The Art of Communication
Discover why effective communication is about more than words. A personal reflection on trust, promises and the difference between being liked and being respected.
LOWMAX BUSINESS
Over the years, I've worked with people who are excellent communicators.
One of my former business partners was what I would call Mr Nice Guy.
No matter what you asked, he always had the perfect response.
People walked away feeling good after every conversation.
Some of you have probably already guessed what came next.
He was one of those people who made a lot of promises but rarely delivered.
That experience taught me something important.
I will never work with someone who cannot keep their word, no matter how pleasant they sound.
But here's the interesting part.
The world loves sweet talkers.
Recently, a friend told me he lost a client to a competitor who simply agreed with everything the client wanted.
A classic "yes man."
Who doesn't like hearing "yes"?
The problem is that saying yes is easy.
Delivering on those promises is much harder.
Many years ago, another friend of mine, who was a flight attendant with a major airline, shared something I have never forgotten.
She told me they were trained not to say "no."
For example, if a passenger asked for a glass of water just before take-off, they wouldn't reply, "No, we can't."
Instead, they would say,
"Certainly. I'll get you a drink as soon as we're in the air and the captain switches off the seatbelt sign."
The answer was still "not now."
But it was communicated in a way that respected the passenger.
That, to me, is the art of communication.
You don't have to overpromise to make people feel respected.
Personally, I've never liked making promises that I wasn't sure I could keep.
Maybe that's why I don't always come across as the nicest guy in the room.
I would rather disappoint someone with the truth today than with a broken promise tomorrow.
Interestingly, many of those clients eventually came back.
Trust takes longer to build than likability.
But it lasts much longer.
There's an old saying:
You can bullshit your way in, but you can never bullshit your way out.
I couldn't agree more.