Monthly Newsletter

Dynamic Communication

Although some leaders are natural communicators, being a more dynamic communicator is a skill that you can learn. Dynamic communication is not just about giving and receiving information. It is also about using your message to influence and teach people to think and develop solutions for themselves. When you think of communication this way, it is part strategy, execution, and follow-up. Here is a three-part process that might help you better communicate with your team.

STEP 1: DEVELOP A PLAN
Know what you want to say. You should develop a plan so that the message you want to communicate is clear. Outline the important points, so that your message is concise and accurate. Most people want to engage in discussions where the purpose and intended outcome are well-defined. So, get to the point so your employees can get back to their day. Make the conversation relevant and make it quick. ​

STEP 2: EXECUTE THE PLAN
Once you develop the plan, execute it. You would be surprised at the number of people who take the time to create a plan, but don't actually use it. A communication plan is just like a project plan. In fact, it is a part of project planning. So, once you develop your communication plan, put it into action during the discussion. 

• Use critical thinking skills to ask questions, respond to questions, and provide clarification where needed. 
• Communication is a fluid process, so be flexible, adaptable, and adjust when needed. 
• When you finish, make notes on what went well in the discussion and how you can improve. You may think using a process to assess your communication skills is too systematic, but you have to measure your progress to get better.

STEP 3: FOLLOW-UP
Develop an action plan to follow-up on any commitments that you and the team make. Outline the action-items, people responsible, and deadlines for completion. Follow-up guarantees that you follow-through on commitments.

A FEW MORE THINGS 
Although, the steps above are easily measured. Some things go beyond analytics and systems such as: 

• Be genuine. Be open and relatable. Employees are more likely to be forthcoming with someone that they can relate to and connect with. Share personal experiences with your team, not just the facts. Show a sincere desire for things to be better, easier, and safer, and people will respond positively. 
• Be considerate. Give your employees a chance to share their experiences and ask questions. Make sure your employees fully understand the message before you move to the next point or conclude the conversation.
• Be Present. Be fully engaged and present in the conversation. This means do not check email, text messages, surf the web, or do other distracting things during the discussion.  
• Have Presence. Presence means being confident, calm, and self-assured. When you display these traits, your employees feel like they can trust you and your judgment.
• Empower Others. A large part of your power as a leader is your ability to empower others. You do not have to know the answer to every question or solve every problem. Rely on your team for expertise that you do not have.
• Serve. Effective leaders serve, they do not rule. Servant leaders promote the well-being of those around them. You want to be a leader that people follow by choice, not by force.
• The Human Side. Interactions with your team should be about business, but they should also have an element of lightness to them sometimes. Let your team see your human side. Be professional, but also have fun.

Like most things in life, dynamic communication is a process. Bruce Schneider says, “Each person we meet is our student and teacher,” so use every interaction with every person that you meet to improve your communication skills. ​

It's Finally Here!

We've talked about Alicia Butler Pierre's new book in a few issues, and now it's here! Alicia recently released her new book, BEHIND THE FAÇADE: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success.
 
It’s the world’s first published book dedicated exclusively to the subject of business infrastructure for small businesses. Yes, you read that correctly! The first of its kind.  
 
Some businesses fail, not from poor sales, but because they lack the operations necessary to scale profitably and sustainably. Alicia refers to this missing ingredient as business infrastructure – a system for linking people, processes and tools to ensure expansion and longevity.  
 
Through storytelling and over 60 original illustrations, this book introduces a methodology that Alicia created to help fast-growing businesses implement and maintain business infrastructure. The method is based on 13-years of research. Even though the book is about business infrastructure, it’s also an excellent read for project managers and business consultants interested in learning a new tool.
 
Alicia is extending a special, introductory offer to my network, so for a limited time, the ebook is available on Amazon for only $1.99. The regular price is $11.00, so this is a steal!
 
So far, this book has been critiqued and has passed the litmus test of several prominent businesspeople around the world. These reviewers all believe in this book’s potential to become an international bestseller, but we need your help to make that happen.
 
ACT NOW! You won’t see this price again. This offer expires Sunday, October 28, 2018. I already got my copy, and I've started reading it! Get yours now!

Let’s help Alicia get this book to bestseller status!

Transform the Norm is a company that focuses on empowering people to transform their norm and tap into mind-body-spirit practices. It was created by Anika Williams because of a quote that she fell in love with years ago by Wayne Dyer. He said, “When you shift, everything around you shifts.” When we transform our minds, bodies, and spirits, it shifts the way we see and show up in the world. 
 
Transformation starts within, but then it expands outward. Anika said, “I believe we can affect great change in the world by starting to cultivate our own selves by really developing our inner resources. And so, transform the norm really looks at how we use mind-body-spirit practices, which are all about really evolving and transforming ourselves…”

​MOST IMPORTANT WORK 
When Anika first came to these practices, she was carrying a lot of emotional baggage. One of the ways she dealt with it was by always being busy. When she started meditating and really got into yoga, it forced her to slow down and face herself. Over time it gave her, not only knowledge, but skills to create shifts, which are important when it comes to healing. 
 
She really wants to give other people these tools because she thinks a lot of our culture is so focused on putting the power outside ourselves when it comes to finding joy, happiness, and healing. She wants to give people tools to take their power back, and mind-body-spirit practices are designed to do just that, which Anika thinks is one of the most important things the work at Transform the Norm does for people.

10-YEAR TEACHING ANNIVERSARY
This year Anika is celebrating 10-years as a yoga teacher and over 20-years as a yoga practitioner (yogi). I was curious to know what inspired her to start a yoga practice. She said, “When I first started yoga, the scene was totally different. Yoga was not popular. People thought it was a cult. People didn’t know what it was. I had always been a spiritual seeker and on the cutting edge (or at least I like to think so). I knew it was a practice that had a spiritual aspect, but I also knew very practically that it helped to build flexibility, and I really needed that.”

Initially, she thought of yoga in the physical aspect, because her body was very tight. She said, "I was kind of thinking I needed flexibility in my body and I did need that but, really the flexibility I needed was not just there, but also in my mind emotionally and on many levels." It was her inner guide that led her to this practice, even though she didn’t understand it at the time.

WHY ANIKA BECAME A TEACHER
I asked Anika why she became a yoga teacher. She said she has always loved teaching. She was even the head of her student group in high school. She would teach the students, and they actually listened. Teaching became “a way for her to process what she was learning in yoga class better and go deeper into it.” So, she says to “teach what you want to learn,” which is similar to a quote by Richard Bach. Bach says “We teach best what we most need to learn.”

STYLES OF YOGA
The styles of yoga that Anika teaches include:

1. Kemetic (kuh-metic) Yoga: This is an ancient form of Egyptian yoga that focuses on physical movement, controlled deep breathing and meditation.  
2. Ashtanga (ash-tunga) Yoga: A yoga practice that is more physically demanding where you synchronize breath and movement. Ashtanga is considered a strong practice or more masculine style of yoga. 
3. Vinyasa (ven-yah-sah) Yoga: This is a more balanced flow style of yoga. It is less rigid than Ashtanga, but still, a strong practice that is fluid and creative. Vinyasa flow includes breathing, meditation, and energetic practices.

TIPS FOR CHOOSING A YOGA TEACHER
If you are looking for a yoga teacher Anika recommends that you:

• Find a teacher that you resonate with.
• Make sure the teacher understands the practice and keeps you safe.
• Pick a teacher that can take you deeper into the practice and yourself.

ONE LAST THING
I was curious to know if there was something I didn’t ask, but that Anika wanted to share. She said, what she enjoys most about teaching yoga and mind-body practices are the “ah-ha” moments people have when they realize something more about themselves.

She likes to see her students use “more of their potential, tap into their joy, and (see) their life impacted in a meaningful way.” Her goal is to teach people something that they can use practically and improve their life. That’s how you Transform the Norm!

Until next time...

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