Tag: communication

“Communication is a very important skill for founders — in fact, I think this is the most important rarely-discussed founder skill.

Tech startups need at least one founder who can build the company’s product or service, and at least one founder who is (or can become) good at sales and talking to users.” — Sam Altman

While engineering a product is essential to building a company, conveying that idea is just as important.

I think every present or potential founder should make a purposeful, significant effort toward becoming a better communicator. You can learn to communicate and sell in so many different ways, oftentimes coming from the most unconventional of means.

I first started paying close attention to my communication skills when I was building my first business, selling produce at farmers’ markets and to restaurants, hotels, and distributors. I was forced to take a close look at how I communicated because the business depended on it. Of all the things I learned with this venture, the importance of communication in sales may have been the most valuable. I was able to improve our business, grow from just one booth to 9+ different locations, hire 10+ people, and distribute across the community. I trace this success back to hard work and lots of practice communicating our product.

Communication: The most under-prioritized skill

1. Understand your product

My story is a great example of the effect you can have by simply better understanding your product.

At my farmers’ market booth, I sold tons of different things. At the time, I was a 15-year-old high schooler from the suburbs of Scottsdale, Arizona. What the heck did I know about hydroponic produce, let alone specialized house plants? The truth is, nothing. But I learned, because I needed to if I wanted to sell anything. Whether it’s the internship you’ve always wanted or the business you’ve been dreaming about, sometimes you just need to start learning. No one will come and do it for you.

I learned about 23 different varieties of tomatoes. I learned about Dieffenbachia Janet Craig (a type of indoor house plant). The list goes on and on.

But simply knowing your product will only take you so far. You have to understand it.

You have to know what each tomato tastes like and where it belongs on the menu. You have to know what part of the house to place any given indoor house plant and how much water it needs a week. You have to know if you can give a discount if someone wants to buy 40 pounds of tomatoes. You have to know if any pesticides were sprayed on any of the plants.

Learning and understanding the product can be really challenging, and oftentimes the only way to really do that is through experience, something I was lucky enough to have plenty of early on.

2. Learn to improvise

Is it even possible to have all the answers for each and every customer? What are you supposed to do when you inevitably run into a customer that asks you something you genuinely do not know?

It is hard to put it into words, but all you have to do is learn to improvise. Think on your feet.

At the farmers’ market, that meant coming up with prices on the go and using your quick wit to recommend dishes for using a Japanese eggplant.

In business, and in life, people will ask you really hard questions. It will never be possible for you to prepare all of the answers beforehand. Therefore, you must learn to adapt—and communication will be your favorite tool in doing so.

3. Be genuine

Here is the point, though, where many people steer in the wrong direction: They take improvisation as a means for lying to the customer.

The customer knows when you are lying, always.

I have seen it time and time again, so do not let it happen to you. This holds true not only for sales, but also for friendships and job interviews.

Your customers are humans. They favor relationships over sales. And honesty lives at the core of most relationships. Communication predicated on a lie is bound to fail.

I wish someone had told me this earlier: If you do not know the answer, do not say you do.

Your customers want the truth, not fluff.

I have found that in life, you can cut out most of the fluff and, instantly, you will become a better communicator.

Though business leaders communicate all the time, very rarely do we focus in and try to understand how we can improve. Only when we dissect our language and structure can we learn how to improve.

Editor’s note: For more stories from one of Olin’s most prolific student writers, subscribe to Jordan’s weekly newsletter.

This post was originally featured on Medium and was republished with permission from the author.

When you are searching for a job, demonstrating strong communication skills is essential, yet most people understand this concept superficially. The Weston Career Center put together this checklist for students looking to improve their business communication skills:

Know your audience

Whether you are writing a letter, interviewing, or presenting, the number one rule of business communication is to know the audience—the people who will be receiving your communication. Let’s put this into the context of looking for a job: Research the company. In addition to reading the company’s website, find out about the culture, and learn about its specific business problems. It is hiring people who can solve business problems. What do you have to offer the company? Also, do you fit with its culture?

Go beyond basic research, and use a little psychology. That recruiter you’re talking with has been flying around the country talking with one person after another, day after day. Can you put yourself in that person’s shoes? He or she wants to talk with an interesting and confident person who’s ideal to work with and who stands out from the crowd. You’ve made his or her day if you turn out to be the right person to bring in for a second interview.

In the cover letter and interview, briefly convey your knowledge of the company, and communicate information that demonstrates your fit with the company and the advertised position.

Know yourself

You can’t effectively communicate what you have to offer an organization if you don’t know your own talents, strengths, and weaknesses. To effectively differentiate and sell yourself, know what makes you unique. In the cover letter and the interview, prove with examples and results that you have skills to help business professionals solve their business problems.

Prepare

Good presenters and writers prepare in advance. They rehearse their presentations and tweak their writing until they feel their messages are clear and compelling. Even if you are a charmer, no one will be impressed if you demonstrate little preparation for the interview. For interviews, predict the questions you could be asked, prepare for them, and practice answering them.

In letters, customize your message for that particular audience.

Be concise and organized

You’ve heard that time is money. That’s why businesspeople won’t have patience for a disorganized and wordy paragraph or a rambling answer during an interview. Avoid wordiness. Consider whether headings, subheadings, and bullets in your written correspondence will help the busy reader easily navigate your message. In general, make the first sentence of each paragraph the main point, and then support that point.

Be accurate and truthful

If someone discovers you’ve lied, you’ll lose your credibility. Proofread, or you’ll be perceived as someone who doesn’t pay attention to details.

Know when to listen and when to talk

Good communicators have different personalities. Some are outgoing, and some are thoughtful listeners. The best communicators can listen to the other person and keep a conversation going.

One strategy for keeping a conversation flowing is to demonstrate interest by asking good open-ended questions.

Really listen, and you’ll learn a lot about the job and the company.

Men and women were found to communicate better with each other when sticking to a “politically correct norm.”  Michelle Duguid, organizational behavior professor at Olin, is a co-author of the new research that is currently under review for publication. An article about the study appeared on the Campus Reform website.

Meet Michelle Duguid in this video.

“Why did I start ChangeCasting? Communications, to me, is really the Achilles’ heel of any organization. You look at whatever problem any organization has, it always somehow relates to effective communication  So I am looking at all ways to improve communications in my organization.”

-Rear Admiral Christopher J. Tomney, Assistant Commandant for Intelligence & Criminal Investigations, U.S. Coast Guard

ChangeCasting is a new approach for leaders to manage change within their organization whether private, public, or a nonprofit.  Web 2.0 technology provides the opportunity to not only lead change but accelerate it. This web-based video communications process can be a key way for building trust and creating understanding in your organization.  It is this trust and understanding that can help facilitate successful organizational change.

Rear Admiral Tomney recently addressed an audience of federal agencies employees attending Brookings Executive Education’s course Vision and Leading Change. He spoke of the achievements and challenges in using ChangeCasting as a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard.

“If you don’t get your message out there, you are seceding ground.” Each week Rear Admiral Tomney sends a three minute video to the organization, approximately 1,600 people.  “Here’s a quick update of what is going on, what’s crossing my desk, what’s on my mind, who am I engaging with as the head of the enterprise?” He considers ChangeCasting to be a perpetual, ongoing, all hands on deck meeting between himself and his workforce.

Rear Admiral Tomney closes out each video with a question and an opportunity for anonymous feedback and response. The goal is to establish a virtual network and a two-way dialogue. He is always looking for ways to get new ideas and he wants to hear from the boots on the ground.

The responses to Rear Admiral Tomney’s use of ChangeCasting have been positive with staff stating they enjoy the weekly videos. Most of the comments come from the junior staff as this is a unique opportunity to connect with Rear Admiral Tomney. Everyone’s viewpoint is gathered and valued. ChangeCasting has proven to be an effective method of communication with all levels of Intelligence & Criminal Investigations, U.S. Coast Guard for Rear Admiral Tomney.

Rear Admiral Tomney completed a federal executive fellowship at the Brookings Institution and earned the Brookings Executive Education Certificate in Public Leadership

Learn more about ChangeCasting from Jackson Nickerson, Associate Dean and Director of the Brookings Executive Education.

Image: video screens by Steve Woolf, Flickr, Creative Commons

Twenty-nine students in the specialized masters program formed six teams to compete in the Professional Communication Forum on Nov. 16.  Professor Mark McLaren teaches the communication skills course.  The topic for debate was an analysis of public vs. private company accounting standards.

Congratulations to: Haojie (Adonis) Jing, Rae Lerner, Sang (Sylvia) Li, Jingqi (Jacqueline) Liao, and Wenhao (Allison) Zhang who were members of the winning team!

The judges included four executives from Emerson, Ernst & Young, Charter Communications, and Bunge.