I was talking to a friend recently about our excellent guide on my tour in Greece. My friend suggested that his communication skills would make a good blogpost. Why?
Because he practiced the classic method of communicating a message. Say it once. Say it again. Say it a third time. Kriton has perfected this method with his friendly, cheerful attitude. We never felt demeaned by the repetitions because he infused his messages with courtesy.
The evening before a trip to an archeological site or a vineyard, he would "just" preview the timing of the schedule, for example, breakfast, getting on the bus, arriving at the site, leaving the site, lunch, free time, return to the hotel. The next day on the bus, he would give us the details of the day, being the same sequence, only now examined in the light of day. On arriving at the site, he would "remind" us of the sequence once again, to ensure everyone enjoyed their day without worry.
Attitude is the foundation of communication. Kriton considered his reiterations a matter of professionalism in helping strangers get the most from their holiday. In management, repetition is equally important. Only our own delivery of our messages can cause our staff to roll their eyes and mutter, "not again!". If our mind is thinking rude thoughts about needing to repeat information, our voice and body language will communicate those negative thoughts. If we are thoughtful about the beneficial aspects of reinforcing our message, our voice and phrasing will communicate in a positive manner.
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