Communication studies abound and while one report indicates how certain elements within a communication exchange influence the interpretation of the communication exchange by the receiving party, another study says the opposite. The sending and receiving of communication exchanges is both art and science, and it is a never-ending learning curve in life and with your marketplace. By understanding and applying three easy rules to communication exchanges, you can significantly increase the power of your next exchange, meeting presentation, selling opportunity and do so whether written or spoken.

So, what all communication experts do agree on is, whether in written or spoken communication exchanges, is communication architecturally is differing elements:

• There is a portion or percentage of the communication exchange sent that influences ones’ interpretation, solely based upon WHAT has been said.
• There is a portion or percentage of the communication exchange sent that influences ones’ interpretation, solely based upon WHY the signal has been said.
• There is a portion or percentage of the communication exchange sent that influences ones’ interpretation, solely based upon HOW the signal has been said.

As a sales professional recognize that precisely WHAT words and message chosen to be sent is critical. For this is the portion or percentage of the communication exchange that is rationalized for understanding. It is also the portion of percentage of the communication exchange that typically registers second over-all. The WHAT factors can make or break a communication exchange and those WHAT factors can be:

• The facts, logic, data chosen by the sender and provided to the receiver to interpret from.
• The facts, data and logic should be precise to the recipients’ ability to understand, don’t talk down or above the receiver’s reference to your message and use facts, logic and data to make your point conversationally and non-combatively to the recipient.
• The facts are typically those tangible elements to tour communication signal sent that the recipients process’s from.

As the sales professional, you must also realize that the listener will put the message into its proper perspective based upon the supporting components sent, that justify WHY that exchange is taking place, or the urgency of the message. This may be non-verbal signals and additional influencers to the exchange. The WHY factors can make or break a communication exchange and those WHY factors can be:

• The WHY are the relational factors in the recipient’s head that they reference in decoding your message …
• The WHY factors are the means in which the recipient rationalizes or reasons the context of the WHAT factors, based upon their (the recipients) reference or lack of reference to your facts, data and logic presented.

Ineffective communication exchanges many times are due to poor transmission of that signal. What the human ear/eye registers before registering the WHAT factor. HOW the signal is being sent. The HOW factors can make or break a communication exchange and those HOW factors can be one’s:

• Tone of voice or messaging
• Pitch of voice or messaging
• Pace of voice or messaging
• Volume of voice or messaging
• Accent of voice or messaging
• Intonation of voice or messaging

As a sales professional, realize that while you may spend significant time working on exactly WHAT to say to a prospect/customer, there also needs to be attention and sensitivity paid to HOW and WHY that signal will be sent.

Sales professionals can authenticate their message and allow for adjustments to the HOW, WHAT and WHY factors by recognizing that there are also double standards that can make or break dialogues as well.

• If a man is assertive in his tone of voice when communicating, many times it is acceptable and if not, most would label that communication behavior as aggressive, pushy or a jerk – all logical rationalizations.
• However, if a woman communicates and is being assertive, in many instances she will be heard not as assertive, aggressive or pushy, but rather as a domineering individual – or a word that rhymes with “itch” – an emotional rationalization! This analysis is more emotional based than logic based, and when one mentally reaches this conclusion there will be an instant communication breakdown!

Is this a double standard? Yes. Is this a reality? Yes. The point here is not to debate the merits of the signal influence, rather recognize HOW people do actually register signals.

Effective communicators just as successful sales professionals are sensitive to both WHAT is being said, WHY it is being said and most importantly HOW it is being said!

The sending and receiving of communication exchanges is both art and science, and it is a never-ending learning curve in life and with your marketplace. By understanding and applying three easy rules to communication exchanges, you can significantly increase the power of your next exchange, meeting presentation, selling opportunity and do so whether written or spoken.

What are your thoughts?]