Our July meeting was a talk by Jean Hamilton-Fford on the Six Secrets of Powerful Communication. Jean runs Powered By COMMUNICATION! The meeting was held at the St. John's Centre, Merrow, near Guildford. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!"

One of the main themes of Jean's talk was to consider how we appear to others in our dealings with them. Of course, 'others' can be customers, suppliers, colleagues, staff, friends and family! In fact anyone we come into contact with.

How often do we really consider how others see us? If we do, we may be shocked!

Jean asked us to think about the following six areas...

Presence
For example when dealing with clients or staff, do we demonstrate dignity, confidence and enough gravitas to be taken seriously?

Personal Process Awareness
When we want someone to do something, how exactly do we let people know what to do? Are we clear and authorative or vague and apologetic?

Relationships
We have relationships on a business and personal level. Do people like us, believe us or put up with us?

Integrity
To demonstrate integrity we need to be seen to be consistent and principled and sometimes we have to make sacrifices.

Direct Impact
Become unforgettable - for the right reasons! How long does it take to make a first impression? And when? Sometimes even before someone meets you, they may have formed an impression from something you wrote.

Evaluation
Always value feedback. If you fail to measure the impact of your communication, you will never know if it is effective.

In summary, Jean's talk really encourages us to see oursels as ithers see us!

[By the way, in case you think your editor's had a few, I'm quoting Robbie Burns!]