Latest / Daily Influence / 613. Say Less, Mean More: The Influence of Focused Language

Transcript

613. Say Less, Mean More: The Influence of Focused Language · Daily Influence

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the daily influence where our mission is to deliver a daily dose of positive influence that can uplift you personally or be shared within your sphere of influence.
• 0:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: While not every episode may directly apply to your unique circumstances, we strive to provide insights and inspiration relevant to most people's daily, weekly, and monthly lives.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Whether you are tuning in during the morning, noon or night, the daily influence is here for you.
• 0:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Listen, share, and embrace the power of influence in your life.
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hey everybody Brian Smith here with the I&T series and your daily influence and I'd like to welcome you back I know it has been a crazy start to the holiday season for us and I am sure it is with many of you it was fast furious and it went by too fast but I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today I am going to be exploring something that sits really at the heart of intentional and responsible influence and really what I'm talking about is the power of focused language and in the Iron Team series and
• 1:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: within our smart management programs, we emphasize clarity, intentionality, and accountability.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nothing brings those principles to full life better than the language we choose when we're communicating with each other.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: When we can learn to say less and mean more, we elevate our influence, strengthen our relationships and, you know, most importantly, we support deeper listening,
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, fits right into what we really like to teach, which is listen to learn.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it does that both in ourselves and in others as we engage that way.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Focus to language doesn't just sharpen communications.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It creates space for understanding empathy and really an honest connection that allows for more trust to happen during that communication you have with others.
• 2:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the first thing I think which is really important is you have to prepare yourself for the conversations you have.
• 2:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I know oftentimes that we can't prepare for some of the reactive engagements that we have as individuals within our areas of influence.
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if we know we have those reactive intervals of communication,
• 2:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: we can slow ourselves down and think about those instances and prepare ourselves ahead of time even for the interruptions.
• 2:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: So your words are an extension of your influence.
• 2:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So focused language, how you respond, how you communicate, requires
• 2:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: pausing long enough to understand your intention before you speak, especially when it's reactive.
• 3:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So you might slow down and ask yourself a simple question is this, what am I about to say?
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why am I going to say it?
• 3:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you can challenge that using smart, using the smart principles, such as
• 3:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: am I going to be specific, hold yourself to that?
• 3:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is what I'm about to say or the topic where on is it relevant?
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: And is this a good time to have this conversation or because I was interrupted or because it's rushed, should we create a pause, get some space, gather our thoughts, and move forward.
• 3:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: And when we choose our words intentionally, we can guide the conversation or future
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: instead of just adding noise and creating more chaos potentially, focused language in these pauses.
• 3:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: It also creates some space between the reaction of the moment, the emotion of the moment, and really what is at the heart of the conversation.
• 4:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So when you reduce unnecessary reaction,
• 4:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: all of us that are part of the conversation can hear what matters and concise messaging minimizes confusion and it also helps to round out and to bring into better focus the emotional drift that can happen in some conversations especially those where we've been interrupted or the topic is a little bit more
• 4:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: or high profile or stressful than other topics.
• 4:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And last talking also shifts the spotlight to the other person.
• 4:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you do that, you also as a leader or as somebody who is guiding a conversation, set a tone and set a cadence in a conversation that oftentimes we've picked up by others.
• 4:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: So when you improve your ability to listen, observe and respond effectively.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: over time you will notice that others will do the same thing because they can see and feel the positive and responsible influence that comes from that type of communication with you.
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: The other thing that this can do when we take this pause and we focus on our landed, we focus on how we communicate is it really can demonstrate emotional maturity.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: It can really help build respect
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Increase the level of confidence, not just in yourself and having better understanding, but in your teams and confidence in what is being accomplished in your conversations is actually better and trustworthy.
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: people trust communicators who are clear and consistent, short, meaningful statements, help set boundaries.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: They also help set expectations.
• 5:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: And if the expectations are unknown even with putting less communication and plays,
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's because we're not getting to the specifics, we're not asking the right questions, which don't require long conversations, they require pointed and very intentional communication.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it also can lead to better and more clear direction.
• 6:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: When others know you choose your words carefully and are intentional about the conversation you have, your influence will increase because your voice carries more weight.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: and people see that over time as you do this consistently and build the confidence and trust within your team.
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: So as you move through your day, challenge yourself to say less.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's funny by sudden Henry often times when we're having a back and forth throws that actual term hit us, say less.
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's indicating his level of understanding
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: and that he is on the same plane.
• 6:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: We might be so far ahead in our mind.
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: We want to maybe talk more to get them caught up.
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And just those words say less can get us refocused.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: And by the way, that means so much more focus your language with intention, clarity and purpose.
• 7:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Leave room for listening.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: for understanding and for others to step into the conversation and add their misunderstanding for clarification and add intentional pointed questions that will help guide the conversation to an end point that has total clarity.
• 7:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: And when you speak with focus, you amplify your influence and strengthen every relationship that you have.
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Remember, your words are powerful and how you use them shapes the way you show up in the world.
• 7:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: So until next time, stay intentional, stay influential and have a great day.