When was the last time you made business communication resolutions?

We make personal promises, but if you’re like me, we skip that exercise for the business side of our lives. At least in the formal sense of resolutions.

Well, after 14 years of promoting better business communication, I thought it was about time. Either that or I’d rather ignore the personal side. 😉

Defining Business Communication and Resolutions

What do you think of when you hear the phrase business communication? Marketing? Blog content? Business articles?

All that is a part of our communication. But what about the relationship aspect? Or the day-to-day verbal interaction of business life?

For my 3 business communication resolutions, the focus is more on the intangible. Also, three seems a more manageable number. Regarding the process or product side of communication, I’ll save those for my annual goals.

Resolution #1 – Listen first

Listening has never come naturally to me. The quote illustrated below fits me to a T.

The effect of not being heard silences any brilliance we may wish to share.

Even the best solution will go unheard when you cut off individuals midsentence. Instead, they focus on the anger from being interrupted. And who knows? Your solution may change if you hear everything the person has to say.

For me, listening took work; something I constantly work on. People have different levels of listening, as illustrated below.

What can you do to improve listening?

The following are a few ideas that work for me to elevate my listening level.

Recognition and Awareness

Have you ever come to the end of a drive and realized you do not remember the route you took? Scary thought when driving a 3,000+ pound vehicle.

Ending a meeting and realizing you have no idea what others discussed is scary, too. So, how do you prevent that from happening? The trick is taking listening from a subconscious act to conscious awareness.

• Do a listening check – Regularly ask yourself – what listening level am I at (Non-listener, Passive listener, Active listener)? Tip: To form the habit, set your smartphone or fitness tracker reminders to buzz (unobtrusively) at regular intervals.
• Keep silent (even when it hurts) – I know. You have a REALLY great idea just bursting at the seams. But take a breath and hold that thought. Did you hear what the speaker just said? Is the speaker still talking? Or is there a pause?
• Watch and learn – Keep good eye contact and look for non-verbal clues. Did the speaker’s mouth just tighten when you interrupted with an idea? Was that an eye roll?

I am putting this at the top of my business communication resolutions. Although I improved my listening skills, I find it’s easy to slide back into bad habits.

Resolution #2 – Check your bias

While you’re doing all that great listening, this resolution is another challenge to better business communication. Like listening, recognition and awareness is the biggest obstacle to getting this one right.

Biases are sneaky. They sit in your subconscious, waiting to take over your response to a situation. Others often see and feel your bias before you do.

• I once told a boss of mine he was an education snob.
• He would choose a job candidate with an MBA over one without the advanced degree.
• The good news is he listened.

In one case, I knew the other candidate. We had worked together for several years. She possessed a quality you could not teach – a strong work ethic. Few people worked harder or were more reliable.

We hired her and she became one of my boss’s most valued employees.

What can you do to correct biased responses?

Harvard Business Review offers excellent suggestions for recognizing and becoming aware of our biases so we can correct our behavior.

 

 

Resolution #3 – Be kind to yourself and others

The last few years have been brutal. Physically, emotionally, and for some, financially. At times, it’s felt like we’ve lost the act of kindness.

When it comes to business communication, the lack of kindness rears its ugly self in multiple forms.

• Personal attacks on social media from the racially motivated to a difference of opinion
• Publicly shaming individuals over a stupid typo or misplaced comma
• Jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts

I’ve never understood this kind of behavior in the business world. When a goal is attracting new and retaining existing customers, how does aggression and attacks help?

But even if you refrain from virtual attacks, there are steps you can take to be kind to yourself and to others.

What can you do to promote acts of kindness?

Start with yourself

Aggression and judgmental acts typically stem from within. Often what we criticize in others is a trait we don’t like about ourselves.

So, once again, the first step is recognition and awareness. Before you blast off that email or post that comment, ask yourself – what about this situation caused my reaction?

I used to be much better at avoiding typos and grammar missteps. To the point of annoying accuracy.

But as you get older (one of the most annoying phrases in the English language), strengths weaken. I learned to laugh at my stumbles.

For example, I use Missinglettr to promote blog posts. I set up a drip campaign for periodic posts to Twitter. Each post blurb was unique.

• Which one has become the most shared?
• The one with the typo, of course.
• Despite changing it on the platform, it shows up – again, and again, and again

Sweet irony? It was a post titled, Top 10 Signs You Should Not Hit Send. All I could do was make a joke at my expense.

Think small

The problem with many resolutions is thinking too big. That’s what make them overwhelming. Instead of creating world peace, why not comfort a single soul?

One of my favorite writers, Henneke Duistermaat, is also an awesome human being. During the isolation of the pandemic, Henneke, routinely posted a tweet like her New Year tweet below.

Who knows how many people that small encouragement helped?

Business Communication Resolutions Trend

Communication is communication. Tips for better business communication work well in our personal lives, too.

1. Listen
2. Work on your biases
3. Be kind

Sounds like a good start. What resolutions would you add?

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