Your Next Clear Move
Welcome to Your Next Clear Move™—the podcast for leaders, professionals, and high-capacity humans who are done “getting ready” and ready to move.
I’m Debbie Peterson, Leadership Readiness Expert, and in each episode I deliver grounded insight, clarity-driven mindset strategies, and one actionable step to help you stop the drift and lead yourself forward.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting to what matters—and making decisions that align with who you are and how you want to lead next.
Subscribe for weekly clarity drops that fuel your next level—with confidence.
Your Next Clear Move
Communicate Like You Mean It: Why Great Communication Is a Choice
Your words are only half the message; the way you show up does the rest. Today we unpack how small, intentional choices turn everyday conversations into engines of trust, clarity, and action. Instead of reacting from habit, we focus on what people need, how tone shapes outcomes, and why curiosity is the quickest path to influence.
We break down the real cost of rushed messages and scattered meetings, especially when technology makes it tempting to text instead of talk. I share the FROM framework—Family/Friends, Recreation, Occupation, and Money-as-Values—as a simple way to build genuine connection without scripts or awkward small talk. You’ll learn how to ask questions that open minds, reflect back what you heard to confirm alignment, and adjust tone and timing so people feel seen and respected.
This conversation also explores how teams mirror a leader’s communication style. When we’re hurried, unclear, or defensive, our teams follow suit. When we slow down and aim for understanding, trust grows and execution gets cleaner. You’ll walk away with a weekly challenge to reconnect with one person you find hard to reach, plus practical prompts to model curiosity in your next meeting. Communicate like you mean it, and you’ll create the conditions where ideas flow, problems surface earlier, and decisions stick.
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Hey, hello, and welcome back. I am Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity Podcast, your next clear move. And today we are talking about communication, a huge topic. But I want to help you communicate like you mean it. And I'm going to give you tips and strategies to do just that. So stay tuned. Welcome to the Getting to Clarity Podcast.
SPEAKER_02:The place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life.
SPEAKER_01:Here's your host, Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity.
SPEAKER_00:All right, well, what are we talking about? Well, we're talking about communication. You know, we all know what bad communication feels like, right? We've all been victims of it. We've all experienced it. You know, you're in a conversation with someone, the message gets lost, they are uh off in a zillion different directions. It's like hurting cats, you don't know what they're saying, or maybe you're in a conversation and the tone is off, like there's something there in the tone that's pushing on you. And, you know, then before you know it, everybody is frustrated, they are defensive, or they've just checked out, they've just tuned out, right? And the funny part is that we all know what makes someone a great communicator and what makes someone awful at it. The problem isn't that we don't know better, it's that we don't always choose to do better. That's what this is really about. Great communication isn't luck. It's not like you're born with it or not, it's not a personality thing, it's a choice, it is a mindset, it's deciding in every conversation to connect with someone with intention instead of reacting or responding out of habits, most likely bad habits. Because here's the deal how we show up when we communicate decides whether people are going to trust us, whether as leaders they want to follow us or even keep working with us, right? So I think that today things have gotten harder. You know, we live in a world where it is so easy to text or email or message easier than it is to actually talk to someone face to face. Technology makes everything quick, but sometimes it makes it too quick. You know, we've crawled into our phones and out of real conversation. We're losing the art of just sitting across from someone, noticing them, asking questions, listening to their answers, and frankly, caring enough to just get past the service. Communication isn't just words, it's what turns understanding what you glean in a conversation into results, into the right action. And for leaders, listening with that care builds trust. It increases your influence and it definitely increases your impact. So here's why this even matters. Poor communication is going to destroy trust faster than anything else because it causes confusion. It gets people frustrated, and therefore there are missed opportunities. And people notice, they watch you as a leader. Your team notices how you speak, not just the words, but the tone and your physiology. They notice how you show up, they notice how clear you are. And here's the deal: they take their cue from you. So you reap what you sow with your team. So let's make this very practical. I have a tool, it's one of my favorite tools. I call it the FROM framework. And what it is, is getting to know where people are coming from. And from is an acronym, and it's a way to build simple human connection. F is for family, friends, asking the people you are wanting to get to know better, perhaps people on your team, who are the people that matter to them? Are their family close by? Are they from a big family? Uh, you know, what do they and their friends like to do? Uh, any question that isn't, you know, too invasive, but it's just asked in the genuine spirit of curiosity and wanting to get to know a person. R is recreation. What do they do for fun outside of work? What do they enjoy doing outside of work? Is it hiking or exercising or spending time with their family or um going to wine tastings like me uh or cooking? You know, um, what is it that they enjoy when they're not working? O is occupation. Now, if you lead them, you know what their occupation is, and that's such a boring question anyway. What is it that you do? But what are they proud of? What do they love about what they do? What is exciting them about what they do? Those are great questions to learn more. M is for money, but not like you think. You're not going to ask someone what they make, besides if you are leading them, you already know. Um, but asking someone about money can be a rapport breaker. And what you're doing is you're noticing what they value. Uh, do they like the car that they drive? Maybe you're looking to get a car. Um, what are the books they might recommend? You know, uh, what are the hobbies that they spend um their resources on? Uh, you know, what's a movie that they have seen that they really enjoyed? Those are things that they've invested money in, um, and likely they found value from it. So you can learn from that and just see where the conversation goes. It's about starting the conversation and figuring out where you have opportunity to connect. Now, you don't need a list of questions, you just need to show up with curiosity. And when you ask with real interest and you listen to understand, then you get to build connection and connection builds trust. So good communicators don't um just wing it, they choose how they're going to approach, they slow down, they think about what the other person needs, they think about um the questions that they're going to ask, maybe. They listen to understand, not just to reply. They adjust their tone, their timing, their words to fit the moment and the person. And they don't talk at people, they talk with them because the way you communicate shapes the space that you create. And people want to feel seen, heard, valued. Show them that they are. That's your opportunity. And if you lead a team, remember this they're watching you. If you're rushed, um, if you are um reacting maybe from those bad habits, if you're not clear, well, likely that's how they're gonna show up the same way. But if you stay calm, if you're more clear, if you're more intentional, then they're gonna follow you your lead. They're gonna try, you know. So so try this. Model curiosity in your next meeting. Ask open-ended questions and just instead of yes or no questions, acknowledge ideas, even if you don't agree, just to see where they're gonna go. What's the thinking behind it? You get to learn something when you ask those questions. And these are small choices that can really make a big difference. So here's something I'd like you to try this week. Think of one person on your team that maybe you've had trouble connecting with. Don't try to go into fix-it mode, but just get curious. Use the from framework to start a real conversation. Ask, listen, learn. You really might be surprised how much changes when your goal is to understand instead of to persuade. So, bottom line, great communication doesn't just happen, it's a choice. Every conversation is a chance to connect, to really understand people, and to build trust. So your next clear move is simple: choose connection, choose curiosity, and choose clarity. So communicate like you mean it because that is where your leadership begins. And if this message resonates with you, I'd love for you to check out my keynote, communicate like you mean it, and other leadership readiness programs that I offer. You can find them on my website at www.debypetersonspeaks.com. Because, hey, great leadership, great communication, they both start with clarity. Be good to yourself and bye-bye for now.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity Podcast with Debbie Peterson.
SPEAKER_02:If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcast.
SPEAKER_01:To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit Debbie PetersonSpeaks.com.
