“I recently learned some excellent ideas on communication that I can beneficially apply to my interactions with my clients.
“There are 3 different ways people view communication. The first is the 1-way interaction. The speaker speaks and the audience listens. The second is the 2-way interaction. The speaker gives information, the listener responds to the information (questions, etc.), then the speaker gives more information, and the listener responds again to that information, and so on. This second way was how I personally viewed communication with my clients. I was the information giver, they were the information getter. The success of the conversation was still on me as the information giver.
“The best form of communication is a more circular model. Both sides of the communication are equally responsible to give and receive and respond to each other. Let me give you an example.
“I previewed my client’s home and wrote out a list of things I felt could be improved to help sell the home quicker and for more money. One of those items was painting a bathroom. My clients informed me they were not going to repaint. I could have just thought, ‘I know what I’m doing…I’m the professional…you need to listen to me’.
“Instead, the appropriate response for me was to process why they responded this way, and then respond to them. Did they not have time to do it? Did they think I was insulting their choice of color? I also needed to explain why I felt it needed to be painted: Previous buyers reactions to colors, possible price decreases because of it, etc. Maybe they reacted this way because they didn’t understand me. This communication was not just a 2-step exchange. It was a fully encompassing interaction I was engaging in, an experience. Leave your expectations at the door.
“If you follow this process, it will take the burden off you as a communicator, and will let the other side know that you equally value them as a communicator. There are so many factors that go into communicating, we can never take it for granted that we are being understood or that we fully understand. Good communication is serious business, but the rewards are endless!”
