This post continues with finding ways to rid your vocabulary of “What else was I supposed to say?” when it comes to communication.
Scenario 4:
You work at a small, specialized tech consulting company and are meeting with a big name client with whom you have a contract. Your services are unique, and you know that no one else in India offers the same kind of quality service you do. The client calls you in for an important meeting and wants you to advance the dates of your deliverables by two weeks. How do you approach the meeting?
Scenario 5:
You lead a large team in India and travel to visit them often. On one trip, you attend a team building off-site event with all of your Indian colleagues. The event is ok, but you have just come in from an international flight and could really use some time by yourself to rest and get over a light cold that you acquired. Just before the afternoon break, the event organizer announces that she thinks it is a good idea for everyone to go together for an hour-long bus trip to a local temple. She asks if anyone has any objections. What is the best way to decline?
Scenario 6:
You oversee a team that has been working on a lagging project for the last year. They are having trouble meeting deadlines, and their work is often sent back due to errors in the quality. One of the underperforming members of the team tells you he has been offered a job at a new company at a higher salary and is demanding that you meet it or he will leave. How will you respond?
Hopefully, these scenarios help you expand the way you look at situations, and you will never be able to say “What else was I supposed to say?” However, just answering these scenarios correctly is not enough to broaden your Communication Comfort Zone. You must practice them, and see how they work for you. When you are in a situation and know that your zone may not align with someone else’s, intentionally try a new style and see what happens!
Photo Credit: sigsegv on Flickr
