Sometimes in business (and life) situations may arise that require some uncomfortable conversations. While no one likes these types of conversations, they are often necessary to keep your business on track and to allow you to grow in the ways you desire.

Part of running a business or being a leader is solving problems. As I have said before, communication is the most powerful tool you have in your business toolbox. Yet, it is also the most under-utilized. You wouldn’t use a drill at half power to make holes in concrete, so why are you using a fraction of your communication skills to grow and run a business or lead a group? 

Like power tools, you must learn how to use your communication “tools” more effectively to get the job done. Since these skills are not thoroughly taught in schools or even in most business degree programs, you are left to figure it out on your own. 

While each situation will be different, there are a few things you can do in every...

If you are in the service industry, you would likely agree that the level of service in a lot of businesses has declined greatly over the last couple of years. Staffing issues, uncertainty, forced closures, and a plethora of other things have stretched even the strongest among us to the breaking point. 

In the current world, we are all competing for our clients’ attention as well as their business. With so many of us out there hustlin’ and bustlin’, how do we attract clients to work with us, instead of with our competitors? Through amazing customer service, based on clear and frequent communication, and genuine care for your clients.

I attended a meeting last week where someone asked the question: how do we improve our communication? Now, I wasn’t running the meeting, so I didn’t blurt out a bunch of stuff, but I did hop into the chat and add my favorite ways to improve communication. Today, I will share those with you!

1. PRACTICE. I know I have...

In 2019, right in the thick of working on my master’s in communication, I had the opportunity to visit the gorgeous country of Colombia. It was magical, beautiful, and I wish I’d had more than 6 days to enjoy it. I met the most amazing people, ate the most amazing food, and saw some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. One of those places was the salt mine at Zipaquira. It was awesome! When I was done walking through it, I visited the gift shop to see what kind of goodies I could procure to bring home.

This would prove a little difficult since I didn’t speak Spanish and the nice lady at the counter didn’t speak English. Our conversation was quickly lost in translation because we had no idea what each other was saying. Luckily, I had Google translate on my phone and we were able to communicate using that as our translator! (I may or may not have left with a Colombian emerald ring and way too many trinkets to count…).

Remembering that...

If you have been around here for a while, you know that I talk a lot about communication (I mean, it IS my thing…so go figure) and I talk mostly about how communication is the key element to success in so many areas of your life, especially your business or professional life.

So much of what we discuss here at 10-4 has to do with how communication influences this or that and how you can bolster your success by improving your skills. Today I am going to keep it simple and give you my three-step practical process for ensuring your communication is flowing like water! 

I learned this process when I was in the military, where communication in a platoon of 50 plus Marines, is paramount to mission success! This simple process helps you maintain open communication and ensures everyone has the information they need to be successful.

The simple process consists of 3 questions you ask yourself:

1. WHAT do I know?
2. WHO needs to know it? 
3. HAVE I told them? 

Let’s apply...

What if I told you that business is dependent on relationships? Oh wait, I have told you that! I need you to really hear me though, so it bears repeating. (In case you need a refresher, click HERE to read my last post about building relationships )

In order to sustain your business, you need to build and nurture relationships with your clients and audience. You do this through your communication. In the age of social media, instant gratification, constant connection, and less in-person contact, your communication game must be top-notch. You need to be able to cut through the noise and get your voice heard. While that is easier said than done, there are ways you can improve your communication to help get you on the right track to building strong, business-sustaining relationships that will help you achieve your goals!

In an article about conflict resolution between students, the University of Michigan used the acronym LARA when detailing how students can address conflict in...

Do you want to know what my biggest business pet peeve is? When someone I don’t know messages me on social media with a “hey I’m doing a drawing where you can win this or that and all you have to do is share this post or that post…”

Seriously, these messages are the biggest turn off ever. It’s like the sender is throwing a pot of spaghetti at the wall and hoping that some of it sticks. If that is how you like to do business, you might want to skip this post, but if you are like me and prefer to get to know people first, keep reading.

If you have been a victim of the above type of cold-messaging-wannabe-business communication, you know that your first reaction is to just delete the message. That’s usually what I do. If you are the person sending such messages and hoping that just one or two people take you up on your offer, let me tell you, there is a BETTER way!

I am going to let you in on a little secret (it’s really not that secret,...

Communication is essential in both our personal and professional lives. In order to be successful, we need to be credible–one of the best ways to achieve credibility is through effective communication. 

As a business owner, you need and want people to want to listen to you. You want your ideal customers to seek you out and crave your content. The hardest part of reaching your audience is ensuring your communication is effective. 

This week, we are discussing a few things you can do to make sure that your content and communication builds your credibility with your current and potential customers, so they come back for more! 

1. Do your research. One of the easiest ways to build credibility through your content is to do research before you say (or write) a word. There is nothing worse than giving false information when you are supposed to be an expert on something. By doing your research, you can craft content that is accurate and can be backed up if someone...

Houses are built from the bottom up; business is no different. The first step in building a house is setting the foundation. Without a solid foundation, the house will be unstable, the same goes for your business!

It can be difficult to know where to start when building a strong foundation for your business. You want to be successful, but you need to lay the groundwork for that success. To do that, you need to build strong relationships with your clients, contractors, and others who may play a part in your business’s success. 

Business is built on relationships and relationships are built on communication.

To help you get started on building your strong communication foundation, here are 4 tips to help you!

1. Communicate clearly. Develop clarity in your messaging. Be clear and direct in your interactions with others. Keep it simple, especially in the early days of building relationships. Clear communication will help you develop strong bonds with those whom you wish to do...

Ok, the writing isn’t really on the wall but let’s talk about written communication. Writing is one of my favorite ways to communicate!

When you speak, your words are out there. You can’t take them back, you can’t change them, they are forever out in the world. But with writing, you can write, erase, re-write, erase again, edit, change, move things around…you get the idea. Written communication is the easiest to get just right. This also means that you have a responsibility to get it right!

Written communication can take on many forms. Common examples include email, reports, letters, and memos. To help you make sure your written communication is on the mark, regardless of the form or nature of the message, here are 4 tips to help make sure you get it right!

1. Tone is tricky. When you speak, you have the added benefit of body language and the nuances of your voice to help you with the tone of your message. In writing, you only have the words on the...

Visual communication is perhaps the most under-used type of miscommunication. Visual communication is the use of art, photos, graphics, and charts to convey information. The addition of these to a written or spoken message can make a big difference in how your message is received.

Visual components can be a helpful tool to use in your communication. In this post, we will discuss 3 things to remember when incorporating visuals into your communication!

1. Consider your audience. It is critical to tailor your visuals to your audience’s needs and their level of knowledge on your subject matter. You should also take your allotted time into account as you don’t want your visual components to cause you to get behind on your presentation if you have a limited amount of time to get your message out.
2. Visual communication should complement your spoken or written communication, not overtake it. Visuals are an accessory to your bigger message, they shouldn’t be the entire...