Spooky Time Thief No. 5 – Bad Communication

Do you remember playing the game called “telephone” when you were a kid? You sat in a line and one person whispered a piece of information to the person next to him or her and it passed from child to child until it reached the end of the line. The kid sitting at the end had to repeat what he/she heard out loud.

The result? The final statement rarely ended up being the same as the first. It’s fine when it’s a simple story or something nonessential. But it becomes a spooky time thief when words are twisted and bad communication results.

And in this day of multiple channels of communicating – text, email, phone, chat, etc. – bad communication is shared even more than ever. And it can cost you time and money.

It’s not an easy task, but it starts with good listening. Here are a few ways to ensure you catch bad communication before it catches you in a time warp:So, how do you catch this spooky time thief and reduce bad communications?

1. Reply back to the person who sent you an email and confirm the dates, times, etc. 
2. Relay back what you just heard on phone calls and in conversations. Take notes and review them when you are adding items to your calendar or prospect file.
3. Keep emails, texts and other e-communications short and to the point.
4. Always confirm appointments, get directions and clarify questions before meetings.

These four tips won’t save you from bad communication all the time, but they will greatly reduce the chance that you encounter bad communications. And any time you can do that, you’ll save time.

Action Item: Plagued by bad communications in your business? Check out two training resources – Ambit Pro Inviter Series and Brilliant Communicator Series.