“Daring leaders say the unsaid, unsurface what’s been pushed down, and bring to light the stuff that’s in the shadows and in the corners.” ~Brene Brown, Dare to Lead~

But how do they do it? By learning to communicate openly, honestly, and vulnerably. They ask the hard questions, have the hard conversations, and aren’t afraid to get uncomfortable, in order to help others succeed.

Anyone who has been in a leadership role can tell you that communication is one of the top skills of a good leader. I completely agree, however, too often, even the best leaders lack the skills necessary to communicate effectively.

When tasked with a leadership role, there are usually many responsibilities that are lined out for us. Communication isn’t always in the job description, but it should be. As a leader, you must be able and willing to have the necessary conversations to make your teams and, as a result, your organization stronger.

Being a leader is a monumental...

Remember in 2nd grade when we were so excited to do that experiment where you take two metal cans, attach some white string to them, and talk through them like a telephone? As a kid, it was super fun to catch bits and pieces of what the other person was saying as the sound waves moved through the string and into your ear via the can.

But, as a business owner and entrepreneur, it can be challenging when you feel like you are communicating clearly but not have your audience HEAR you. I know that the person on the other end of the string was saying something logical, but it didn’t always come through crystal clear.

What does a silly science experiment have to do with communicating on a professional level? EVERYTHING.

You, as the communicator, have the hard job of crafting what you say in a way that your target recipient(s) will understand with ease. Put yourself in their shoes: if you can’t make sense of the message, you will move on to a different product or service...

You have probably heard the old adage “practice makes perfect.” As a musician for almost three-quarters of my life, I can assure you that practice does not make perfect; rather, practice makes permanent.

If you do something over and over a certain way, you create pathways in your brain, as well as “muscle memory,” that cause you to always do that thing in that manner.

Communicating is no different.

Regardless of your method of communication, the more you do it, the better and more confident you become. This improvement and confidence come from repeatedly practicing and developing your skills.

It’s easy to say you just need to practice communicating and you will be better at it. While that is partially true, you need to practice consistently in order to build skills that will build your confidence. Just like in music, if you practice it incorrectly, you will learn incorrectly, and then when it is performance time, you will falter.

Now, that...

Expectations. One of the biggest frustrations I hear from my clients and other business owners is that they get feedback from a client that their (the client’s) experience wasn’t what they expected. Unfortunately, this is common in service-based industries. But why? Because the service provider has not taken control of the consumer’s expectations.

Let’s start by defining expectation:

My definition: a conscious or subconscious prediction of an outcome

Conscious = Active Subconscious = Passive

Example of active expectation: When I properly mix all the ingredients, I expect my cookies to taste delicious. This is an active expectation because I have taken the steps necessary to reach a specific outcome: delicious cookies!

Example of a passive expectation: When I go to sleep at night, I expect to wake up in the morning. This is a passive expectation because I haven’t put any thought into it..

How does this translate to business? Whose job is it to set your...

We’ve all been through a break-up or two in our lives (if you haven’t you are LUCKY)! Some break-ups are hard, some are necessary, and others are just awkward. As a business owner, sometimes we have to break-up with our clients, and while it might be necessary, it definitely does NOT have to be awkward.

This week I am going to tell you the story of how my hairdresser of over 12 years broke up with me, and how she could have done it differently to make it way less awkward for both of us.

Any woman knows it can be a real chore to find a hairstylist that you can trust to just KNOW what to do with your hair. When you find that stylist, you never let them go! I was lucky enough to find a young stylist who was a perfect fit for my whole family. We became friends, watched each other grow our families, and had a great working relationship. I never had to tell her what to do with my hair, I trusted her to just know what to do and I knew I would love it every time.

12 years into...

Last week I touched on the importance of knowing your audience. This is one of the main pillars of communication that I teach and it is such an important one for business owners to master.

Let’s dive in shall we?!

The first step to knowing your audience, is to know yourself. You have to discover your own communication style before you can effectively reach your audience.

It can be difficult to know where to begin when identifying your own style of communication. Here are the four types of communicators and some of the traits they possess:

• TIMID: often we associate the word timid with shy, weak, scared, or soft. I’m telling you to get rid of those connotations right now. Timid communicators may or may not be any of those things, but what they most definitely are, is present. Timid communicators often find themselves wanting to be more assertive in their communication, which leads them to prepare extensively, study, rehearse, and research so that they can feel as...

If this sounds like the beginning of a bad breakup, fear not! When I say “it’s not me, it’s you,” what I really mean is it’s ABOUT you.

In this post I will start to dive into one of my main pillars of communication: Knowing Your Audience. This is one thing I teach in great detail and something that prevents many of us from mastering our skills. Let’s dive in!

We’ve all heard “there’s no ‘I’ in team” and I’m here to tell you there’s no “me” in communicate…but there is YOU (well, a “u” but you get the point).

As a communicator, there are two ways to approach communicating with your audience: self-centered and client-centered (or audience-centered) communication. If you hold a position as a leader, business owner, or professional, YOUR COMMUNICATION SHOULD ALWAYS BE FOCUSED ON THE INDIVIDUAL(S) AT THE OTHER END OF YOUR MESSAGE.

But how do you know if your message is...

Have you ever baked cookies? I’m not a baker but I have attempted cookies once or twice. The process is the same each time: decide on the type (peanut butter is my fav), find a recipe, gather the ingredients, put the ingredients together, bake, and voila: delicious cookies that everyone loves.

But what happens if you don’t have all the ingredients? If a single ingredient is left out or used improperly, the final product can turn out far differently. In baking, every ingredient has a purpose.

I know you’re wondering why I am rambling on about cookies, especially since I’m admittedly NOT a baker. Here’s why: Communicating is like baking. Words are the ingredients, your message is the cookie.

Today’s post is about utilizing all the ingredients at your disposal to communicate more clearly and create focused, impactful content that will attract clients like cookies attract children!

According to the Oxford dictionary, the English language has over...

Hi, and thanks for dropping by the 10-4 Communications blog! This is a place for learning, sharing, laughing, and growing! Each week, we will post a new article discussing a variety of topics, stories, and ways to improve your confidence and communication! I’m so excited that you have decided to come along for the ride!

You are probably wondering, “who are you and why should I keep reading?” That is a great question   I’m April. I have a Masters Degree in Professional Communication and over 20 years of experience in a variety of what I call “people industries.” I love people-watching, hiking, running, studying astrology, and making music (I’m a classically trained musician – more on that some other time). Even more than those things, I truly enjoy listening to other people’s stories and helping them become the best version of themselves. 

That is the whole reason I created 10-4 Communications! Through 1 on 1...