preference for one or two styles over the others. Importantly, each communication style has its own language.

Words that appeal to people with a:

• visual preference include: see, look, show and imagine
• auditory preference include: hear, listen, sounds and discuss
• kinesthetic preference include: feel, touch, hold and grasp
• auditory digital preference include: think, study, learn and process.

Avoiding Conflict

Conflict often occurs when people use their own preferences when communicating, and when the preferences of the two people are different. For example, if one person uses Auditory digital words (think, study, learn) and the other person uses kinesthetic words (feel, touch, hold). The person with an auditory digital preference may complain that the person with a kinesthetic preference takes too long to express their feelings, and may wish that they just get to the point quickly.

The person with a kinesthetic preference may complain that the other person never makes time to connect with them and their feelings, and may, as a result, feel left out, neglected or disconnected. This could result in the person with a kinaesthetic preference withdrawing their business connection, and could sour the business relationship. In turn, this could spiral into a dis-empowering dynamic between the two people, and all because of a difference of communication style.

Creating Harmony

In any business relationship, when you tailor the words you use to match your customer’s, prospect’s, business partner’s, colleague’s, employee’s and supplier’s preferred communication style, this will greatly assist them to clearly see, easily get in touch with and understand what you are saying and will help to avoid disagreements.

The best way to create harmony is to really listen to the words your customers, prospects, business partners, colleagues, employees and suppliers use. Really pay attention to their language and notice the words they are using. Then use the same words back in your reply to them.

Imagine really listening to your customers, prospects, business partners, colleagues, employees and suppliers from now on and using their style when communicating with them. Notice the difference this will make to your communication, your business relationships and to your business.