Say, What? Productive Communication

In this episode of The Efficiency Advantage Podcast, Coach Juli Shulem explores the power of productive communication and how it directly impacts efficiency, leadership, workplace relationships, and overall success.

Learn practical communication strategies for handling emails, Slack messages, presentations, workplace requests, difficult conversations, and team collaboration with greater clarity and confidence. Julie shares actionable tips on responding professionally, asking clarifying questions, managing urgency, improving presentation skills, and communicating more effectively under pressure.

Whether you’re a manager, team member, entrepreneur, or professional looking to improve workplace communication and productivity, this episode will help you reduce misunderstandings, build stronger relationships, and become more reliable and respected in your organization.

Tune in to discover how better communication can improve productivity, reduce stress, and create stronger personal and professional connections.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Are you ready to finally break free from overwhelm, procrastination, and burnout? If you're ready to focus on what truly matters and create momentum to reach and exceed your goals in business and in life, then this podcast is for you. Welcome to the Efficiency Advantage, the podcast where clarity meets action and purpose that fuels your progress. So here's world-class productivity expert and your host, Coach Julie.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Welcome back to the Efficiency Advantage Podcast. I'm Julie Shulam, your host, and this episode of Productive Communication should enlighten you when communicating in various situations. Over the course of my life thus far, I've encountered so many situations that were affected by the words chosen and the way in which they are used. Since this podcast is all about efficiency and productivity, it would be rather negligent of me to not speak about communication and how it relates to being more efficient. Because when you think about it, how many times in your life has time and even money been wasted due to poor communication and lack of clarity or simply no communication at all? While working with a client this week, we were discussing communication and how his needs some work. His boss has indicated that if he really wants to move ahead and be better and faster, then he is going to have to be able to communicate better. He has to slow down and speak more clearly. And also he needs to be more timely in his responses. So we started to discuss ways in which he can communicate better and also slow down enough so that people can understand him. Now, many of my clients have an accent. You might know someone who has an accent that you work with, and you might be that person. Be mindful of the fact that you might need to slow down a little bit more so that people can understand the words properly. Now, like many other clients I've worked with in the past, this particular person also needs to give presentations periodically on the work that he is doing. And that has to be presented to often higher-up executives as well as other stakeholders. So he needs to be on his game. And many of my clients have had to do this. So when a client is struggling with being able to give a good clear presentation, particularly particularly because they are not comfortable speaking out loud, and at the same time, they might be somewhat introverted. This is going to be maybe a little more challenging for them. So I'm going to break this whole concept down into different categories to help you consider how you can improve your communication and how you can make this something that becomes more consistent and easy for you. So let's talk about the different modes of communication, first of all. We're obviously speaking here, as I have just discussed. Also, we are communicating many times via email, in addition to other such written communication, such as messaging on Slack or other channels of this nature. Now, some organizations have an expectation that responses will be returned or given in a certain time frame. It's important to understand what those time frames are at the organization you work at so that you do not hinder a project from moving forward when working with a team by not responding on time. Now, based on what I've heard many clients share, if you receive a message via Slack or some other messaging platform, it's expected that you respond relatively quickly. Now, one thing that could really help is if you happen to be the person sending a message, indicate a time frame in which you need a response. And if it's not urgent, then indicate that it's not urgent so this doesn't cause unnecessary stress on the recipient. Many times people put something on their own list and then they go ahead and message the person who they're going to be delegating to or making a request of because they want to check it off of their list. But it may not be as urgent as the recipient thinks it is. So the kind thing to do is to make sure that you are indicating the urgency or time frame of a matter so that the recipient can plan their time properly and integrate that new task into their schedule appropriately. Let's dive into urgent requests a little bit more here. How many times do you jump to do something when asked? Assuming everything is urgent because it's been delegated to you or put on your plate? Many people I speak with confess that they assume that requests that they receive are meant to be handled immediately. Drop everything, do it now. But be careful not to jump to accommodate or commit too quickly. Instead, ask questions. Here are some steps you can take. Firstly, always acknowledge that you at least receive the communication, whether that's an email, a message, whatever, as quickly as possible. Now, if you cannot respond immediately and you've acknowledged it, say that you will get back to them. Then immediately add that to your task list to respond to that message and schedule a day and a time to do so. Otherwise, you will not be seen as responsible if that ends up going off your radar. Now, secondly, if you can respond right then, say something like this Hey, I received your request for the data specs on the project. Can you give me a time frame you need this within? Or I can absolutely provide the data specs requested. May I get that to you Thursday before end of day, for example? So be really specific and clear. Both options here are asking for clarity as well as the urgency of the request. Just because someone asks something of you doesn't mean they expect you to drop everything and do it right away. But what if it is urgent and you are expected to pivot and handle this new task? Okay, let's say this is your superior asking. Then you can say something like this I am happy to jump into that project right away. Which of the other tasks I'm working on should I stop working on? Now, while this may sound like pushback, it is realistic because you are starting with a positive statement that you are happy to do what is being asked of you. And you're stating that something has to give. Without complaining, without making excuses, and without declining, you are stating kindly that while you are able to tackle this new task, there is no time to add it in and keep going with all the other items that you've been given. So simply get clarity by asking for it. Now, if this is a team member or peer and you want to remain a team member, then you can say something like this I'm happy to work on that project. What is the timeline of this so that I can see where to integrate it with my other prior commitments? Again, get clarity about the urgency of the new task, and then you can see where it fits in with relationship to those already on your plate. Now, in either case, take time to assess the actual deadline and the expectations of each request. Then schedule time in your calendar to work on fulfilling the request. I always recommend overestimating the time you think it will take so that you're able to follow through. And meeting expectations in these circumstances will generally bring future rewards. If you consistently deliver on time, you will gain the reputation of being reliable, and believe me, that goes a long way in the minds of others. Now, what if you get a request that you disagree with? This can be a tough one. Here is something to consider in order to gain alignment with the person making the request, especially if it's your superior. Again, ask a question. More specifically, ask a clarifying question. This makes you sound in agreement, even if you may not be yet. It also makes you sound collaborative versus defensive. Here's an example. Let's say your boss says, I need you to create a report outlining all the directives for the project by Thursday. And let's say you think that is a complete waste of time at this stage of the project. Instead of pushing back, you could say, I can absolutely do that. Now keep in mind, this is non-committal. You haven't said will, just can. And you can complete the sentence with, What do you want this report to accomplish? Now you're starting a conversation. You haven't actually committed to doing anything, but you're asking clarifying questions that will help you to get to the root of the issue. And perhaps there will come a part in the conversation when you can suggest an alternative. Now, before immediately going on the defensive, gather information. See how this works for you. I'm going to share a little bit about communicating in speaking situations or when giving a presentation. Several clients I've worked with find this very stressful, not just due to having to speak to others, but the fear of looking like they don't know what they're talking about. I worked with a senior developer within a large corporation. She was extremely shy and lacked confidence in her knowledge. The reality was she's actually brilliant and highly regarded within her company. We discussed how she was perceived by others based on the comments and praise she was given frequently. When she was asked to give a presentation to some senior level stakeholders, she was really nervous. And we worked on how she could communicate clearly and not be stressed out about the experience beforehand. I reminded her that she was the expert in this situation. And the reason that she was asked to speak was because she had information nobody else did, and they needed to learn from her. It took a couple of presentations for her to start to see the reality and truth of this. And soon she was able to begin speaking with more authority. One of the concerns and fears of many people I work with when they are giving a presentation is that they're afraid of being unable to answer a question when that's posed during a presentation. Here are a few ways you can handle that situation. First, brainstorm ahead of time potential questions you might be asked before the presentation even begins. This will not only just improve your efficiency and foster the meeting moving along, but you'll be less anxious during the QA time. The more prepared you are, the better you will feel presenting. Some people speak way too quickly when nervous, and some don't know when to stop talking altogether. So practice your talk and anticipate potential questions so you're prepared. Now, what if you are asked a question that you do have the answer to? Awesome. Acknowledge the person's question. Just say, that's a great question. This makes the person who asked it feel confident and comfortable. Next, share the essentials to answer the question. Don't over speak. If more clarity is needed, it will be asked for. Speaking too much and just going off on tangents, one can bore the attendees, thus they might just completely check out. Two, it could almost insult their intelligence. Assume people get it without you needing to over talk and go into excessive detail. If it's needed, it'll be asked for. Next, what if you are asked a question that you don't have the answer to? Don't freak out. If you get asked something you truly don't have an answer to, there is no harm here. Respond with something like this. That's a great question. You know, let me get back to you on that. And then write a handwritten note that they see you writing, if possible, if you're in person, to yourself to address that question and to whom you are to reply to. When others see you make this note, they'll feel that they are not only being taken seriously, but they'll have more confidence that you're going to follow through. And then be sure to follow through. Now, a little bit about written communication. If you get something and you are you do not respond in a in a reasonable period of time, start your response back by thank you for your patience. This is a wonderful way of just acknowledging that they had to wait, and you are thanking them in advance before you respond. So that's that's a really wonderful way of handling an email that you did not get on top of quickly enough. Don't apologize, it puts you in a in a negative place, and this actually would put you in a more positive position. Just thank you for your patience and then go into responding. Some general rules that you can follow in just communicating overall. I learned something from a brilliant contract attorney in a wonderful way to handle a situation when you are maybe negotiating something and you're asking for something of another person. Allow me to share this really quick story. So we were traveling with some friends, and one of them was a very successful attorney. We and we arrived at the hotel that we were staying at or supposed to stay at, but we were not pleased at all. And we were not wanting to stay there, so we found another one that we can go to right away. And we basically went up to the front desk and we let the attorney speak because he was just really wonderful at communicating. And he stated very calmly and politely that we wanted to cancel the reservation immediately and get a refund. And of course, we knew this was against their policy because there were no cancellations at that late of a date. But the hotel actually did not deliver as promised. It was subpar by a lot. So he simply said very nicely, we are not pleased. This is not what we were expecting, and we would like to cancel the reservation and get a refund. He smiled and he waited. It was an uncomfortable amount of time as I was observing what he was doing, but I learned a great lesson. He patiently waited as the front desk woman decided how to handle the situation. She did counter back with letting him know that this was a non-refundable reservation. He then said, Yes, I understand that, and we would like to get a refund and cancel this reservation. So he basically just reiterated what he had stated the first time, and then he was silent. He did not waver from this silence, and he stuck to this request. He did not speak again. The lesson that was learned here is that the next person who speaks will generally lose. He was kind, he was polite, and the reservation was canceled, and the refund was given. Here's another situation. Have you ever heard about the difference between using but versus and in a sentence? Many times when we say something and then continue with but, what that essentially does is diminish or delete what was said immediately prior to the word but. It discounts what we just said, and what follows is what the listeners hear. However, if you replace the word but with and, it is much more positive overall. Here's an example. Let's say you're having to decline a request or invitation to something. How would you respond? Would you say this? I would love to, but I have something else going on. Do you hear how the word but discounts the phrase, I would love to? How does this sound instead? I wish I could, and it sounds so fun. And while I can't attend this time, I look forward to getting together another time instead. This was beautiful. Think of how you would have felt receiving that response versus the first one. Another example, I read this review for a product. Very intricate, but rewarding at the end. The word butt here makes the comment it was very intricate, sound like a bad thing. For some, that may be a very good thing. Maybe they like things that are intricate. Maybe that was a goal. So from this comment, the takeaway was that the person found the experience too intricate for her and that it was rewarding nonetheless. What would you have ascertained if she had written very intricate and rewarding? My takeaway is that it was detailed and rewarding and not just at the end. I would think twice about doing that project if I had to wait until the very end to experience joy. I would want the process to be enjoyable too. I hope that you got some really nice takeaways of ways that you can improve your communication, not just how you say something, but what you say. So think about some of these ideas the next time you are communicating to someone or receiving a communication and how you wish to respond. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Efficiency Advantage podcast. Please subscribe if you haven't done so. Share it with anyone that you think would benefit from hearing this podcast. I love sharing the information that I have gleaned over my 30 plus years as a coach and consultant. Thank you for listening and have a productive day.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

So that's it for today's episode of The Efficiency Advantage. Head on over to Apple Podcasts iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show. One lucky listener every single week that posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will win a chance the grand prize drawing to win a private VIP day with Coach Julie herself. Be sure to head on over to the EfficiencyAdvantage.com and pick up a free copy of Coach Julie's gift. And join us on the next episode.