For consulting success, your whole firm must communicate -
8 steps will get you there
by: Suzanne Bates
|
|
Summary:
|
The art of everyday communications should be every consultant and professional service firm’s number one priority. Every statement and every communication must contain the elements connected to company success, including its values, motivation, goals and objectives. However, successful communication is not just about the idea… it’s also about how it is said and who is saying it. Heed these 8 proven steps for getting there:
|
| Body: |
The first step for consulting leaders is to constantly keep communication lines open from within and from without the firm. Quick and responsive replies to all queries will ensure that everybody is on top of the game and keeping evolving situations transparent.
The second step requires you be your own staff’s most valuable resource. This is done by having a constant open door so that your people can feel comfortable enough to ask for help, to share issues and to ask for advice in relation to their personalized tasks and roles.
The second step is also about firm leaders being able to respond to all communications without interfering in their daily responsibilities. This can be done by prioritizing situations expressed in communications and by practicing effective time management through vetting each communication on its individual merits.
The third step is to enforce corporate values and acceptable behaviors. This powerful tactic not only addresses concerns but also recognizes the value of the communication and the person communicating it. It’s also a means of expressing appreciation and confidence in a staff.
The fourth step is to remain focused on company/client communications through the feedback loop. This works by maintaining constant and open communications with every client, no matter how large or small. This level of communication can account for individual differences between clients, its personalized nature holding the capacity to both improve retention and sustain your firm’s advantage over its competitors.
The fifth step is the concept of supporting practitioners in the firm in their quest to learn how to communicate effectively. Not even the very best consultants will necessarily possess fine-tuned communication skills. Some may even need a coach or some specialized training. Others may not feel too comfortable making presentations, thereby requiring special help in over-coming stage-fright. However, if not given the support they need, these skittish professionals may lose the ability to effectively communicate the right messages.
The sixth step is overcoming resistance to communications improvement. It’s an obvious fundamental tenet that every practitioner should hone his/her skills in regards to effective communications, and that failure to do so will likely result in miscommunications, missed opportunities, customer/client/staff dissatisfaction and failure to meet objectives. So if a consultant in your firm outright refuses to cooperate, you may need to it to replace even a very good consultant with someone who is willing to communicate as well as possible.
The seventh step? This one is the need to actually provide communications training. Varied levels of communications training can be made available beyond the basics such as the special techniques involved in motivational speaking, public speaking, media relations and effective listening/persuasion/influence. It may therefore be necessary to bring in a communications specialist who will evaluate individuals’ presentations as well as the other types of communications so as to evaluate where each person’s strengths and weaknesses lie. In turn, a specialist can then advise, mentor and propose changes in style and approach as well as conduct needed trainings.
The eighth step is to build a team of communicators that can represent the company well. Those in this team should be actively involved within the company and visible to others at all times. They should be extremely proactive individuals.
Successful communications cannot be achieved simply by expressing an idea and letting it go at that. It's instead how ideas are communicated that can make or break a company. Therefore, open lines of communications must exist between firm leaders, staff, clients and even vendors. Consulting leaders must also act as a resource for all staff, enforcing acceptable behaviors, transmitting company values and focusing on continuing feedback from within and without the company.
Most critically, consulting firms companies must support its leaders, practitioners and overall staff in constantly improving communication and communication skills, highlighted by a confident team of well-trained communicators who can serve as positive representatives for the company, both publicly and within the company walls. With all such elements in place, success and communications become permanently linked, elevating your firm a cut above your competition and the only firm of consequence in the eyes of your target market. .
_________________________
Suzanne Bates is the author of two business best-sellers, "Motivate like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!" and "Speak Like a CEO: Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results" (both published by McGraw Hill). President and CEO of Bates Communications, a firm that transforms leaders into powerful communicators who get results, she is author of www.thepowerspeakerblog.com and such books and products as "How to Make a Name in Business" and "The Power of Adversity: Communicating with Clients and Customers in Challenging Times." Visit her website: www.bates-communications.com.
|
Author Details:
|
Suzanne Bates
President and CEO
Bates Communications
|