The Dos and Don’ts of ConversationToday we will be discussing the dos and don'ts when speaking with a client, although this can be applied to conversations with anyone!

First, let’s talk about the things we should do in conversation:

  1. Remove distractions, like technology. Don’t be like the gaggle of kids at the bus stop, where every single one of them has their head in their phone and no one is paying attention to each other. Put away your phones when in meetings, on the phone with clients, or sitting and conversing with a colleague.
  2. Show the other person that they have your full attention. This is important, even in a virtual meeting.
  3. Listen with your eyes. Now, this is an oldie and not as cut and dry for some folks. It’s not the duration of the eye-contact, but the effort to provide it.
  4. Be an active listener. Ask follow-up questions about the other person’s input in the conversation rather than providing yours right away. Leave space for silence and take time to consider your responses. Remember that the average response time is shorter than the average time it takes us to process a sentence spoken to us.

 

Now, what are the things we should avoid in conversation?

  1. Multi-tasking – Note taking is the only exception to this rule, but even that should be avoided, if possible, as it divides your attention from the person speaking. This goes for phones and other devices but also side conversations during meetings or splitting your focus during a call with a client.
  2. Asking questions that you are dying to answer yourself. When we refer to questions as a way to show active listening, we need to narrow that to questions that exemplify wanting the other person to respond, not allowing you an in to share information not asked of you at the time.
  3. Finishing the person’s sentences. This is such a common mistake that many of us make. If someone hesitates or we think we know where they’re going with their thoughts, we chime in and finish their thoughts for them.
  4. Stealing the speaker’s thunder. This can happen by interrupting them, which can cause a lot of us to lose our train of thought. This can be changing the subject to center yourself in conversation. There are many ways to steal the thunder of another person in conversation and it’s important to be mindful that we might not identify that we are doing it right away. Watch for queues that the person speaking wasn’t done, apologize and offer the floor back to them. There’s less harm done if you acknowledge that you took the wind out of someone’s sail, than if you continue doing it with no accountability.

 

Interested in learning how to get your team Customer Experience trained? Reach out to our office at 905-346-4966 today!