I write often here in the Home Business Blog about communication—how to communicate well with customers, clients, prospects and vendors. We’ve talked about different types of words that work well and how to negotiate sales and contracts—not to mention how body language can affect our abilities to be effective in our businesses. But, after being in a store over the weekend and hearing an employee who just wouldn’t stop talking (and he was talking loudly too), I thought it might be a good idea to mention that, yes, a person CAN talk too much and too loudly in the business world…
Making sales pitches and presentations is still conversation—this means that you are entering into a dialogue with the other person (and they get to talk too). In fact, some of the best sales people and negotiators I have known have been the best listeners. They weren’t necessarily big talkers (and definitely were not loud), but they really paid attention to the subtleties and were able to decipher exactly what a customer wanted. It takes the ability to know when to talk and share information and when to just be quiet and attentively listen to do this well.
I’m not trying to beat anybody up here and I do know that some of us tend to talk more (and faster and louder) when we get nervous. There are others of us who are uncomfortable with “dead air” and breaks in a conversation—especially with a stranger or a prospect. But I do think we can practice these skills and learn new ways of communicating—for the sake of our businesses. You can try practicing in non-pressure situations—at the family dinner table or at a comfortable social gathering. Try to pay attention to how you talk in different situations and see if you can identify if you tend to talk too much or too loudly or too softly. You can then work on making yourself a more effective communicator before you are in a high-pressure sales or business situation.
See Also: Start With Something Pleasant