To get through the next few weeks / months you’re going to need your family, friends, teams, colleagues, clients and other key people to work with you, believe in you, stick with you and support you. You need people to TRUST you.
But what is trust?
Trust:
Effective communication is more than just being able to convey a message that is clear; it also means being a good listener, checking for understanding and paying attention to the non-verbal signs.
Openness allows people to become more engaged and it’s a great way of deepening your relationship. Be yourself and people will be more of themselves too, sharing more with you and allowing you to support and help them further.
It creates loyalty, mutual respect and a positive work environment. People want to feel like they are valued and that they play an important part in the bigger picture.
5 steps to communicating effectively & building trust
1. Be an open and an effective communicator.
2. Make it “Two-way” communications
Remember: Communicate from the TOP of the organisation, from YOU.
3. Do what you say you are going to do, and not just sometimes, ALL the time.
“Consistency is the true foundation of trust. Either keep your promises or don’t make them.”
Ray J Bennett
Silence is RARELY golden!
4. Be transparent, honest & genuine.
5. Show you care – empathy
Empathy means ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Empathy is the experience of understanding another person’s thoughts, feelings, and condition from their point of view, rather than from your own.
You try to imagine yourself in their place in order to understand what they are feeling or experiencing.
(source:PsychologyToday)
Have a watch of this talk from Simon Sinek – Understanding Empathy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences about building trust. Or if you have any questions or want to chat through how you can develop more trust with your key individuals or groups please get in touch at lucy@lrcomms.co.uk.