(William Whyte)
Submitted by Gary Hernbroth, Chief Motivating Officer, Training for Winners
Amid all of the post-pandemic commerce being done in this industry via new group bookings and the resurgence of industry gatherings and events, many people are still bemoaning the fact that it’s still very tough to build and maintain relationships.
I hear this every week from event professionals and hospitality colleagues alike. People seem insulated, hard to reach, hard to get responses from on a timely basis, and the difficulty of breaking through the wall with many e-leads is still a daunting task in certain cases.
In other words, communication is still clunky in many places.
Who or what is to blame? No one thing, certainly, and maybe everything. I don’t like the “blame game,” it’s not one you can win. Rather, let’s admit that we all could do a better job and that the fix belongs to all of us. Truly, this axiom applies; “If it is to be, it’s up to me.”
Here is my short list for improving communication immediately:
- Pick up the phone: Just today I got a call out of the blue from someone who wanted to pick my brain on a business idea stemming from a recent podcast that I did. We didn’t know each other and he just took a shot and picked up the phone. We are now going to work on a project together to help both of us with new business opportunities. The phone is NOT dead!
- Return phone messages, emails, texts, etc. Don’t ghost people. The Golden Rule works best for great communication. It takes nanoseconds to type a reply and hit the reply key. That way, the other party doesn’t feel ignored.
- Write and speak clearly: Say what you mean clearly, both verbally and in writing. Don’t tap dance around a topic or complicate the uncomplicated, thereby forcing others to figure out what you are trying to convey.
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