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Honing your communication skills is something we never stop learning, and getting feedback on what our strengths and areas to improve are is an essential part of that learning process. However, who can genuinely say that they embrace feedback openly and positively? Who considers it a welcome part of their professional development? I would say, very few of us do!

So how can we get better at welcoming that feedback and receiving it in a more positive way rather than getting defensive? 

Both Melanie and I recognize that there are a lot of resources out there on how to give feedback effectively but very little on how to receive feedback well. 

We discuss why this might be and I was curious to ask Melanie about her background as an actor and how this has helped her in being able to receive feedback more easily. 

We also explore these questions: 

• There are a lot of feedback models and frameworks for giving feedback, which can be helpful. Are there any such frameworks to support us when receiving feedback? 
• How can we all get better at receiving feedback?  
• If you're a listener craving for some feedback at your workplace, what would be your ONE tip be for opening up that conversation with your manager?

As we've said resources out there are limited for how we can embrace feedback, so if you have any techniques and experience to share we would love to hear from you.

One resource that Melanie shares in this episode is:
https://hbr.org/2014/01/find-the-coaching-in-criticism

Connect with Melanie:
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.communicatetraining.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniestaunton/
Instagram: @communicate_training

Connect with Lisa:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasing/
Instagram: @sixcommslisa

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Being curious about different cultures is what Febronia and I have in common, so it was a pleasure to talk to her and hear about her personal and professional experiences in working and communicating with a range of people with diverse cultural backgrounds. 

It is her insatiable curiosity that drives her to connect with others, fuelling valuable conversations that lead to greater understanding and collaboration.

However, we both recognise that there is a darker side to curiosity and 
I really liked what Febronia said that sometimes we need to step back in our curiosity and listen more rather than rushing ahead to get through our agendas.

The fundamental questions we discuss in this episode are:

• How do you think conversations that are fueled by curiosity can be maintained in cross-cultural remote teams?
• What three tips do you have for those listening that are working in cross-cultural teams to ensure effective communication takes place?

We are both curious to know what you hear in this episode that you can relate to from your own experience.

As we say, there is no end to the learning and we would love for you to connect with us and share your ideas and experience!

Recommended Resources:
Linkedin for many great webinars and events by leading market research agencies (e.g.  Kantar, Ipsos)

Books by authors: Robin Sharma,  Stephen Covey, Seth Godin, Viktor Frankl

Podcast: Rebel Curiosities hosted by Pearl Lim - Episode 04: The Dark Side of Curiosity - And How To Better Connect
https://www.rebelcuriosities.com/episodes/thedarksideofcuriosity

Connect with Febronia
https://www.linkedin.com/in/febroniaruocco/

Connect with Lisa
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasing/

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This episode came about because both Mush and I listened to the interview between Steven Bartlett and Julian Treasure on The Diary of a CEO Podcast.  The title of that episode was: How to Speak so Everyone Hears You.  

In fact, unlike the title, a lot of the episode talks about the need for us all to be better listeners. Both Mush and I agree with Julian Treasure that in formal education there seems to be a neglect in developing these fundamental communication skills of speaking and listening. 

Our conversation focuses on these 3 key questions:

1. What in your view is the communication gap in the workplace now?
 

2. How can we bridge this gap?

3. What practical tips can you share on how we can be better communicators? 

Mush describes himself as extremely busy, always-on-the-go, with a strong extrovert and task-oriented preference. He openly shares how he manages to resist the temptation to jump in and share his ideas when trying to better communicate with his team. This episode is jam-packed with anecdotes, self-reflection and tools that have helped Mush in his workplace and the reasons why he started the Workabuddy Community to help those transitioning from education to the workplace and those already working but feeling a little lost.

What gaps in communication have you noticed in your workplace?

We would love to hear from you, so please connect with us!

Connect with Mush on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mushtaq-osmani/

Find out more about the amazing Workabuddy community: https://workabuddy.com/

Mush’s favourite podcasts:

1. Akimbo - by Seth Godin
2. Diary of A CEO - by Steven Bartlett (Julian Treasure Interview)
3. Impact Theory - by Tom Bilyeu
4. On Purpose - by Jay Shetty
5. Unlocking Us - by Brene Brown

Mush’s favourite books:

1. Linchpin - by Seth Godin
2. Atomic Habits - by James Clear
3. The Advice Trap - by Michael Bungay Stanier
4. The Squiggly Career - by Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis
5. Dream Teams - by Shane Snow

Mush recommends these tools:

1. Free 360 self-development questionnaire - get feedback from others:
https://www.typeform.com/templates/t/360-degree-feedback/
2. Useful guide for remote meetings - learn how to communicate remotely:

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/remote-meetings.html

3. Free personality profile questionnaire - understand your personality preferences:
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Connect with Lisa
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasing/
Instagram: @sixcommslisa

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Both Nick and I love this quote by Stephen Covey which is "seek first to understand, and then to be understood,” this is critical when trying to develop positive relationships and essential when negotiating. Nick shares that nowadays the phrase, people do business with people they know, like and trust needs to be extended to people invest in other people when they believe you understand them and this can only be achieved by really listening and inquiring.

I confess to Nick that negotiating is a little scary for me and I think many of us run into blocks or challenges along the negotiating process, so I ask Nick to share some of the more common challenges and how to overcome them.

I was particularly curious when Nick said: "negotiations are dependent on tension," so I asked him what he meant by this and he talks about the competitive dynamic and the collaborative dynamic, be sure to listen out for that. This episode is jam-packed with valuable tips, real-life examples and experience plus a lot of valuable resources that will help you become a more effective negotiator. 

Resources Nick recommends:

Websites:

• The Black Swan Group - https://www.blackswanltd.com/the-edge
• Red Bear Negotiation - https://www.redbearnegotiation.com/blog/

Books:

• Stephen Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss
• Exactly What To Say - Phil M Jones
• How to Listen - Oscar Trimboli

Connect with Nick: LinkedIn

Connect with Lisa: LinkedIn

Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/
Email: [email protected]

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My curiosity was sparked when I saw a link to a communication personality type quiz Mel posted on LinkedIn.  Like a lot of people, I can’t resist a personality quiz so I completed the quiz and was even more curious to discover that I was a "Lone Brainstormer."  

In this episode, Mel will share more on what it means to be a "Lone Brainstormer" and all the other 7 communication personality types.  But more importantly than that, she will share how knowing your communication personality type and the type of your colleagues can help you connect and develop better working relationships and more impactful communication.

The fundamental question that Mel answers in this episode is when you’re working in a team with a diverse range of communication personalities, both introverts and extroverts, how do you ensure you connect and tailor your communication to suit all those different needs?

If like me, you’re curious to know what communication personality type you have...

Why don’t you take Mel’s quiz:

https://www.heymelcomms.training/communication-personality-type-quiz

Connect with Mel

LinkedIn

Instagram

Mel’s Podcast - Less Chatter, More Matter
https://lesschattermorematter.buzzsprout.com/

Connect with Lisa
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasing/
Instagram: @sixcommslisa

Support the show

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Jill's post on LinkedIn entitled 'The Gravitas Cocktail,' caught my attention and brought her here today.

If you’re looking to speak with more authority and gravitas then this episode is definitely for you! Jill will unpack the six essential ingredients to make a flavorful and perfectly-balanced “Gravitas Cocktail” that you can use in ensuring you connect deeply with your audience the next time you lead a meeting or make a presentation. 

Stay till the end because Jill answers this question: If you were to create just one shot with one ingredient for communicating with more gravitas and credibility, what would that one ingredient be?

Check out Jill's LinkedIn article that inspired this episode: The 'Gravitas Cocktail' Article

Connect with Jill Ellul:

LinkedIn

Website: https://www.meetmojoco.com/

Instagram: @mojoco_innovation

Connect with Lisa:

LinkedIn

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/

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In this episode, I delve into one of The Six Cs of Effective Communication which is Curiosity. I draw inspiration from the book "The Squiggly Career" by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis, who explore how nurturing curiosity can future-proof your career. 

You will get practical tips that you can use for yourself and with your team that will be sure to ignite curiosity, such as what Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis call "Meerkat Moments" to stay aware of things happening outside of your organisation and using the hashtag #StayCurious in team communications.

This episode is for you if you want to learn how curiosity can enhance your communication skills and foster more engaging conversations and therefore more meaningful connections.

Connect with me:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasing/
Instagram: @sixcommslisa

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I was drawn to a phrase Victoria uses a lot which is Communicating with Agility.  Or, in other words Agile Communication.  She works with mid to senior level professionals who are often working in English as their second language and they would like to strive for perfect communication.  But as she quite rightly points out we can’t become a TedTalk speaker every time we communicate with our stakeholders at work and let’s face it that style is often not the most appropriate style to use!

What is a communication agility mindset?  Victoria says a good starting point is to ask yourself: What are your communication strengths & areas to improve? Often we are very self-critical and don’t realize our strengths and miss those areas in which we can improve.

Once we have thought about ourselves, we need to turn our attention to thinking about others.  How can we best serve our audience?

We both work with clients who struggle with their confidence.  And I agree with Victoria that confidence is a journey.  I like how she compares it to a bowl of spaghetti.  And, I think the world of communication has become even more complex when we think of the virtual channel. So Communication Agility is now about:

• How to build virtual presence and connection?
• What intercultural differences should we be mindful of?
• How can we bring out the best in people so that everyone has a voice and is heard?
• What individual behaviours have we been noticing and how should we adjust our behaviour?

Stay until the end as Victoria shares her 3 top tips on becoming a more agile communicator and you won’t want to miss her PSS tool that’s so helpful when your communication goes wrong.  I think I’ve used this tool quite a number of times in my career so thank you Victoria for giving me the acronym for it!

Connect with Victoria Rennoldson:

LinkedIn

Website:www.culturecuppa.com

Podcast:https://culturecuppa.com/podcast/

YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@culture-cuppa

Connect with Lisa:

LinkedIn

Email:[email protected]

Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lisa-partridge5/message

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In this episode, Sorelle shares with us some top tips on how to approach and write your Linkedin Profile, CV and Cover Letter.  I love the way Sorelle describes the LinkedIn profile as your “digital body language”.

If you want to grab the attention of potential employers or professionals to network with, make sure you listen to the top tips on how to craft an effective headline and about section. Also, don’t forget the banner photo which Sorelle likens to wearing a blazer at an interview.

We also talk about how we can make a CV persuasive and eye-catching, and what are personal statements and key words, should we include them and how should they be written with impact?

Sorelle feels passionately that you should always, when given the chance, include a cover letter as that’s your additional opportunity to pitch yourself!  Listen out for the tip on how you should approach a cover letter it’s counter-intuitive but powerful.

Stay till the end because Sorelle shares her tips for elevating your writing from just ok to great.

If you’re looking for a new role or you want to create a more attention-grabbing LinkedIn profile, this episode is for you!

Connect with Dr. Sorelle Henricus:

LinkedIn

Website: www.executive-writer.com

Book a free 30-min consult:
https://executivewriter.as.me/

Recommended Resources:

• Tool for writing resumes: https://www.themuse.com/advice/185-powerful-verbs-that-will-make-your-resume-awesome
• Compare your resume and the job ad you're applying for: https://www.jobscan.co/
• Indeed Career Guide: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice

Connect with Lisa:

LinkedIn

Email:[email protected]

Website: https://www.sixcomms.org/

Support the show

https://www.sixcomms.org/

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This episode comes at the start of a New Year and what better time to start thinking about our personal brand and how we want to communicate that to the world.  So what is a personal brand?  Darren thinks it’s: “how you project yourself, your values and how you want the world to perceive you.”

Thinking about your personal brand might seem too big a task and perhaps a bit overwhelming, but I agree with Darren in what he says that spending a couple of days on it, sharing it with some friends and writing it down onto a maximum of two pages is a great way to start.

Some questions we discuss include:

• How do we know we are clearly communicating our personal brand, and doing so in an authentic way?
• Is a personal brand something fixed or does it evolve?
• If you’d like to re-look at your personal brand or start working on it, what 3 steps should you take?

Darren shares openly and with personal insight his own learning journey when reflecting on, enhancing and becoming more confident in what his values are and how he would like to show up and communicate his personal brand.

We hope this episode inspires you to either get started or have a re-look at your personal brand and perhaps seek some feedback from others. 

Connect with Darren:

LinkedIn

Recommended Resource:

Reinventing You by Dorie Clark

Connect with Lisa:

LinkedIn

Email: [email protected]

Support the show

https://www.sixcomms.org/