They Don't Teach Corporate in College by Alexandra Levit

Author:Alexandra Levit
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Career Press
Published: 2014-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

Making Yourself Understood

Many people assume that communication is common sense and that there’s nothing to learn about it. A manager, for example, wouldn’t dream of sending a new employee on a client visit without providing in-depth training on what the employee should talk about, but that same manager will most likely ignore the specifics of how the rep should speak to the client. Sounds pretty dumb, huh? After all, if the employee doesn’t communicate effectively with the client in the first few minutes of interaction, he might have the door slammed in his face before he has a chance to recite his product’s compelling features. Your everyday work life is the same way. You could be the smartest, most qualified employee in the company, but no one will care what you have to offer if you’re unable to make yourself understood. So how do you ensure that your communication style is a competitive advantage rather than a liability? I’ll get to that soon. But first, let’s dissect a few types of communication found in the business world.

Aggressive: Communication that infers blame, places responsibility for a bad outcome on the other person, and takes credit for any and all successes. The aggressive communicator discourages collaboration and cooperation.

Passive: Communication that does not convey the whole picture. The passive communicator shares information with reluctance, fails to offer feedback, and responds with blanket agreement—particularly at the first sign of confrontation.

Assertive: Communication that is not accusatory, nonjudgmental, and conversational in tone. Assertive communicators are in control of themselves. They think before responding, avoid personalizing problems, and consider the big picture.

I’m sure you’ve had the pleasure of interacting with plenty of aggressive and passive communicators. Maybe some of them were lucky enough to advance to a high level. Usually, though, these extreme styles will handicap a career, because people don’t respond well to them. If you have your eye on a VP position and want to be seen as a powerful communicator and a key influencer, assertiveness—or the ability to stand up for your rights, opinions, ideas, and desires, while respecting those of others—is the way to go.

Let me confess that I am not naturally the most assertive person in the world—I definitely lean more toward the passive style. Though I hate to admit it, I think it has something to do with growing up as a female in our society. Women are encouraged to be passive from early childhood up until we’re thrust into the business world, when we’re expected to promptly grow a backbone. Fortunately, communicating assertively on an everyday basis is pretty easy provided you willingly express yourself clearly, confidently, and in a tone that sounds friendly rather than fake.

It’s harder to be assertive when you move beyond small talk into the realms of persuasion and confrontation. In situations in which you must communicate your point to someone who doesn’t agree, assertiveness marks the difference between being perceived as a leader or as one of those “ineffective” or “difficult” people who populate the lower ranks of the professional world.

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