This classic line from Cool Hand Luke has often been used to address communication issues in personal and professional lives. Chris discusses how good communication breaks down friction and keeps everything moving forward and as smooth as possible.
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How often do you find yourself in a situation where the person you’re speaking to is just not getting what you’re trying to say? Good communication is about getting all the moving parts working together – without friction. Here’s how to get rid of the friction and communicate better.
Recently, I was having a conversation with my youngest son about a meeting he attended and he described one of the individuals in the meeting as having “verbal muscle.”
I was intrigued by his use of the term “verbal muscle” and I asked him to explain what he meant by it.
He said to me, “Dad, a person with verbal muscle is an individual who is not bashful about stating their position and intention as to what they want to accomplish, staying focused on achieving it, without being argumentative, abusive or obnoxious.”
He went on to say that an individual with “verbal muscle” isn’t afraid to speak their mind, in a respectful way, to get something (usually the right thing) done regardless of those who might disagree. Further, he explained that an individual with verbal muscle is usually someone who doesn’t look for confrontation, yet doesn’t shy away from it either if that’s what’s needed to get clarification or resolution of an issue.
So, I thought more about this and concluded that verbal muscle is an important skill for anyone wishing to achieve success. It would be an especially important skill for someone in a leadership position to acquire when you consider the importance of communication skills in achieving the right results through your team. Continue reading
At the risk of dating myself, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” is a classic line from the 1967 hit movie “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. This line has been used over and over to summarize, at any given time, relationships between spouses, employees, friends and most frequently between parents and their children.
Communication is a critical skill in every aspect of our personal and professional lives. How you communicate plays a major role in how well you do—in anything. Poor communication causes frustration, anger, misunderstandings, mistakes, friction and broken relationships. Nothing good comes from poor communication. Good communication, on the other hand, keeps everything moving forward as smooth as possible. When good communication exists, the right things just happen on a consistent basis.
The events (and weather forecasts) around our last snow storm proved, once again, that it is not a perfect world!
Based upon the “best” information at the time, meteorologists predicted a storm of epic and dangerous proportions, and based on this “best” information (at that time), government officials responded with emergency procedures to protect life and property. These procedures resulted in the great “eggs, bread and milk” assault on supermarkets and an epic hunt for snow shovels, salt, generators and snow blowers. And for some of you, snacks and party supplies. Then, all hunkered down, we waited.
For many of us, thankfully, the worst case scenario did not materialize and then two things happened. First, everybody had French toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then, we unleashed a barrage of criticism on the weather folks and elected officials. Continue reading
Ever wonder why people just don’t understand what you are sharing with them? The frustration and confusion is usually related to a lack of common ground. Chris explains that leaders need to find common ground when communicating with a team member.
Chris Ruisi’s “Step Up and Play Big Moments” is all about personal and business success. Chris’s goal is to offer today’s entrepreneurs, CEO’s and business leader’s practical guidance, tips, strategies and tactics that work in today’s challenging business climate. Chris brings his practical and successful experience at senior level management and Board positions to help his listeners cut through the clutter to Step Up and Play Big. Also available on iTunes.
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Well, we’re about midway through the holiday season with the beginning of the New Year only 3 days away. Let me suggest that to make this holiday and next year more meaningful for you – instead of making resolutions or promises that you probably will not keep – that you ask and answer the three questions that follow. Why? Because the answers to these questions will help you identify specific actions you can take to use the knowledge and skills you have to make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
The 3 Questions:
I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and wish you all a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year!
Chris shares how to approach the process of making a decision to ensure success. The fact is, nothing happens until a decision is made. Poor decisions result in mistakes and wasted time and money. Learn how to increase the odds in your favor when you make a decision that it is the right one.
Chris Ruisi’s “Step Up and Play Big Moments” is all about personal and business success. Chris’s goal is to offer today’s entrepreneurs, CEO’s and business leader’s practical guidance, tips, strategies and tactics that work in today’s challenging business climate. Chris brings his practical and successful experience at senior level management and Board positions to help his listeners cut through the clutter to Step Up and Play Big. Also available on iTunes.
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Last Monday – July 14th – I was faced with the challenge of what to do with 4 hours of down time. My wife and I were trying to return home from a weekend in Jacksonville where we celebrated our identical twin granddaughter’s 1st birthday!
We arrived at the airport and learned we were scheduled for an “on time” departure at 11:40 am. At 4:10 pm, we boarded (for the second time) our plane for the trip home – wheels up at about 4:30 pm with our arrival in Newark at about 6:35 pm. All of this was weather related and to their credit, the United ground personnel in Jacksonville did a very good job keeping us informed.
So, while sitting in the airport, periodically checking e-mails I reverted back to my proven “old school” approach and took at my pad and began to think with pen in hand. During my “downtime” I was able to put together some thoughts for this Wake-Up Call dealing with (as you might suspect) making best use of the time you have to be successful. Here’s my (preliminary) list: Continue reading
Most leaders “say” they want feedback, yet leaders today struggle with how to provide it in an effective and constructive way. But for our purposes today let’s focus on how you – as a leader – can ask for it and accept it.
Just in case you are wondering, no organization does the “feedback” thing perfectly. However, every company – including yours – can do a better job at soliciting it and then deciding if and how to act on it. Continue reading
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