finding your authentic self when communicating with clients
Service professionals often find it challenging to connect with clients on a human-to-human level. That’s because you’ve been trained to cultivate a business persona that’s distinct from the person you are in your down time with family and friends. The business face you put on typically reflects just how seriously you take your role as an advisor and advocate to people who need your help.
How service providers can bring more of themselves to their work is a topic that frequently comes up when I consult with clients about there business communications. So, I was very happy to read the practical wisdom and guidance that communication skills coach Joey Asher offers in an article titled Faking the ‘Real You.’
Although he’s writing about public speaking, Asher’s advice applies just as well to any kind of written or live communication. His premise is that people who tend to come off as stiff, formal and standoffish when they communicate have to learn how to “fake [their] own authentic communication style.”
In presenting this “authenticity paradox,” Asher states: “Great speakers know how to fake their own "natural style" even when they don't feel natural at all. It's learning how to act like your real self.” So, instead of being formal, cool and distant when communicating with clients and other business contacts, we need to mimic our “natural personality” – the friendly cadence, rhythm and energy of the communications we have with people that we feel close to and comfortable with.
There’s no doubt that service providers can use Asher’s approach to foster successful business connections.
