Communications 101 – Sharing Your Heart

How Can You Begin to Cross That Bridge?

For several years I lived in downtown Minneapolis, and during that time I had the honor of various friendships and acquaintances among the Latino and Hispanic community that populated a major section of the city.

One particular woman stands out in my memory – she owned a shop in a ‘Hispanic’ mall in the Phillips neighborhood where she sold art pieces and occasionally cosmetics.

As I got to know her a little better I learned she was originally from Chile. Her career in her home country had included a stint as an award winning swimmer and diver, a distinguished science degree, and a  high up position in a laboratory in a major company.

She continued to share how when she came to the US, the only job she was able to get, in spite of all of her experience and accomplishments, was that of a cleaner – and that it was because she was unable to communicate well in English.

I’ve heard similar stories from many immigrants who have moved from one place to another, where simple communication is the greatest barrier between who they are and who they are perceived to be.

The world continues to see evidence of this kind of misunderstanding on a fairly regular basis – one instance that comes to mind is the ‘throwing of the shoe’ at President George Bush during an unscheduled visit to Iraq shortly before his presidential term came to an end.

I know many people watching in the West thought of it as a rather bizarre, even amusing incident – but how many perceived the depth of meaning that truly lay within that particular act? As the boundaries of  miscommunication come into play, how many people even realize how great the gulf can be between perceptions?

What does this all have to do with YOUR message?

Fortunately for you, you have the opportunity and the ability to ’see both sides of the story’ to some extent – because if you truly care about sharing your message with the world, you will also care about how it is perceived!

And of course, speaking across lines to your market is rarely as difficult as speaking across lines to another culture can be!

What are some steps you can begin to take today to start to recognize how you are perceived and whether what you want to share is being effectively communicated?

• Consider your motivation. Do you have a passion to serve others just as much as you are serving your own purposes? Is there love behind the words you’re writing – or just a desire to sell more of your product or service? People can sense the motivation behind your words – have you ever been able to tell when someone was smiling while they were writing? Read over your copy with an eye for the love that you want to find behind it!
• Step over to the other side of the table. If you were selling your product or service to yourself, how would you want it to be presented? It’s natural to feel an obligation to SELL SELL SELL and HYPE HYPE HYPE! Sometimes it feels like there is a little used car salesmen inside of you – just raring to get out! It makes sense to think you have to sound that way when that’s what you’ve constantly been exposed to. Fortunately, the tide is turning, and you really can write and express according to what you would want to experience yourself. Just take an inventory every so often and make sure you’re still on track!
• Be a good listener. How many times have you tried to phone a company for customer service, only to have to go through a rigmarole of recorded messages and press this to get that? Maybe you’ve waited in line for ages at a big store only to find the person there to ‘help’ you had no interest in either you or the company they worked for. Or maybe you’ve tried to find an e-mail address or a phone number to contact a real human being, searched throughout their website, and concluded that this organization really just didn’t want you to get in touch! Now, think about how much it will make YOU stand out when you prove yourself available and willing to listen to your clients and customers. It’s almost too easy!
• Get an interpreter. Find someone who can look over your presentation and assist you in seeing whether or not there is room for improvement. In these days of web 2.0 and worldwide interaction, you almost don’t have an excuse if you’re not asking for help! Some you can get for free and some you may need to pay for, but in the end, if it causes you to be perceived in a better, more clear way by those you want to reach, it’s definitely worth it!

I’ve noticed that most of the problems with miscommunication (or ineffective communication) are simply caused by being in too much of a hurry, being too quick to judge, or being unwilling to take just a few moments for the extra step it may take to cross the bridge that lies between you and your market.

Consider what you might be able to do today to help people perceive you the way you want to be perceived. If you would like assistance in this area with your copy, please e-mail me at Kelly (at) SharingYourHeartServices.com to set up a free phone consultation.