Moving Well

I grew up on Long Island and my parents were very understanding of the time I spent with my friends.
Therefore in sixth grade I traveled with my friend Wendy to a little town in Connecticut. The name of the town was Woodbury. We stayed with her grandmother and grandfather in their home on a main street. I remember the floors slanted a bit and I though the house was wonderful. When I moved to Cheshire, CT many years later I went to Woodbury and found the Wheeler house, now  a part of the historic district of town. I passed the house several times when my stepdaughter and husband moved to Woodbury and would say tell the story repeatedly about my sixth grade adventures with the Wheelers.

Since then I have moved several times. I also have moved in and out of offices and a pre-school, private kindergarten building that we owned. Moving our belongings and furniture is something that most peoples can relate to these days. However moving is decreasing. According to the census only 2.5 percent of people in the United States moved last year.

Perhaps you have moved due to a job change, marital status change, health problems, downsizing a home, less garden and upkeep. Whatever your personal reason for moving you probably remember the boxes, the friends and family that have helped you and oh yes, the pizza and fast food meals in between.#
In my Keynote Speech Live Life Every Golden Minute (and sometimes titled Taking Care of You) I speak about the Trinity of health: moving well, eating well and thinking well. I usually refer to the individual who 1. Needs to move their physical body well. 2. Understand how to move up, move over and move out when appropriate and 3. Move within the team through ideas and energy.

All of these happened during our move. My son and grandsons helped joyously and we were thankful that they could help us as we made another move to a place for people over 55, next to the town of Woodbury CT. The street we moved to is Wheeler Rd.

Carolyn Finch
Communication LifeStyle Expert

Body Language Expert

Keynote/Breakout Speaker

203-275-3133 Cell:203-512-4798
carolyn@carolynfinch.com

www.Carolynfinch.com  

The Power of Focusing on the Present.

When was the last time you were talking to someone and they pulled out their cell phone to answer a call or read an email that just pinged its presence? What was your response? Did you think to yourself, “Wow, I would never do that – very disrespectful and unprofessional.” Or did you pull out your own cell phone to check for messages and emails glad the other person reached for theirs first.
We all feel the demands of our jobs. And yes, we have technologies at our disposal that make staying in contact easier, but that’s not the same thing as connecting. Regardless of the excuse you are using – multitasking, juggling priorities, making the most out of the time you have, etc. –be prepared to admit that trying to do everything at once is NOT the best recipe for success.
Consistency builds confidence. When you apply the idea of consistency to the ways you connect with your clients, it builds their confidence in you. Here are five simple consistency solutions that will show your clients how much respect you have for them and their time:

1.  Set specific times for answering phone calls, correspondence, and email. Make sure to communicate your daily ritual to people so they'll have a good idea of when you'll be responding to them. If you absolutely have to interrupt a conversation to take a call, let the person you're speaking to know you might be interrupted before your conversation begins.

2.  When you're in a meeting shut off your portable devices and focus on the meeting. Think about the message you're sending when your phone rings (loud enough for everybody to hear) and you stand up and run out of the room like a rabbit being chased by a hound. Yes, you’re important, we get it. But is that the way you do business? Here one minute – gone the next?

3.  When you're sitting down to focus on work that needs to get done, turn off your cell phone and portable devices, and shut off the email notifications function on your computer. If you've been setting yourself up for success, your clients already know you do this. Nothing beats getting a project done early as the result of your focused thought.

4.  If you have to take calls while you're driving, commit to using a headset or speakerphone. If you need to look at notes – or take notes – please pull over. You're putting both yourself and everyone in the path of your car at risk when you don’t.

5.  Don't restrict these solutions to work. It’s just as rude to interrupt the conversations of family and friends. Turn your devices off when it’s appropriate.
Our devices may put us in contact with each other quicker, but no device can do the job of making the connection that’s necessary for building relationships. Relationships, both professional and personal, are built when you treat people with respect.

Alan Luoma is a Sales Coach and Speaker with extensive experience in industrial sales, sales management, and sales and product training. He holds key accounts with a national sustainable packaging company, is a motivational speaker, and provides sales training to individuals and groups. He is a member of the Hartford Springfield Speakers Network. You can view his profile on LinkedIn, or contact him at Luoma@snet.

HOW TO FRUSTRATE YOUR CUSTOMER

When you are out of sync with your customer’s style of presenting, you can frustrate them and lose their confidence. The greater the mismatch, the greater the frustration. 

Have you seen the television commercial of the chameleon walking past many different colors of paint, his own color changing to match it as he goes past? There is a lesson there for us~~not that I am comparing you to a lizard, you understand. Think about it this way: Good communication involves matching one’s pace and wording with the others in the conversation. While we are in customer service mode, it’s not about us.

 

On our own time, we might wish to impress our English professor with our vocabulary of esoteric, four-syllable words, or our new manager with our command of industry jargon. Talking with the customer~~client, resident, donor~~requires a different set of skills: Social skills. Pay attention to the customer’s delivery. Is it slow and chatty? Is it fast-paced and to the point? The first one, provided you are not in a crunch situation, may enjoy chatting about the weird weather we’ve had lately. The second one’s hair is on fire, so drop the small talk and pick up the extinguisher. And you will lose credibility with the one who has a good command of technical terms if you use words like “thingamabob” or “whatchamacallit.”

Just as it helps to allow your posture to reflect a customer’s body language, it helps to allow your speech to echo their vocal patterns. Do be careful; there can be a fine line between resonating with your customer versus looking or sounding as though you are consciously copying them. If you sense that your customer is receiving the wrong message, stop your attempt.

This is all about your ability to recognize, respect, and meet your customer’s needs. We, as humans, feel comfortable with those who seem similar to us, yet have the knowledge to fix our problem. Sometimes it is important to create comfort and rapport; other times action is called for, rather than niceties. Your Emotional Intelligence will guide you in the right direction. More about that in May.

Jeannie Newman of JZN Associates is the go-to person for all  
your social skills training needs. Find her at
JZNAssociates.com, or on LinkedIn. 
JZN Associates is available for guided discussions,
workshops, or seminars. Inquire about special retainer rates.