Changing communication styles for great outcomes

Recently I have been working with a wonderful client who had gone through a very hard time at work. The department he worked in was very stressful, with a lot of conflict within the team. My client’s health was affected and his performance at work suffered.

After a short period of sick leave, being treated for stress, he received a very poor annual review, which he believed impacted on his personal brand and within the organisation. He requested a transfer to another team, which meant he could re-build his personal brand, although he’d be involved in new skills and have to be up to speed quickly.

One of the skill areas  highlighted in the appraisal was communication and impact skills, and I was engaged to work with the client on these areas. I discovered an individual who had lost all confidence in his abilities. His body language was very closed; his voice very weak and as a result he was invisible in meetings and in the office. I am certain he had invaluable contributions to make to projects but he was being undervalued and not demonstrating how good he was to others.

During our time together we worked on a number of key skills including:

• Having a more open body language

• Projecting the voice

• Creating a strong, audible voice that people will listen to and take note of

• Using more positive, impactful language: rather than “I think” to “I believe” in the first instance

• Positive eye contact

• Exercises in being present in conversations including meetings

• Body language and posture when in the office

As  a result I am delighted to report, the client has now received his next six monthly review and all his hard work has been noted. He is making a significant impact in his new team and his confidence and performance has increased. This is what he said to me:

I expected this [training] to help me look and start to feel more confident, what I didn’t expect was to feel an increase my self-belief and self-worth. I felt really understood, listened to and encouraged to make improvements. I didn’t anticipate this and it’s made the whole experience completely priceless.

Of course I am absolutely delighted for my client. He did the Professional Presence Programme If you would like to discuss doing this course or other training I offer contact me. or call 08000938464. I would love to transform your presence and impact too!