Unsurprisingly, clients often achieve successful outcomes when consultants consistently demonstrate professional behaviors and core values inherent to consulting excellence, such as integrity, fairness, honesty, and respect.
These characteristics collectively craft the personal brand of a consultant, signifying what clients can anticipate when seeking their services. Hence, a successful consultant recognizes the necessity of promoting their positive reputation before advertising their services.
Achieving Excellence Through Effective Communication
During their engagements, consultants must assume diverse roles to provide the services their clients truly need.
Practically, this means being able to lead, coach, or follow as the situation demands. It's about the capacity to clarify, provide information, instigate challenges, educate, or persuade as the circumstances require.
For consultants, it’s crucial to have excellent communication skills to succeed in performing these roles.
Consultancy thrives on clear, timely, and coherent communication. Yet, building lasting client relationships requires consultants to grasp the psychological aspects of human interaction.
Expressing Professional Values And Behaviors
The way consultants communicate with their clients and other stakeholders is as crucial as the message itself. In other words, consultants' communication style mirrors their principles, beliefs, and values.
Non-verbal communication vividly showcases how individuals express their emotions, whether consciously or unconsciously, through their body language, tone, gestures, facial expressions, and stances.
Being a cornerstone of human communication explains its high standing in many consultancy training programs.
However, communication style isn't always explicitly known. Yet, for consultants, their mode of communication significantly shapes their brand. Thus, consultants must recognize that their communication style profoundly influences how others perceive them.
5 Styles Of Human Communication
From psychology, we've learned that communication can manifest in five distinct styles individuals may choose: assertive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, manipulative, and submissive.
Each style embodies distinct behaviors, language, and non-verbal cues. Though these patterns can adapt to situations, individuals often exhibit a default style.
1. The Assertive
Assertiveness reflects a balanced and effective communication style, reflecting high self-esteem. Assertive individuals are confident, skillfully balancing achievement with respecting others' opinions and avoiding aggression or passivity in their approach.
Yet, being assertive doesn't assure individuals always get what they want. Rather, it aids in finding a compromise. Even without attaining their desired outcome, they feel satisfied knowing they handled the situation well, avoiding any feelings of resentment. Surprisingly, assertive communication is among most individuals' least commonly used styles.
Example: “I'm sorry, I can't attend the workshop as I have a meeting scheduled at that time.”
Possible reactions could be:
- Feeling intimidated by that person.
- Trusting that this person is doing the right thing.
- Respecting this individual.
2. The Aggressive
It's not surprising that this style aims to win, often at the expense of another person.
Those exhibiting aggression in communication tend to prioritize their needs, asserting that their rights and opinions outweigh others'. Their messages are less likely to be effectively conveyed, as people react to their manner rather than focusing on the actual message.
Example: “I'll do it my way; I've looked into your options, and frankly, I find them awkward.”
Possible reactions could be:
- Fearing of being blamed when sharing negative news (like reporting project delays or impactful issues)
- Feeling pressured to agree to suggestions even if they disagree.
- Feeling subjected to bullying.
3. Passive-Aggressive
People exhibiting this style may seem outwardly negative, but they express anger indirectly or in hidden ways.
Those exhibiting this communication style often appear disgruntled, seeking to undermine others' contributions, even if it negatively affects their own situation. The phrase 'inflicting harm on others, even if it harms me' aptly describes the passive-aggressive style.
Example: “Don't worry, I'll resolve the issues caused by the third party like usual.”
Possible reactions could be:
- Feeling anger and frustration.
- Sensing their contributions being undermined.
- The inclination to react in a hostile manner.
4. The Submissive
Individuals exhibiting submissive behavior tend to prioritize pleasing others and avoiding confrontation. They treat others' needs and rights as more important than their own, often taking on a passive role in meetings or discussions.
Example: “You’re free to decide what's best.”
Possible reactions could be:
- Feeling that what's said to them is what others want to hear rather than the truth.
- Feeling unproductive.
- Unwillingness to help this person.
5. The Manipulative
Manipulative speakers demonstrate shrewd and calculated behavior to attain their desired ends. They often possess strong influencing abilities or indirect power to control others for personal gain, camouflaging their words with concealed messages that others might not fully grasp.
Example: “I anticipate a promotion this year and look forward to some positive feedback. By the way, I'm glad your manager appreciated the report I assisted you with.”
Possible reactions could be:
- Unwillingness to interact with this person.
- Feeling exploited.
- Inability to trust this person.
Adopting A Professional Communication Style
The success of consultancy isn't merely about status or personal gain but about delivering beneficial outcomes that satisfy all involved. Hence, values like integrity, honesty, fairness, and respect should guide every action and decision consultants make.
Therefore, ensuring consultancy excellence involves consistently upholding these values within the communication approach consultants adopt. It should mirror their professional behaviors and the values they advocate.
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